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All successful organizations; professional sport teams, businesses, non-profits, political, military, etc are constantly conducting detailed self-evaluations as a means not just to prevent failure but to insure continuous success. On the rare occasions when they fail to meet organizational expectations, they have no problem whatsoever, enlisting unbiased outside evaluators. Successful organizations don't accept mediocre results and they never accept excuses. They always hold the current leadership responsible and accountable. More important they have proactive leadership that hold itself responsible and accountable.
If we are serious about the future of the Democratic Party in New Hampshire, if we have any hope of regaining our competitiveness we have to do some very deep self-reflection. Some people will quickly revert to excuse making; it was the Tea Party, it was the millions of dollars from unnamed donors, it was the lies, it was, it was, and it was. Even if every single excuse was correct, I have to ask how in the world; could we have been so blinded sided. Why didn't we fight? I have serious concerns if leadership never saw it coming, but I find it even worst if they saw it coming and they were paralyzed into inactivity or even worst reverted to self-interest and self-survival.
This has nothing to do with personality, it is cold and simple, did the current party leadership perform at a level that met or exceeded our expectations. If the answer is yes, then why do we have such low expectations? If we willing to maintain the current party leadership then we must accept the fact that we are just going to be a voiceless minority, just hoping that we can retain the corner officer going forward. Failing that; we would be no different that the Massachusetts Republican Party, a party in name only.
The current state party leadership took over in 2007 and looking back at their accomplishments; one has to look pretty hard for any of note. The current leadership can't or shouldn't be taking any credit for the 2006 results. Nor should they accept responsible for the governor's high poll numbers, that credit should go to the Republicans for poor candidates.
When one looks at the 2008 Obama fired-up Electoral College landslide election, New Hampshire's results; 15 seat loss in the House, no pick-ups in the Senate. When one reviews the 2010 election results, 123 seat loss in the House (138 seat loss in two years), 9 seat loss in the Senate, wipe-out on the Governor's Counsel, even with a two-term congressman lost US Senate seat, lost a NH House seat with a very good candidate in a heavy Democratic leaning district, lost a NH House seat held by a two-term member to a very poor and flawed Republican candidate.
The party leadership proudly boasts about how we passed Marriage Equity, how safe our state is, how wealthy we are, how low our school drop-out rate is etc. None of these were accomplished by the state party leadership, they were accomplished as the result of actions of the Governor, Senate, and House; by people who put their name on the dotted line, people who risked the public embarrassment of election defeat.
The only two factors that should determine whether the New Hampshire Democratic Party Leadership is successful are very simple does it find the most competitive candidates possible to complete for every single county, state, and federal level seat.
The second, but truly only determination of success, what was our win and loss record, did we lose any seats that we should have won.
Based on our win and loss record over the pass two elections, especially the pass election where the Democratic Party was eviscerated at the county, House, Senate and Counsel levels, there is no doubt in my mind that we need a leadership change at the state party headquarters. With the current leadership that we have in place, I see little hope for anything more than a minor recover here and there. I think the current leadership has spent far too much time on regional and national committees while neglecting their responsibilities to their fellow Democrats here in New Hampshire.
If we have any hope of overcoming our collective failure in the 2010 election cycle someone has to accept responsibility and so far I have not seen one single person in the New Hampshire's Democratic Party Headquarters man up, and say I accept complete responsibility and I should be held accountable.
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