What Texas Needs in a New Democratic Party Chair

by Stan Merriman

Our Party is facing a crucial decision concerning the future of our statewide leadership, who it is very likely, will guide us through the 2008 election cycle. Anyone taking on this monumental task should be categorized as a patriot and hero. The Party Chair is tasked with bringing together members of a Party whose diversity represents more geographic, socioeconomic, ethnic and ideological principals than virtually any other state. Below is a commentary on what qualities are needed from the next Party Chair to make future efforts a success.

Lead·er·ship (noun) - largely a personality construct exemplified by the ability to lead, combined with organizational experience. We need the kind of personality capable of

• galvanizing the masses, both the old and the new in the creation of a shared vision capable of inspiring all of us to work collectively. This will provide the foundation to build an organization capable of electing and motivating candidates and office-holders who will institute public policy on economic and social issues we subscribe to, all of which dramatically, impact each of our lives as well as the lives of our families and communities.  
• A leader who can chart a course and frame our vision in a way that is motivating to fellow Party workers. The Chair is responsible for collaborating with many people throughout this effort.  In Texas, this in part, includes qualities such as a “good ole’ boy or girl who can schmooze Texas-style.

Fundraising: Is an inescapable task which provides the fuel necessary to run the Party machine. Money enables the Party to drive the initiatives and tools necessary to propel the Party to a successful destination.  In today’s world, we need the ability to harness contemporary opportunities with the internet in securing financial support from the grassroots, all of whom have shown the propensity to financially support initiatives which represent our values.  It also means the ability to network and garner financial support from the more fortunate among us willing to share their wealth without the promise of personal payback, other than the satisfaction of securing a more humane and just Texas.

Proven Organizing Skills

• Starts with hands-on knowledge of Party organization including past, present and futuristic from the Precinct, Club, County and SDEC levels upward.  
• A successful candidate should have some campaign experience, either as a candidate or volunteer.  Especially critical is an appreciation for the need to rebuild precinct neighborhood organizing and voter mobilization, which have been largely ignored over the past two decades.
• An understanding of where to secure expertise for the Party’s use of the internet, blog-sphere and web-world as an augmenting vehicle for communications and organizing.  This includes a technical understanding of the use of databases for the same end to bring our Party up to a level competitive with the Republican party.

A Public Face For Our Party: Our national Party is currently speaking with several voices including our DNC Chair, Senate and House Democrats; often in conflict and contradiction; utterly confusing grassroots Democrats across our State. The Texas Chair must unfortunately, shoulder the responsibility to cut through the mass of confusion that exists within the Texas media and, with the help of skillful media counsel, present a clear vision and message of what our Texas Democratic Party stands for.

Being An Opposition Leader: Another unfortunate reality for the new Party Chair is that we are the opposition Party and need to position ourselves accordingly.  This means that the Chair and the organization he/she directs must not only convey a clear, differentiating vision of what we stand for (critical for us to re-build our Party and restore our majority status in public offices), but must also vocally oppose policies and proposals advanced by the Republican Party and their office-holders, by loudly articulating our contrasting points of view.  Opposition leadership means holding errant Democratic officeholders and candidates responsible when they consort with and sell out to the “dark side”.

Build a Populist Party: Our path to victory and electoral success relies on new leadership who understands that in order to appeal to a broader majority in Texas, our Party must address the needs of everyday working people. We do that by standing for a set of progressive principles which translate into public policy to uplift that broad majority where it really counts - economically, in their pocketbooks and daily lives. “Progressive Principles” do not mean “liberal” or “conservative” principles, they mean principles which reform the current status quo which rewards the rich and corporations and punishes working people, urban and rural.  It doesn’t mean passing out patronage to minority groups, women’s groups, GLBT, environmentalists, trial lawyers or labor.  The new Chair’s biggest challenge is to create connective tissue between the disparate interest groups who currently only focus on their very narrow parochial interests. We must be bound together by values at the core of our belief system in a public policy we all benefit from equally. These include, but are not limited to:

• A free Texas public education system to uplift us all economically,
• a Texas healthcare system which is universally available irrespective of economic status,
• fair wages and workers rights to uplift, not exploit
• a Texas government funding system that all taxpayers, corporate and other, share in a fair and equitable manner.  

Jettison the Consultants: The new Chair’s common sense regarding strategy and positioning, spoken from the heart and head, will beat triangulation and targeting any day of the week. Be authentic and true to our belief system.  Voters see through manipulation and thirst for candor and Party leaders who speak truth to power. There is a huge talent pool of volunteer Democrats across this state who can serve the Chair as strategists, consultants, media buyers, communications experts, database and technology gurus and data analysts who can serve unpaid.