The Caucus is the first step to rebuild the party

Its time to step up Shelby County Democrats
Its time to step up
Shelby County Democrats
Today, the Shelby County Democratic Party will begin the process of selecting new leadership for the next two years at its Ward and Precinct Caucus.

For the first time since 2007, I won’t be there.

Truth be told, I haven’t been directly involved with the County Party since I resigned my post back in January of 2014.

Time is not on my side. I have too many things to do, and too few hours in the day to do them. And while I would love to be in the thick of rebuilding the party, I also know that doing so is more than a two year job.

So while I won’t be there today, I’m also not going to sit on the sidelines. And participants, neither should you.

With that in mind, I do have a message for the people who will be participating today.

It doesn’t matter whether you are selected a delegate or not, you are the party, and whomever you select to be your delegate to the convention in two weeks, is your representative.

And while it may seem (and some may wrongly contend) that after today, your role with the party is over, this is not the case.

The Executive Committee is not the Democratic Party…rather, they make up the leadership. You are the party, and its incumbent on you that some things get done to ensure the party moves forward in a positive way:

1. Know your delegate – Before you leave today, get the name, phone number and email address of your delegate (if you aren’t one). Tell that person that by electing them delegate, you expect them to be involved in the process (regardless of whether they’re on the Executive Committee), and that you will be checking in with them periodically to find out what’s going on and what you can do to help.

2. Host a Precinct/House District meeting – After the March 28th Convention, get together with people in your area, and host your Executive Committee members. Let them know who they work for (you), and what you hope to see in the upcoming term. It doesn’t have to be something elaborate…but get folks from your precinct or house district there in numbers, and make sure your Executive Committee members know you’re not playing around…you expect results. Let them know what those results might look like.

3. Contact the new Chair – The field is thick right now, and no one really knows who will win. But once a winner is selected (March 28th), reach out to the Chair, introduce yourself (if you don’t already know him/her), and let them know you want to be a part of the process. There are 11 Committees and only 29 members. The Party will have to reach out beyond the Executive Committee to get these Committees functioning again.

4. Go to a training – The Tennessee Democratic County Chairs Assn. and the TNDP are hosting a Spring Conference April 10th and 11th. Go there, and meet folks from across the state. Share ideas. Learn something new. Shelby County may be the largest Democratic County in Tennessee, but clearly we don’t know how to elect a Countywide candidate. Maybe some outside ideas will help.

5. Don’t let up – Its easy to get discouraged, and God knows, there is plenty to be discouraged about, but don’t. The Executive Committee won’t right this ship alone. They’re going to need you, even if you have to drag them to success kicking and screaming (something this past Executive Committee was exceedingly good at). Demand access (without being a dick). Demand inclusion. But most of all, demand that the Executive Committee stop behaving like an exclusive but reclusive clique, and begin behaving like the legislative body for the Democratic faithful of Shelby County that they’re supposed to be. Make sure they know you expect to be in the conversation, even if you don’t have a vote. Demand that they adopt some real rules for the Party and rules of procedure to regulate the meetings, and that proposals and meeting agendas are sent out to all who want them, not just the Executive Committee. Show up to meetings. Talk to people outside of meetings. Find allies. Organize.

Most of all, meet new people from outside your neck of the woods. Find areas of interest that you share with those people. Build relationships. Politics is about relationships…and relationships are something we desperately need right now to begin to grow and prosper as a party.

Have fun at the caucus!

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