Why I Don't Want To Leave The Democratic Party
If you want to change reality, you need to operate inside of it.
We (America) are in the middle of a crisis, obviously. The Trump Administration 2.0 is taking a sledgehammer to our long-held and fiercely fought-for norms and values, apparently hellbent on stripping our institutions to the studs and selling them for parts. The Republican Party’s strategy to degrade and dismantle our country is being implemented at breakneck speed, and the consequences of these intentionally harmful moves are being felt by working families unable to fight back as the pressure mounts.
As a Professional Democrat™️, a lot of people like to tell me that the Democratic Party is dead and that Democrats certainly cannot win in Missouri. Most of those people are Democrats, which bothers me a lot because they are very much alive when they say it. My running theory is that Missouri Democrats, even some of the elected ones, don’t think of the Democratic Party as their responsibility for any number of issues- they do not get anything material from the Party, they do not like a person working for or serving in Party leadership, they do not feel empowered to participate, so they do not.
The problem is that without a strong Party infrastructure, our political ecosystem is off balance and unhealthy. The lanes of responsibility get skewed, and we misunderstand the roles other groups play in a political ecosystem. Activists and outside groups are not built to win elections but to push us to the Left or provide services outside of the scope of campaigns and Party structures, which is to win elections. How do we know? The ballot campaigns can show us exactly the outcome we can expect- progressive policies without more Democrats to protect them.
Here are three reasons I don’t think abandoning the Party infrastructure is a workable idea under this current iteration of reality:
Campaign finance law. Under state and federal law, Party and campaign organizations are the most efficient and transparent vehicles for raising and spending money in elections. What do I mean?
Information and resource sharing is most permissible between campaigns and Party organizations.
Candidates & Party organizations often receive discounted rates on postage, media placement, and other services.
Party organizations can run the staffing administration for other campaigns and Party organizations to cut payroll and healthcare plan fees.
The Democratic Party houses and administers proprietary organizing data collected over decades, which is used to model campaign plans.
Election processes across the country are structured under a two-party-dominated system, and in Missouri, the Party apparatus is enshrined in the state constitution.
The Democratic Party is one of the only organizations with a presence and brand recognition in every American county.
The collective value of a nationwide infrastructure built over time cannot be measured, but can be more effectively utilized.
So what do we do? Take responsibility for making the Party better:
Engage- run for office, run for your county central committee or the state committee, volunteer, serve as a precinct captain, etc.
Use your power to lead- elected officials & other Party leaders can and should demand a plan that prioritizes growth to abundance. Activists and volunteers can ask their elected officials and Party leaders what the plan is to flip seats in the next election.
Embrace the brand- Missourians think Democrats are weak because the GOP’s money gun said we were, and then WE AGREED. Do not cede any more ground- their ideas are INSANE. The best thing we can do is stand up and grab an oar.
This isn’t about any one of us, it’s about all of us and people we will never meet.