An argument for a primary

??? (0.00 / 0)

I think this primary and general election should be about the future of our country, not about the future of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.  IMHO.

I know from reading your post today on openleft that you think the NH Democratic Party is "hide bound" and "willing to lose", which, in light of the strides that the Democratic Party has made in the last eleven years (starting, by the way, with the election of Governor Shaheen), is a position that baffles me as unfounded. If anything, I see a vibrant party that has done great things with great candidates and great leaders like Jeanne Shaheen, John Lynch, Sylvia Larsen, Terri Norelli, Paul Hodes, Carol Shea Porter, Peter Burling, Raymond Buckley, Martha Fuller Clark, Deb Pignatelli, on and on. Maybe your being burnt out has you seeing the glass as half empty, but boy, I see the glass as overflowing, which is why John Sununu will be a one term senator

Energy and persistence conquer all things.


Benjamin Franklin


 

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by: Kathy Sullivan @ Fri Sep 14, 2007 at 20:33:46 PM CDT

It doesn't strike me as helpful (0.00 / 0)

to speculate about the psychological state of an author in addressing his or her comment.
When Republicans do it about Democrats it tends to be a prelude to the politics of personal destruction.
Whether the Democratic party is a top-down or bottom-up organization might be worth considering all around the country--also whether "representatives" are objective agents of the electorate or engaged in a in loco parentis role.

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by: hannah @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 05:04:52 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Yup! (0.00 / 0)

This is the problem.  They already know all the answers, and want to take credit for 2006.  I am not convinced that 2006 was the result of wonderful work by the party apparatus.  However, I am very used, after 7 years of Bush, to having my opinions somehow considered as undermining "the conventional wisdom" AKA "the troops," or in this case, other Democrats.
Which may have something to do with feeling burned out.  The decisions are still being made from the top down, and I don't do top down politics well.  Howard Dean got me to work for the Democratic Party, not Kathy Sullivan.  He empowered me.
I think there is a lack of understanding in the NHDP establishment about how the grassroots works.  At least one race in 2006 was entirely a grassroots effort to start and mostly a grassroots effort to win, and that one sent the first woman to Congress ever from NH.  There was no top down in that race that I know of.  There was trust.
But what I am hearing from Ms. Sullivan, who I am sure in minds other than mine still in some way represents the establishment (good gracious, my age is showing, I came of age in the midst of the most anti-establishment decade in recent history, the Vietnam era) is exactly what Hannah said, in loco parentis. 
No, I am not attacking Kathy Sullivan, I am merely pointing out that not all of us think that the NHDP is the epitome of progressive political action and needs no improvement when they won statewide in a year when the other party had dug themselves into a pretty deep hole.  It takes independents to win elections here in NH, because Democrats are still the smallest group of voters in the state.  I see a need to build a party that will work for the future, and that means letting new candidates get exposure. 
What I see instead is picking the candidates at the top (Kathy was the driving force behind a draft Shaheen effort, remember?) and then saying that the others, who have already worked for months, should just drop out.  Sorry, I don't buy that.  If the party is really as strong as the claims above, a primary will only make the candidate who is finally chosen, by the voters, stronger and better known.  If the party is so weak that we can't afford a primary, then as soon as people forget how awful the Republicans are at governing, and they will, we will be back in the same old rut, only with an even older and less flexible group in charge and running, and no new blood groomed and ready to move forward.
There is no need to be afraid of the conversation. We need to do something more than cower in corners and say "OOOH, don't rock the boat!" 

We believe in prosperity & opportunity, strong communities, healthy families, great schools, investing in our future and leading the world by example. We are Democrats; we are the change you're looking for.

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by: bloomingpol @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 06:50:27 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Tension (0.00 / 0)

There is always going to be tension between the "grassroots" and the "old guard". it's in every conceivable type of organization. There is no avoiding it. The question is, what do we do about it?

After years of working in mostly "alernative" settings, I have observed it is self destructive (organizationally) to dwell too much on these differences. We have to concetrate on what we have in common, not what drives us apart. Divide and conquer worked really well for the Roman Empire. We also have to realize that everybody's gifts are needed, everybody's contribution is important. And we need to keep dialoguing, keep the "grassroots" green and growing to remind the "old guard" where they came from.

I believe Ray Buckley is reaching out to everybody and is committed to an inclusive, living state Democratic party. We won't agee on everything,and that's all right. It wouldn't be healthy if we did. But we have to remember that we have more in common as Dems than differences.

It's great if Buckey and Swett decide to stay in the race, but I completely understand why Steve Marchand is stepping out and support that as well.

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by: Jennifer Daler @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 07:57:05 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Good points (0.00 / 0)

We need to challenge our candidates and ourselves to have the best ideas.  Our world is in crisis and we need to make sure we have the best of new and old thinking going forward.

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by: lymie @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 15:29:37 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oh, for crying out loud. (0.00 / 0)

bloomingpol posted about being burned out the day before. This isn't 'speculation' or any kind of invasion of privacy.

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by: elwood @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 10:32:57 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Interesting (0.00 / 0)

It appears someone isn't paying attention and is so committed to their past thoughts they don't see the radical change. I won't repeat all my points I just made to one of the other threads created but I hope it is informative and ends the untruths being anonymously posted on this site.

2012 starts today.

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by: Ray Buckley @ Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 11:59:12 AM CDT