2014: Carter, Beckum, Irvin and the Pursuit for Rural Georgia Vote

Jason Carter with supporters

Voters in rural areas of Georgia tend to be older than the electorate as a whole and they tend to be of more moderate means. Additionally, older voters tend to vote in higher numbers in midterm elections.

Democrats running this year in Georgia have to be very comfortable in talking about the values they share with other small town Georgia

residents. They have to be very comfortable in believing in God and that they go to church like everybody else does. Issues ranging from Social Security to medicaid to agriculture to economic fairness (which resonates in rural communities and put republicans on defense) are issues that are  well received in rural parts of the state.

 Chris Irvin at Vidalia Onion Festival, Toombs Co

Dems such as Ag Commissioner candidate Christopher Irvin (D-Toccoa), Secretary of State candidate Gerald Beckum (D-Oglethorpe) & Jason Carter, gubernatorial candidate for governor are such candidates that can appeal to these voters who tend to be independent-minded & conservative leaning. These three in particular can appeal to the what I called Zell Miller-Sam Nunn Democrats who have strayed away from the party in recent years.

These candidates in addition to Michelle Nunn who's running for the Senate have been criticized for reaching out to people who haven`t been voting for the Democrats in years, some people have criticized them for trying to broaden the base of the party. To liberals here in this state, broadening the base is how you win elections. Just ask Congressman John Barrow (D-Augusta) who have managed to win his last two re-election bids by broadening his base outside of his former home of Savannah and now Augusta.

Gerald Beckum with ex-State Rep.Robert Ray, Crawford Co

Bottom line: Georgia Liberal Democrats need to get past their interest-group politics and SUPPORT CANDIDATES who appeal to rural Georgians and their values...... well in another word, Georgians who values doesn't line up with the National Democrats and Obamacrats.  They don't understand that the real fault line is culture values. Left wingers often wonder why do working-class voters so often vote for the party (GOP) that pushes tax cuts for the wealthy? The short answer: Money isn't everything. Nothing connects quite like shared culture to persuade voters that, despite other appearances, you're really on their side.

Don't Give Up On The "OTHER" Georgia!

If liberal Georgia Democrats are serious about rebuilding the State Party and the coalitions they enjoyed during their success, they will have to figure out a way to recapture rural affections of Rural Georgians. These have been fading for some time  starting in 2002 when powerful House Speaker Thomas Murphy and then gov. Roy Barnes lost re-election and that's when the Democratic Party began staking its life and its fortune on the urban vote.

There was a time, of course, when rural Georgia and the Democrats were virtually the same thing. But over time, Democrats became more urbanized and rural people became Republicanized, due to the lack of a field team or "bench" of candidate to run in districts that was once held by dems for 20,30 years and that was all right with the Democrats. So long as cities were thriving and their political machines were humming, it seem possible that Georgia Democrats could win statewide elections without benefit of rural support. But as it turned out, they are 0 for 3 (2002, 2006, 2010)

But a new dynamic is occuring...New demographic patterns have altered the math. With the large influx of Black, Hispanic and Young professionals moving into the state, and population shifting from Rural Ga to North G, the rural sectoe is shrinking and the Metro Area of Atlanta is growing...and growing....and growing.  But despite those trends, democrats here in Georgia from the Young Democrats to Rank and file democrats are making a grave mistake in complete seceding the Gnat Line voters to the GOP because they tend to lean conservative and independent who doesn't see eye to eye with National Democrats and its increasing left-wing philosophy.

Certainly liberals here in Georgia will have to show more sensitivity to rural needs than they have displayed. To begin with, they might re-examine the common assumption that rural Georgia exists solely for the convenience of city people and suburbanites, as a dispenser of rest and recreation

DPG Chairman's Job Now Open to All, Regardless of Race or Gender

In a letter sent out to Georgia Democrats, Interim Chairwoman Nikema Williams have decided to open the DPG election to any democrat, not just for white males only.

Says Williams in the letter,

As you are aware, I have been in regular contact with our local party leadership as well as national party leaders to help navigate our upcoming special election for party chair. After extensive consultation, I have decided to open this election to any Democrat who chooses to run for the position.

I believe that an open election is more consistent with our fundamental belief of full participation in the political process.

Our state charter and bylaws were created to implement this very process, at a time when women and people of color had been systematically excluded from full participation.  It is that open process that I want to honor.

Our Counsel agrees and has advised me that the provisions of our charter and bylaws that address racial and gender composition of party officers can be interpreted as a goal that is intelligible when all offices are open for election, but do not explicitly apply in a special election for a single position.

I will be directing our Charter and By-Laws Committee to draft appropriate amendments that will clarify the goals of inclusion and establish uniform procedures for filling vacancies in any office at state, county, congressional district, or other level.

Therefore, the Special Election for Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia will be held on Saturday, August 31, 2013. The deadline for declarations of candidacy as outlined in the June 20th election notice will be extended until Wednesday, July 31, 2013. This will provide an opportunity for any Democrat to participate fully in our process.

Lisa Satterfield- Collins to Run For Georgia Senate District 11

Lisa Collins (D-Blakely) has thrown her name in the hat to succeed retiring State Senator John Bullock (R-Ochlocknee) for SD 11 Special Election to be held in January. Collins is Director of Economic Development for Early County & Early County 2055 which is a 50 year Economic Revitalization Initiative for Early County.

Before that she was CEO of Uptown Columbus & Senior Vice President for Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. She also serve on the executive committee of the US Highway 27 Association, the agri-tourism committee for Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, the board of the Southwest Georgia Joint Development Authority, the Early County Development Authority, the Blakely Development Authority, and serve as secretary of the Early County Airport Authority, executive board member of the Blakely / Early County Chamber of Commerce, vice-president of the Blakely Town and Country Club, and is past- president of the Rotary Club of Blakely & she presently is a member of the International Economic Development Council, the Southern Economic Development Council, the Georgia Economic Developers Association

She is the only democrat to enter the race for SD 11 which includes 2010 Congressional Candidate & Thomas Co Commission candidate Mike Keown who also served as State Representative.

Part 2: The future of the Democratic Party in Georgia: Strength in Unity

With Republicans holding firm control of the Georgia Legislature for decades, Democrats looking to take it back know they’ve got a long, uphill struggle ahead of them.

And while any Democratic uprising is likely to take time, money and an unprecedented amount of energy, there are some here in Georgia who believe that the current party leadership is not capable of doing exactly that & then some.

There is plenty of blame to go around as to why the state party continue to do in a downward spiral but you must look at the top. Mike Berlon has been on the job for well over a year now & depending who you're talking to have or haven't done enough to turn around the sagging fortunes of the DPG. Like I said there's plenty of blame to go around so it'll be unfair to pin all of the blame on Berlon's shoulders.

Last night, I wrote about State Representative & former DPG Chairman Calvin Smyre coming in to fix the once dominant Georgia Democratic Party.in 2015. Leadership is sorely lacking a this point. Smyre is known as a bridge builder, who carries a big stick with many current & former democratic officials across the state & nationally. I used a sports analogy to make my case..Buck Showalter, a re-thread former manager of the New York Yankees & Texas Rangers & ESPN Analyst was brought in by the Baltimore Orioles & in his second year has led the Orioles to the playoffs, Davey Johnson who has ben out of baseball for years was brought in to fix a young, but woeful Washington Nationals Baseball team and in his second season has led the Nats to the division title & a playoff berth Bill Parcells was brought in to turn around struggling franchises such as the New England Patriots ('96 Super Bowl), New York Giants ( 90 Superbowl), New York Jets ('98 AFC Championship game). All these guys are re-threads, re-runs, veterans who many thought was way past their prime or over the hill. This is a direction the Georgia Democrats need to go to to fix problems that are hurting the party & Calvin Smyre in my opinion is the guy who could do that!

Improving the party's ground game should me the main objective, more than anything & that is missing below the gnat line. Having a strong ground game all over the state of Georgia can result in Georgia going from a reliably red state to a purple state. Plus it would help future statewide democratic candidates,. Achieving this kind of transformation in Georgia is not a daunting task, but difficult. There are clear inroads Democrats can make at the statewide level, as well as the legislative and the party job is to make sure its candidates make the most of those opportunities.

What Democrats needs to do here in Georgia is simply get to people’s guts instead of retreating to the ivory tower of the State Capitol to a place where they talk statistics when things begin to get difficult for working people who feel left behind.  Go on a tour of the state where communities have been hard hit by job losses, struggling school systems, high in poverty like Fort Gaines, Hazelhurst, Mount Vernon, Millen, Homerville, just to name a few & to hear & to see what's going on in those areas.

The thing that’s missing from the state Democratic Party’s efforts has been the need for human connection on a gut level. In the past Democrats were most successful when they were able to connect emotionally with voters, whether it was Carl Sanders 1962 victory or Zell Miller's 1990 and 1994 victories, even go back to the rabble rouser Eugene Talmadge's victories for governor in the 1930s & 40s. Its all about connection on gut level with voters. But to do that you must have candidates who have that ability to connect on a personal & emotional level.

But to achieve that kind of connection Democrats first need the infrastructure. When a Democratic candidate shows up at a campaign event, they need to have people already in place to inform them of local issues, to coach them on what policy points they need to emphasize, and to provide surrogates on the ground to introduce them before they speak.

(To do that) they need to have an ongoing, consistent and sustainable fundraising mechanism and, in general, they need to professionalize and modernize the governing bodies of the party. As the party begins to build a stronger infrastructure, its candidates need to begin focusing on the start of a great fracturing within the Republican Party of Georgia. Georgia Republicans are more in line with the National GOP which is ultra-conservative for the most part.

The Republican coalition here in Georgia is showing some signs of fracturing, and as orthodoxy continues to take precedence over compromise, Democrats (if they ever get their act together) are poised to capture the votes of independents and moderate Republicans in ways they never could before.

Democrats have to start fielding more moderate & conservative, pragmatic, sensible Democrats who intend to fill their (republicans) shoes as moderate, sensible, pragmatic Republicans are purged from that party.

Scott Holcomb may well be considered one of those moderate Democrats I hopes to see more of in Georgia.

First elected in 2010, Holcomb represents State House District 81. He serves as deputy whip for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus. The 12 year Military Veteran is considered one of the few rising stars in the party who has the ability to appeal to independents and moderate republicans. But while he may or may not agree with the national party on much of its platform, he and many other Georgia Democrats tend to shape their opinions to reflect some of the state’s key issues, often to the point where there is little daylight between the Republican and the Democratic positions.

But as we start to see more hardliners entering the Republican Party, there is a opportunity for moderate & conservative Democrats to make headway in the Legislature & that's where the party leaders have to begin to change their views on. With the recent wave of party switching, most recently with Polk County Democrat Rick Crawford, there is a sense of paranoia among Georgia Democrats whether its in the caucuses or at the state level that any candidate that's either black or white moderate or conservative democrats will jump to the GOP. Like it or not, they need those types of democrats to pickup seats in the legislature. It's just that simple! Instead of supporting liberal fringe, demographic oriented democrats who can't appeal across political & racial lines, begin supporting moderates & conservative democrats, they'll begin to see progress, until the

I absolutely see Democrats in 2012 and 2014 picking up some seats. But it won't be because of the the DPG, they're too weak & have too many problems to deal with & it won't be because of the house & senate caucuses because they have a one-size fits all mentality that the only candidates they'll support are liberals & liberals only. And if you're a African American moderate or conservative democrat, you have two strikes against you before a election is even held. If you're white, well, I'm not going to go any farther with that

There are a lot of good candidates who lose races or excluded from offices in today's politics just because they're democrats. That's got to change & change soon!

The Racial...No Political Profiling of Moderate & Conservative Democrats by the Liberal Left

If you're a moderate or conservative democrat nowadays, be prepared to be racially, no wait, politically profiled by the left wing democratic leadership. One thing I've noticed over the last few years, especially this year is how paranoid democrats have become when a candidate describe him or herself as a Bluedog or Conservative Democrat

Why?

The party has seen a mass exodus of Conservative leaning Democrats from its ranks who switched to the Republican Party. Many left because of Ideological difference with the party or because of changes within his/her district or political aspirations. There was a time when the democratic party as open to all points of view, now there's not that much diversity of opinion in the party. If you are a moderate or conservative democratic male or female nowadays, get ready to be profiled! If you have two strikes against you from the so-called "Big Tent Party" who supposed to accept other people's opinions and embracing their differences.

Every candidate that runs for office is not cut from the same cloth. In today's democratic party if you a self-described moderate or conservative, it means that you're a republican. A decade ago, that wasn't the case. But with Redistricting & Gerrymandering, the party is now made up of majority African-Americans & Liberal Caucasians who represent either urban areas or a few blocks in a community. Because the Republican Party seek to get rid of GOPers who aren't conservative enough doesn't mean the democrats should seek to get rid or prevent candidates for office who aren't liberal enough.

Why liberals have such disdain for Moderate & Conservative Democrats? Think about it for a minute.

Like it or not, but there are plenty of Black Conservative Democrats coming up through the ranks on the local level who's eyeing a run for the State Legislature in the future. One notion I want to put to rest is that ALL AFRICAN-AMERICANS ARE NOT BIG GOVERNMENT LIBERALS!!!! Many are fiscally conservative, socially conservative who believe in self-help & personal responsibility. Sadly though today's democratic party cannot accept the fact that any African-American would call him or herself a Conservative Democrat. Look at Artur Davis, former Alabama Democrat. The Black Democratic establishment over there was so upset with him for not supporting the president's initiatives that they voted for the challenger Ron Sparks.

In today's democratic party if you're pro-life, pro-gun, anti-abortion...even  religious, you're looked upon as a closet republican.

Look at John Barrow for example...he's not a party loyalist & he votes with republicans most of the time. He voted against the Healthcare Legislation among things. Will democrats here put those things aside & hold their noses & support Barrow? Or will they just vote for President Obama & skip the Barrow-Anderson Congressional Race because Barrow is too conservative for their own taste? We'll see on that one.

If the Democratic Party is truly the Big Tent Party, they need to stop profiling democrats based on Ideology & in certain cases, Race!

Rebuilding the Democratic Party in Georgia

Some of the things I'm about to mention here you may already know or heard about.....

 For the Democrats to regain the majority and make it stick, they will have to build a strong organizational foundation everywhere, even in those places where Democrats don't have an immediate chance. Democrats may not win many red-counties/or districts this year, but I believes that they will be better off in the long run if they start shoring up the party in Republican strongholds now.

What is missing from the current debate is a clearer appreciation for how the Democrats got to where they are today, and how the current leaders might learn from the record of the past.

Democrats have given party building short shrift. Democrats who run for higher office in this state(statewide) tended to use the formal party apparatus as an instrument for raising money but looked to other vehicles for building political support. They relied on organized labor to get out the vote; on urban machines and on the strength of incumbents to win their own re-elections.

While this was a winning formula, it could not last forever. By failing to create durable organizational capacities in their party, Democrats were often forced to cobble together new political networks with each campaign season. Republicans and party chairmen, on the other hand, were driven by their perpetual minority status back in the 1980s & 90s to strengthen their organization as a means of expanding their party.

To establish a new majority, Democrats need to  aggressively build up their organizational presence in weak Democratic areas, especially in rural South & Central Georgia. Operate schools to train activists and campaign managers & developing new methods of recruiting candidates and enrolling party workers and volunteers, create teams of "field men" to travel from campaign to campaign to lend their expertise where needed, built new small-donor fund-raising networks and begin to send money where it needs to go. Something democrats have done is invest in technology and voter database management. But what's more, these practices were disseminated down to the local level.

Other examples like give local leaders the resources they need to develop a campaign-support system that would entice attractive candidates to run for office with the (D) next to their name. Also show Political neophytes, like business and religious leaders suppor0..tell them that we will support you -- if only you would take a chance on running.

By developing an organizational structure now,  Democrats will have something sturdy to rely on if, and when, they win back the governor's mansion.

To win, Georgia Democrats must look to the Center/Right

State Progressives Complain, but the party can't achieve gains without attracting or regaining Centrists & Conservative Democrats

Right now, Georgia Democrats need to focus on how they can win consistently, and that requires engaging the party's moderates & conservatives (Yes there are still conservatives in the party). It does not mean abandoning core beliefs or giving up on efforts to influence opinion. But it's easier to influence opinion when you WIN, let me repeat, WIN elections.

Democrats can embrace the middle and win, but if Republicans push too hard to embrace the middle, they will lose too many of their activists and non-activists. The key, in my opinion to victory for Georgia Democrats is to force Republicans to fight for the middle, it's a win-win strategy for Democrats, as they attempt to grow their coalition and divide the already strong, steady Republicans.

The Republican coalition is smaller, but it's uniformly conservative. But there remains a divide between Democratic activists and non-activists. Non-activists are very moderate and include quite a few conservatives. Furthermore, non-activists make up the vast majority of the party and are ideologically situated right between the liberal and conservative "peaks" of each party's activist base. Republicans can win by attracting those moderate and conservative Democrats; in fact, the GOP is sunk without them. (Remember, many of these republicans nowadays used to be Moderate/ Conservative Democrats). If Democrats can bring them securely into the fold, they are unbeatable.

Oh, The Minority Party Blues: The Present and Future of the Georgia Democratic Party

Following the 2002 elections, the Democratic Party was on its way to being firmly ensconced as Georgia's New Minority Party. Roy Barnes loss in 2002 & again in 2010to NathanDEAL Democratic Party will have been absent from the Governor's Mansion for at least another 4 or 8 years depending on the circumstances. The legislative side, they lost the state senate due to party switchers & retirements & in 2005 lost the house due to division & disagreements among the Black Urban Democrats & White Rural Democrats.

But the Democrats’ status as the minority party is not just a product of its failure to recapture the Governor's Mansion; Democrats’ fortunes have been declining in all three facets of a political party’s existence: in government, in the electorate, and as an organization.

At the state level, the Democratic party in government has declined from its once dominant position losing every single statewide constitutional office last year. Only at the local level democrats still reign supreme, but that's too is being threaten by the locomotive that is the Republic Party of Georgia. The democrats here in Georgia have no where to go but up. Demographic changes are one of the keys democrats can start winning again. But that doesn't mean that they should totally write off white voters in its quest to regain some of its lost stature as the party who was responsible of making Georgia the jewel of the south, the empire state of the south, the leading state of the south.

How did they get to this point has to do with political realignment, new citizens moving in from all parts of the country who didn't know what all the Georgia Democratic Party had done to make Georgia such a attractive place to live & raise a family. But poor decisions by party leaders have also contributed to the decline. Taken together, realignment and the Democrats’ own behavior, the growth of the state of Georgia and its increasing identification with the
Republican Party have made it difficult for Democrats to win in a state once considered
a Democratic stronghold go a long toward explaining how Democrats ended up in the minority.


Like much of the South, the state as a whole is becoming more conservative. Republicans set out to attract “traditional” Democrats who felt at odds with their party on issues of national security, law and order, preferential treatment for women and minorities, and social issues such as abortion and school prayer, etc.

But one should not solely attribute the Democrats’ misfortunes to the processes of realignment.
Democrats themselves certainly share in the blame, as many of their decisions over the past ten years have proven unwise. Not having organized county party committees, a built-in ground game (Grassroots Organization), developing a bench of democratic talent (a Farm Team) & nomination candidates who cannot appeal statewide ( like Georganna Sinkfield Secretary who ran for Secretary of State last year & Jim Martin who was the U.S. Senate nominee in 2008) for example.

While the Democrats’ tendency to nominate liberals for Metro Atlanta or liberals from other progressive bastions from the state that has kept them from winning races for statewide, it is not as if they haven’t been trying extremely hard to break out of that rut.

The remaining Democrats in state government are charged with trying to promote the Democratic agenda or at least slow down the Republican Agenda. But Democrats also faced the challenge of rebuilding the party organization in a way that might make future electoral success possible.

The first task for Democrats was the selection of new leadership to reinvigorating the party Organization: (Michael Berlon: Chair of DPG, Stacey Abrams: House Minority Leader, Steve Henson: Senate Minority Leader). Without an occupant in the Mansion, Democrats would rely on a these people to be both the public face of the Democrats in government as well as the field general, marshalling the Democratic response to the Republican agenda. The selection of Michael Berlon over Darryl Hicks who made two unsuccessful statewide attempts for office showed that democrats wanted a progressive counterpoint to the republicans instead of a centrist approached offered by Darryl Hicks.

And while this was largely received as a win for the Progressive vision for the Democratic Party, Berlon also worked to reach out to the center in an effort to broaden the appeal of the Democratic Party.

Together, Berlon, Abrams & Henson face the task of working together to create a viable
message for Georgia Democrats as well as substantive positions on a host of issues. But they didn't stick together when it came to the revamping of the valued Hope Scholarship, which willl make it extremely harder for rural stsudents, as well as students in low performing school districts to obtain a Hope Scholarship so they can attend a college of their choice. Now students have to make a 3.7 GPA in order to obtaion one of these scholarships.

The immediate future of the Democratic Party looks to be a trying time. On the other hand, however, the prospects for ascension to the majority party in Congress are extremely limited but promising. First off, they must get their organization down here below the Gnat Line together. Secondly, Young Democrats of Georgia Committees must be set up in many counties as possible, as well as high school campuses in addition to college campuses like Ft Valley State, Georgia Southwestern State, South Georgia College, Gordon College, Albany State, Brewton-Parter College. Third, they must recruit candidates that fits the background of a house or Senate District. A one size fits all method isn't going to work. I know a few candidates who ran in red districts tried to run as progressive. Not going to Work! Fourth: Stop trying to mimick the DNC. Become the GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY AGAIN!

And last COMMUNICATION! Patrick Davis who's a politically astute columnist in Macon said this & I quote: "This gap between Atlanta and 'rural' Georgia is still very wide and the Republicans continue to win due to myths and mis-information and I believe this hinders candidate recruitment in various local and state elections. I hate to say this, but as a state party, we are still allowing Republicans to control the debate -- even in counties in which Democrats should do MUCH BETTER in.. One example is Telfair County and its county seat McRae that's usually vote REPUBLICAN. McRae's demographics have dramatically changed in TEN YEARS. It has gone from a population of 2,600 to 5,300. In 2000, it was 53% white, but now in 2010 it is 37% African-American, 32% white and 27% Latino.Where's is the DPG on the issue of immigration reform and HB-87? Local media is non-existent down in this part of Georgia.

And quote Davis again: "Better communication is the main cure for Georgia Democrats. In many places in rural Central and South Georgia, daily media is almost non-existent. So public discourse on an issue such as how the HOPE scholarship being cut and how it... affect rural Georgia goes virtually un-discussed. Most weekly rural newspapers are primarily advertisers with little content or substance. THE DPG has to take on a larger role of getting the Democratic message out. The communication department of the DPG needs to be revamped and expanded. Thus far, those folks have been non-existent.

I absolutely agree with Patrick Davis 100% on this. I have seen stories being reported in the news that occurred 2-3 days ago & sometimes the week before. Communication is key. Hit the small town newspapers, send weekly columns to the editor. This is a area that the party is severely lacking. A state as huge as Georgia, there should be multiple communications people working under Eric Gray at the DPG to get the word at a rapid-like pace.

The democrats have a long, (not too long) way to go before they fix what's been ailing the party.

Counties, Communities, Cities Get Cut, Chopped & Chewed Up in Georgia GOP's Redistricting Efforts

In the proposed redistricting Maps put out by Georgia's GOP ruling majority, Counties, Cities & Communities get chopped, cut, chewed, & divided in the GOP efforts to maximize their already majority status & weakened democrats even more. Democrats did the same thing back in 2001 when they held control of the state & the GOP howled in protest over those hideous maps

That was then.......

And now the same party who protested the maps then are now doing the exact same thing, just take a look at the House Map:

Everything from Cracking, Packing, Gerrymandering, Retrogression has been done to the house districts, especially down in Rural Georgia. Counties such as Lowndes are divided up into 4 House Districts, Ware into 3 House Districts, Thomas, 3 House Districts, Houston, 5 House Districts, Laurens, 3 House Districts, etc, etc. Now supporters of the map are saying that this was necessary to achieve the required 53,000 needed for each district.

Maybe!

In some cases its true, but in others its not. Of the two maps, the house maps will be under severe scrutiny when it goes to court for passage. I say its a 60/40 chance it gets approval from the courts.

In the proposed Senate Map, take a close look at SD 14.....WELL ITS GONE! George Hooks (D-Americus) home of Sumter County has broken up leaving him in a district with Freddie Sims (D-Dawson. Gone are the City of Andersonville (located) in Sumter Co now located in......John Crosby State Senate District! The Andersonville National Historic Site is located in Macon County. The two should be represented by the same individual. Dooly Co & Sumter Co share the same interest & are being separated in the GOP's attempt to oust Senator Hooks because.......he is the only remaining white conservative democrat left in the state senate, or it may have something to do with that little episode back in April when there was a attempt by Hooks to have powers restored to Lt. Governor Casey Cagle which was stripped by the GOP Caucus.

Robert Brown's Old Senate District 26 which was a majority minority district already is now a super blue district with the inclusion of Hancock & Washington Counties to increase republican advantage of SD 25 (Johnny Grant) & SD 23 Jesse Stone, who's district is now a tossup with the removal of Washington & the inclusion of McDuffie & Warren County.

Tommie Williams SD 19 gets expanded all the way into Telfair & Treutlen County. Williams could a likely candidate to take on John Barrow for GA-12 in 2012.

But overall the Senate Map doesn't look bad & may get a pass from the courts & DOJ.

State Democrats will watch helplessly as the new maps get its likely approval from the legislature. Their only hope is for the court & the DOJ rule that these maps doesn't pass the smell test!

Will Marshall follow in Footsteps of Nunn, Russell, Talmadge in 2014?

Georgia have produced some of the finest politicians this country has ever seen. From Hoke Smith to Walter F George to Sam Nunn. All these men, as well were very influential in their time.

There's another person who could do the same: Jim Marshall

Jim Marshall can be found nowadays teaching at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at his alma mater of Princeton University, where he is a visiting professor after his defeat to Austin Scott in the 2010 midterm elections.

After his defeat questions arose as to whether or not Marshall will run again for elected office. He didn't close the door to a return to politics after his hometown gave him a reception thanking him for his service representing the 8th District.

Some of his ardent supporters have always said that Marshall's talents would best served in another capacity besides the U.S. House of Representatives. Marshall will have his pick of office to run for in 2014. There the governor's seat, where he has been mentioned as a potential candidate, then there's the US Senate.

If there's any place Marshall would fit in, it would be the US Senate. He will be 66 years old when Saxby Chambliss's seat is up for re-election. Marshall, a moderately conservative democrat is tailored made for the deliberate body that is the US Senate, with his Bi-Partisan tendencies to work across the isle. Marshall, a veteran of the Vietnam War his deep knowledge of the Military & Foreign Relations which will rival that of John McCain.

Georgia's two current senators Saxby Chambliss & Johhny Isakson are good men, but they don't have "IT" like Richard (R.B.) Russell, Jr who had "IT", or Walter F. George or Sam Nunn.

If you look at the possible 2014 field of democratic candidates, Jim Marshall is the top-tier candidate for the democrats. Other than Marshall, there's John Barrow potentially, as well as Rob Teilhet.

Democrats biggest problem in Georgia is their inability to win in rural Georgia, which not too long ago was dominated by Conservative democrats. As the party became more "Urban" based & more closely aligned with the National Democrats (which doesn't help in Georgia) the rural vote steadily moved towards the GOP. Marshall's ability to attract votes in small town rural Georgia would be a huge asset, as well as his appeal to like-minded republicans. But will the liberal base go all & support a Marshall candidacy if he were to make a run is the $64,000 question.

I for one would like to see Jim Marshall make one more run for office, that is for the US Senate

Part II: Georgia Democratic Up and Comers

Christopher Pike (D-Albany)

Pike is the founder of Urban Pulse Media, an advertising sales and marketing company located in Albany, Georgia. He also serves on the Emerge Albany Board for the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce (Emerge Albany is the young professionals group of the Chamber) and is currently working on the Compass Project for the Albany Area Chamber. Compass is a project to help the Chamber be more representative of the entire community. His most recent success includes being selected to serve a four year term as Ward 3 City Commissioner, and elected to serve a one year term as Mayor Pro Tem.

The 33 year old Pike understands the importance of working together and accomplishing goals. He has a very unique perspective of life and how to deal with difficult issues – and that is to approach them honestly, consider them rationally, and resolve them in a manner that will bring the most good, to the most people.


Melissa Chevers (D-Tifton)

Tift County Commissioner, elected in 2008. Graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) & currently a Branch Manager for Labor Ready Inc in Valdosta, Ga

Daniel Fullerton (D-Atlanta)

Fullerton is a member of the YDG, Director of the Young Democrats at the Unoversity of Georgia. In addition he is a graduate of Emory University. A unabashed liberal, Fullerton is one of the most passionate democrats I've ever encountered. The 28 year old is a up & coming YD.

Joe McGovern (D-Glennville)

No relation to George McGovern. McGovern is the chairman of the Tattnall County Democratic Party. He is partner with the law firm, Dubberly & McGovern over in Glennville.

Dr. Drew Ferguson IV (D-West Point)

Ferguson is the mayor of West Point where it has seen a rebound in the city's fortunes with the new Kia Plant.

Louis Elrod (D-Atlanta)

Elrod is president of the Young Democrats of Georgia. Elrod was a Legislative Aide at Georgia General Assembly ,National Committee Man at Young Democrats of Georgia & Campaign Manager at Jim Nichols for State Senate. He was also Northeast Georgia Regional Director for the Young Democrats of Georgia, President UGA/ACC Young Democrats.

Christopher Sloan (D-Lagrange)

Sloan is chairman of the Troup County Democratic Party & Middle Georgia Regional Director for the Young Democrats of Georgia. Inder sloan's leadership, the Troup Co Dems are now a force to be reckoned with in a county that is now beginning to trend purple.

Debbie Fountain (D-Alamo)

Fountain is the mayor of Alamo, located in Wheeler County

Michael Dinkins (D-Fort Valley)

Dinkins is county commissioner for Peach County. He was District Representative for then US Senator Max Cleland & a Veteran of Operation Desert Shield.

Joel Mendenson (D-Roswell)

Mendelson is the political director of the Young Democrats of Georgia. He is the Legislative Aide for Representative David Wilkerson, & Campaign Coordinator at Take Back Cobb EMC. He is a Talk Show Host KSU Owl Radio & a Columnist at KSU Sentinel


Honorable mention:

Richie Braun (D-Gum Branch)
Sheri Howard (D-Dawson)
Michael Edwards (D-Boston)
Bill Mills (D-Bluffton)
Jeffery Dean (D-Uvalda)
Lisa Johnson (D-Fargo)
Barbie Crockett (D-Centralhatchee)
Deborah Kornegay (D-Hazelhurst)
Troy Jones, Jr (D-Eastman)
Pamelia Dwight (D-Millen)
Adam Moore (D-Vidalia)

Georgia Democrats Need New Stars: a Farm Team.

Georgia Dems needs more Will Rogers & less Michael Moore's in its ranks

They say Georgia Democrats are an endangered breed at a time when Republicans control the governor's office, legislature and Cabinet. They say the Georgia Democratic Party has no "bench" of next-generation candidates for statewide races.

Who's left to push the Georgia party, and who are its leaders? Looks to me like slim pickins.

The Old-Guard is virtually extinct. What's left is a party with no stars in its ranks. (Only State Senator Jason Carter qualifies as a star currently in the legislature)

What the Georgia Democratic Party needs more than anything is to develop its farm system of statewide & local candidates, the way the Republican Party did in the late 1980s and early 1990s with David Schafer, Brian Kemp, Allen Peake and others.

And they have some potential. There is Teresa Tomlinson, the first woman mayor of Columbus, who some see as a gubernatorial candidate four years hence. There is Andrew Ginther, a city councilman for Columbus who those who know him well is primed for a run for State Senator.

Then there's Christopher Pike, City Commisisoner of Albany, fellow Commisisoner Bob Langstaff, Irwinton Mayor Darrell Burns, Sumter County Tax Commissioner Bill McGowan, Montgomery County County Commissioner Brandon Braddy, Hazelhurst Mayor Bayne Stone, Millen Mayor King Rocker just to name a few

Major league/professional sports teams have 'farm team' systems where they can identify and train prospects. The NBA only recently saw the usefulness of having a minor league system with the NBDL ... developing the Democratic Minor League will be just as important, if not more important, than keeping the Democratic Major League in line."

If Democrats want to come back, they should look to the past for a path to a better future.

Concentrated on two areas: getting full slates of candidates in every county and getting full slates of party offices in every county. Just by doing that, democrats will started getting a reasonable share of state legislators, sheriffs and state’s attorneys and so on.” But on the local level, democrats are strong... but anyway tyhat’s a textbook method for rebuilding a party,

Where the rejuvenation can come in is with organizations. What you’re really trying to build are local candidates. Winning legislative seats is more important than competing for the high-profile races like governor.

Democrats, they really do need to start at the ground level, bringing people into the state Legislature races and building up some statewide names. “It’s not that hard to win some of these state legislative districts, if you can find well-known, popular local candidates.

Successful local candidates also help build up a “farm team” of politicians to run for bigger statewide offices, another important piece of party-building. Democrats must “find a first-class candidate to put on the top of the ticket. That’s one of the anchors that’s going to go out and build a party.”

When Georgia Democrats in their heyday have had success in recent history, it has been at the federal level where politicians, like Sam Nunn, built strong organizations over decades in office.


The downside of relying heavily on organizations of individual candidates is that eventually politicians leave office and their organizations can go with them.

To some degree, that’s true of party organizations But Democrats have suffered more than usual from a flight from the state after a candidate retires. While Republicans have had strong candidate organizations, they have also had a more robust state party.

The Georgia Republican Party has organized better within the party organization itself. The state (Democratic) Party was able to step up and replace the level of financing and the level of organization that the Democratic campaign organization was able to muster, something they are trying to change now

The attempt to resurrect the Georgia Democratic Party is largely in the hands of a new generation of leaders, who plan to revive the party by re-establishing a grassroots organization.

Part of it is a back-to-basics approach, reaching out to folks who haven’t been involved,” said
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In order to be successful, the to-do list is lengthy. Aggressive fundraising and messaging, making sure Democrats stay in the public conversation and always having resources to compete, focus on candidate recruitment and building local county parties.

The dominance of younger politicians is frequently seen in rebuilding parties. On the one hand, it reflects a party without many successful, experienced leaders. But it is also presents opportunities.

“If you’ve got a hungry young person, it’s easier to get a nomination for a statewide office in the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. “In one sense, the Democrats are devastated and have nowhere to go; but in the other, it’s an opportunity for young people to become leaders in the party very quickly and that is exactly what Democrats need: new leaders who aren’t “yesterday’s news.”

“Find somebody new, a fresh face, articulate,” he said. “Help build the party around that person.”

Now can Democrats can recreate their 1970s, 80, 90s glory days? Who knows!

The prospects are tough, to be sure, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a possibility. Among Democrats, no one expects to take over the state in two or four years. But there is hope for the future.

I think the Democrats can come back again, maybe not right away, but I think it’ll happen.

Georgia Democrats Needs a Makeover

Republicans: they dominate the statewide offices and the state legislature, But the Democrats have let the right have the right of way. Instead of presenting an image that appeals to the Average Joe, the party is pandering to itself. A certain intellectual arrogance sets the Democratic base on fire, but the heat puts off average voters. The Democrats have never been this in touch with their loyal base or as out of touch with their traditional blue-collar supporters and swing voters.

There are those who say the average working class voter clearly benefits more economically from Democratic economic policies than from Republican tax cuts for the rich and irresponsible deficit spending. (The way I look at it there are some democratic & republican economic policies that benefit the working class voter.) The majority of these voters has decided that social and personal issues are more important. And when it comes to these issues, the Democrats do not present the image that mainstream Georgians wants to see.



First, the Democrats need to get religious. We need a candidate who won't just claim to be religious when asked about it. The party needs a leader who voluntarily and naturally discusses his or her faith, someone who will remind Georgia that Jesus is not a Republican.

Along with religion, "values" is a key issue for Georgia voters, most of whom voted Republican. And that's the Democrats' problem: They took the "whatever" stance. They don't appear weak on values because of what their values are; they appear weak on values because no one knows what those values are. If Democrats want to be pro-choice and pro-gay rights, that's fine, as long as they are assertive. (It wouldn't hurt to take a more representative stance either.) The hardcore religious right won't vote Democratic anyway, but by strongly arguing the other side of the coin, a debate is generated. After all, when Democrats are vague about their values they are essentially conceding moral superiority to the right.

Republicans have also managed to convince voters that Democrats hate America, and the left has provided plenty of fodder. As a result that has trickled down here on the local level when republicans nationalize local elections, all the way to a lonely seat on a city council. Liberals have a tendency to complain about conservatives and government in general, regardless of the political climate. Although it goes directly against our notion of democracy, there is...or WAS a view in this country that it is unpatriotic to criticize the government. Democrats even got tagged with the position, although it is certainly a minority view, that the phrase "under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, an unpatriotic sacrilege. Democrats need to pick their battles and stop being bogged down in semantic wrangling.

But elitism isn't just a personal repellent; it also stops the message from getting out. Democrats have an unquenchable urge to show that they know more than the person next to them. But as intellects grow, comprehension withers and dies. If liberals can learn anything from Republicans, it should be that simplicity is the name of the game. There is a place for weighing all the pros and cons, and that place is in the quiet of your hotel room, your office or your own head, not a presidential debate. All the public wants to hear is one or two good-sounding reasons for an opinion, not a dissertation. Redundant argumentation quickly appears uncertain, while brevity and clarity appear resolute.

I can go on & on, but let me make this short:

There are 5 democratic congressmen on Georgia's Delegation. There are only 63........let me repeat 63 democrats in the House of Representatives. There are 20 democrats in the State Senate.

Which lends an air of necessity to create a Farm Team, with the idea of finding, recruiting and grooming moderate & conservative democratic men & women for political leadership. These candidates must be ready when opportunity knocks like a chance to run for an open seat.

The Georgia Democratic Party Progress Report Coming on early May

Since the election of new party leadership at the GDP, as well as new Congressional Chairs, Peanut Politics will be looking back on the first 100 days of the new Democratic Team with a progress report deatiling successes of the new Sheriff in town Mike Berlon, as well as other officers with the GDP.

In addition, the all important congressional district chairs will also be included. As you know, I've been very critical of the lack of county parties, organization & infrastructure at the local level, where the party still is performing strongly. This is key in determining whether or not the party can regain its footing here in the state for years to come.

What's Next????

I'm a little worn out about talking about what democrats need to do in order to be successful once again here in Georgia. Since 2009 I've been writing about the ills of the Georgia Democratic Party & their shortcomings & what they need to do to change the trend. I don't if any of this stuff is being paid attention to, or being taken seriously by the progressives who dominate the party right now! I really don't know!

There are different strokes for different folks & one size does not fit all! All I'm saying is & I don't know why this is so hard for democrats to the left of me to understand, but you have got to run certain types of democrats in certain areas of this state.

Whether its a Christian Conservative Democrat in Southeast Georgia, or a moderate populist democrat in West Central Georgia, or a true blue liberal in the Urban Areas of the state, or just a plain 'ol conservative democrat in North Georgia.

(SIGH!!!!!!!) I don't know!

Until they level the playing field for elections in Georgia, dems are always going to be on the back bench."

Changing demographics will once again give the potential for democrats to change the trend that has been going overwhelmingly republican for the last 6-7 years. But, in order to take advantage of changing demographics there have to be credible candidates running for office at the local level who can rise up the ranks and become the legislators and statewide candidates of the future. The bench is awfully thin for Georgia Democrats. It’s strong candidates all over the state and local leadership that will build a strong party for the future, not the “big timers”, "the big daddys", "the big wigs" that do things the way they have always been done and are running it slam into the ground.

The last line of defense for democrats here is at the local level & its the one place state republicans have not been able to grab a hold on, but that's all about to change. Its one of the reasons why I ran for congressional party chair because to maintain democratic hold at the local level & help candidates running for the state legislature in the future. Too bad some of the committee members in the second district didn't see it that way.

And let me reiterate one thing: Dems must not write off small town Georgia to the GOP. When you forfeit rural Georgia, that means your sights tend to drift too far left & sadly that's what has happened here by those who say small town Georgia is a lost cause. Well I have run out of things to say about this. 2 years is enough!!! Hopefully this is the last post I write about democrats & what they need to do to win again in this state, but I doubt it!!!!

Rebuilding the Georgia Democratic Party

A month after republican's landslide mid-term elections, many Democrats have come to the conclusion that a ''sea change'' may be occurring in Georgia politics and that their party must be rebuilt if it is to be competitive again in statewide elections. Deep schisms, however, have developed within the party on how that should be done - on how the party can appeal & bring a percentage of white voters back to the party in rural, and conservative-leaning suburbs of every region of the state without alienating such important elements of the party as labor unions, the poor, minorities, urban interests and women's activist groups.

This is the picture that emerges in emails I've gotten from around the state. The Democratic Party of Georgia must hew to its traditional concern for the diverse party interests but at the same time rise above the particular needs of those constituencies and ''seek to lead a state, not a collection of divided and contending groups.''

Democrats have to change the way they practice politics. For instance, they have to learn again how to count. Why Democrats write off parts, regions of the state is beyond me. It is morally wrong to do so. All Georgians deserve equal representation. "To be a Democrat in Georgia at this moment means constant courage and bravery.


Let's face it: The Democratic Party got into some bad relationships. It doesn't need a new message (more fine tuning), so much as a whole new conversation with the people of this great state. Historically, Democrats have always been out of sync with the white working class on social issues, most notably on race. Nonetheless, white workers voted Democratic for decades because they saw the likes of Sanders (Carl), Busbee (George), Miller (Zell), etc as taking their side on the central question of economic security and jobs. When Democrats sound like Far-Right Republicans on economic issues, they lose because they are not as credible as social conservatives.

So what will it take to rebuild the Georgia Democratic Party? The answer to that will come Jan 29 at Houston County when the party elects its new Chairman between Darryl A Hicks, a Taylor County Native, or Michael "Mike" Berlon, a resident of Gwinnett County.

Bell, a Conservative African-American Democrat Goes to the GOP

This cause me to pause for a minute....................



Up in North Georgia, Hall County Commissioner Ashley Bell has decided to switch parties & join the Georgia GOP. Bell who was accompanied by Ga GOP Cairwoman Sue Everhart, state Rep. Melvin Everson, (R-Snellville), Georgia Black Republican Council Chairman Michael McNeely and party activist Rufus Montgomery made the announcement this morning.



Bell says: "I’m joining the Republican Party because I’m a conservative and simply feel more at home as a Republican,” Bell said in a statement. “I have worked to make government more efficient and less intrusive in citizens’ lives and plan to continue those efforts as a Republican.”



Bell was a former national president of the College Democrats of America was a 2004 delegate to the Democratic National Convention.



His defection, in my opinion shows how far the Democratic Party has fallen in Georgia.



Bell, a Hall County native, was elected in 2008 at age 27 to become Hall County's youngest ever Commissioner and one of the youngest in the State of Georgia. Mr. Bell is a graduate of Gainesville High, Valdosta State University, and attended law school at the University of Georgia and Louisiana State University. He is also honored to be a 21st Century Leadership Fellow at the Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. Commissioner Bell is an attorney and partner at Bell & Washington, LLP practicing law throughout the State of Georgia.



I never met Bell in person, but we are FB Friends & his loss is huge for the DPG. He is the first Black Democrat to switch parties, joining several other dems who have switched during the past few weeks after the Nov 2 disaster.



I've always said that the Democratic Party needs more conservative black democrats in its ranks, which are filled by far-left black democrats from nickel-sized house & senate districts. Like Bell, I am a conservative black democrat, maybe a tad bit more conservative on some issues that Bell. Seeing a young up & coming conservative democrat like Bell leave caused me to pause & think for a minute.....



I wish Bell all the success in the Georgia GOP.

The Georgia Democratic Party after the 2010 elections: Start looking towards the Suburban and Rural Areas: Part 2

It’s something that I’ve felt for quite some time, with reasons.

The areas that Republicans are strong in, the areas where they defeated Democrats in this election, are almost all rural or suburban areas. Democratic “strongholds” tend to be urban areas, and with that, the place where most progressives seem to be. Which is fine, except that it has unwittingly led to a set of blinders when it comes politics. Many progressives base their policy and program ideas from their experience – which is mostly urban.

In a Urban area, I probably could go to see a major league game in any one of several sports. Culturally, there are major libraries, museums, zoos, theaters, and concert halls. Thousands of restaurants with a wide range of cuisines, and a dizzying variety of shops and stores.

Further my education?

There could be several major universities and a number of colleges to choose from. If I needed medical care, there would thousands of doctors and dentists to choose from, and a number of major medical centers and hospitals. If I wanted to go to any of these, a short walk, a quick ride on the subway, or a bus ride would do the trick.

Contrast that with where I live now, no major league sports teams, 2 small libraries, 1 museum, no zoos, 1 small primary care clinics with limited hours and mostly staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, 1 dental office, no colleges, and 3-4 restaurants depending on the season. There is no mass transit, but do have cell phone coverage, and “walking distance” depends on how far you want to walk or if you happen to live near any of those. I do know the people who live near me, and I have "few" friends here who don’t share most of my interests. Majority of my friends have left the country & now are residing in cities like Atlanta, Warner Robins, Miami, Portland, Oregon & Cleveland, Denver.

One of the frequent complaints I’ve heard from progressives is wondering why various areas “vote against their own interests.” There are two reasons why this happens. First, they may be voting for their own interests, and second, they may be voting against you – the urban areas. I live in West Central Georgia, and in many ways, it’s a microcosm of what’s happening. Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, etc may be considered as “a lot of people crammed into a very small area” (Metro Atlanta) attached to a big, sparsely populated rural area – the rest of the state.

It’s referred to as Upstate and Downstate, and it’s been a source of tension FOR YEARS, IF NOT DECADES. Atlanta has half the population of the State, and because of that wields an enormous influence on state politics. It’s also overwhelmingly Democratic. The result is that the Democratic Party is often seen as consisting of “Atlanta liberals,” and in a reflexive countering, Upstate & downstate has tended to go Republican. They’ve also had experiences with “bright ideas” that either don’t fit or go awry. In other words, just because urban progressives think it’s a good idea, it may not be from the rural standpoint. That’s the problem, so how can it be changed? There are several things that can be done.

First and foremost, listen to the locals.

No matter how “Red” an area appears, there are progressives there, and there is a Democratic Party. Policies that may be terrific ideas for urban areas can be irrelevant to the rural areas. Policies developed for rural areas in urban areas may not be practical – or have the opposite effect from what was intended. What policies will work should either lead to additions or changes. A “one size fits all” prescription may not fit at all. The people who are telling you this are not necessarily “obstructionist” or “insufficiently progressive.” They’re trying to help.

Second, support the local parties.

You may live in an area with a large, powerful Democratic Party, where there are lots of progressive interest groups, and you can get together on a regular basis. Fund-raising is generally not too much of a problem. Rural parties tend to be small, widely dispersed, and lacking in resources. They’re the ones who are on the ground, recruiting candidates, running campaigns, and trying to get the message out. Giving them access to resources to help them do that is often not that expensive, but does build the Party in those areas.

Third, watch the rhetoric.

Many of the catch-phrases used by urban progressives grate on the nerves of the rural population. It’s not seen by them as someone trying to help them, it’s seen as someone attacking them. When progressives rant about “corporate agriculture,” “agribusiness,” and “factory farms,” the progressives may think they mean large corporations like Tyson, Monsanto, and Cargill, while being for “family farms.” The peanut farmers in SW Georgia or the dairy farmers in Eastern Georgia read the rants, descriptions, know they’re the “family farm” and feel you’re describing them. Blanket descriptions of people in various areas in derogatory terms isn’t calculated to make them want to listen to you.

Finally, be in it for the long haul.

The political “complexion” of an area doesn’t change overnight. It’s great to have a message that fits the area, support the local party, and addresses concerns. But there’s an inertia , a tradition that takes time to overcome. Many of the young people starting out today are voting Democratic, but their parents grew up voting Republican – or were driven to the Republican Party. That took time to happen and it’s not going to change in one or two elections. I said this to some progressives before the election: “You weren’t here before, and you won’t be here after this. What makes you think we’re going to listen to you?” While you need to listen to us, you have to be there for them to listen to you.

Dems want to take back the legislature & governor's office & to re-build the Democratic Party? You need to get out of the city and move to the country.

The Democratic Party after the 2010 elections: Part 1

Okay, here’s the deal. Election day was brutal, crushing, utterly demoralizing. There’s been much wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth and general despair about what this means for Democrats in the future; what it says about the mood, needs, and intelligence of the electorate; and what will become of the state under Republican control of the house.

Got that out of your system yet? If so, good! We have work to do. If not, then hurry it up. We have work to do.

I’m not irrational. I’m simply seeing things very clearly. I think I understand exactly what caused voters to choose as they did, and it’s far from simple. But the answer to what we, as Democrats, need to do to reverse those voter choices is quite simple, although it’s far from easy. It’s going to take a lot of work, a lot of time, and most importantly, a relentlessly positive attitude. It’s going to require us to believe in our own power to succeed even when the odds seem stacked against us.

There was no one magical thing that Republicans did to win so many of the elections a few weeks ago. They did it with empty promises, backed by no specifics or utter nonsense (“We’ll reduce the deficit by lowering taxes.”) and an epic tsunami of corporate money that was funneled through groups that, I suspect, will someday once again be legally barred from funding political campaign ads as they did this year.

Let's face it people, republicans won by utilizing a massive media machine that masquerades as a “news network,” but which most of us recognize as the unofficial propaganda apparatus of the Republican party. Some have said they won by igniting, fueling, and ultimately harnessing the inarticulate rage of a class of people who are fundamentally ignorant about politics, economics, social justice, and our political process and governmental procedures.

Then they used the misery and suffering of the general population – which they themselves caused and prolonged – to amplify their campaign message, which boiled down to “Democrats did it! Don’t vote for them!”

None of these tactics is appropriate for Democrats to adopt and modify as their own. They are not going to defeat the destructive, negative influence of the Republican party by becoming a mirror image of it. And more importantly, they don’t have to do that to win. No way the party need a liberal Fox News and they don’t need to pump the American people full of lies that cast Republicans as villains and Democrats as knights on white chargers.

All we need to do is tell the truth.

Now, I can hear some of you already shouting in response that “We already did that! We told the truth, but the people couldn’t hear us over the sound of Fox News and Glenn Beck and the tea party rallies! The people believed the lies because that’s all they were hearing!” And you’re right about that. Therein lies the real problem – that the American people aren’t hearing us.

But the answer is not to get a bigger megaphone. I think this election made it pretty clear that corporate America is almost entirely in the Republican corner. Any megaphone Dems build is going to be dwarfed by the one they can buy. Theirs will always be bigger, fancier, and louder. But they won’t need a megaphone anyway, because we’re going to reach the people by talking to them. One at a time.

People don’t want Republicans or Democrats. They want people with real answers to real problems. They want someone to hear their pleas for help and respond with actions that make their lives better. They will elect anyone who seems to get what they are going through and has ideas that make sense to them. This year, they went mostly with Republicans because of that messaging infrastructure they have. But Dems messaging structure will be even more powerful.

What Dems must do is to meet people where they are. They can’t judge them for their views, whether they are tea party or lifelong Republicans or libertarians or whatever. They need to get out among them and help them. If they are down, they should help them up. If they have a problem, they should work alongside them to help solve it. They will teach them by example what it means to be a Democrat; that “liberal” is not a dirty word; that “progressive” is not an epithet & that "conservative", yes, "conservative democrats" have a place in the party as well. (Or I hope they still do)

This is going to take patience, it’s going to take time, and it’s going to take hard work. The temptation to lecture people will be overwhelming, but that’s not what will win them over. They can’t win elections by arguing with the people, because most of the population has forgotten or never learned the art of debate. They think what they think because they have been appealed to emotionally; logic and reason were contorted to serve the emotional purpose. Dems can’t tell them what to think, but we can show them who and what we really are. And in the end, that will be the key.

Dems spent the past two years fretting over what the Republicans have done, laughing at the ignorance of the tea party people (some are ignorant, but not all), and browbeating our elected Democrats for their perceived failures. But what dems need to understand is that this administration and this Democratic Congress have faced a combination of obstacles unprecedented in our history.

They were up against a corporate media machinery that served Republicans interests far more often than it served up the truth, plus the exhorbitantly partisan voice of Fox News. They were up against a Republican party that publicly decided not to help govern, but instead fought every every single bill that would have aided the economy or made life easier for suffering constituents. They were up against a corporate conspiracy that not only laid off far more workers than necessary when the recession hit, but deliberately failed to start rehiring when it ended, thus keeping the economy weakened and prolonging the misery of voters in my opinion.

And Democrats were up against a conservative “grassroots” movement that has been carefully nurtured and extravagantly bankrolled by billionaires intent on keeping America the promised land for corporations and the ultraric. I think dems fell into polarization mode – which is perfectly understandable and expected – but that in doing so, we played right into the hands of the Republican puppetmasters.

But this isn’t all a bunch of hippy-dippy, kumbaya crap. There are very pragmatic, concrete things to be gained by keeping the message positive. For one thing, it’s a lot more efficient – maintaining a negative attitude and constantly attacking uses far more energy. It also takes a spiritual toll and tends to make one petty, mean, and embittered. I think they can all agree that petty, mean, embittered people are far less attractive to others, less fun to be around. And that brings me to another practical concern: young people

Young people are much more likely to be motivated to take part in politics – as activists, and even as voters – when there is positive energy. One look at a tea party rally should tell you that; how many young adults do you typically see there? And young people turned out in droves to organize, politic, and vote in 2008. Why? Because Barack Obama’s positive message and energy inspired them. I’m not a young person, but that’s what drew me in.

It worked in 2008, and it will work now. Notice that I didn’t say “it will work in 2012.” Dems can’t wait for official campaigning to begin our new ground game. If we want to educate voters about the realities of Democratic policies, we have to start now. Where do we start? Well, there’s a meeting of my county Democratic party next week. I’m going to attend. That will be the first time I’ve ever done that.