Well folks, once again Publius was wandering around the YDA convention which was held in San Francisco this past week. The event featured an impressive list of speakers, exciting after-parties, but most notable was the struggle for YDA leadership. The ironically named
Team Unity challenged the incumbent
Gallaway Slate. The result was a lively yet divisive, wasteful, and downright silly floor fight. The event which is set to be broadcasted nationwide on C-SPAN (if anyone figures out when, please put the date and time in a response) will surely make Republicans grin as they watch Democrats continue to divide themselves following yet another dismal election season.
Among the memorable moments:
- When one speaker proclaimed proudly "ON ELECTION NIGHT I WAS WASTED ON TEQUILA!"
- The reaction by some rust-belt delegates to an elected official's claim during his speech that he drove a foreign car (six different organized labor groups were among the top donors to the event)
- The Team Unity attempt to stop all candidates from giving speeches on Friday's general session (apparently they were not prepared to speak- but they had stickers and t-shirts!),
- Of course nothing could beat the chanting from locked out delegates during the vote for Secretary. While some have compared it to tactics used by Bush to disenfranchise voters, local bar owners thought the waning turnout was due to some delegate's need to make it to the bar before the 2 a.m. close time.
I apologize for seeming one-sided against "Team Unity," as my biggest concerns about our display on the floor is not their fault nor the fault of the Gallaway Slate. My concern is with the process in general. Look back to how much energy was displayed, how much money was spent, how much time was consumed by Young Democrats fighting Young Democrats. Did we act in the best interests of our party? Was this the best use of our limited resources? Imagine such resources being used in more constructive ways. Furthermore, as the workhorses of the party, Young Dems know that elections are won by direct voter contact and identification- NOT with signs, stickers, t-shirts, and other worthless chum. Like in all elections, I don't think a single delegate voted the way they did because of a sign or well placed sticker- they either vote based on their direct contact with the candidates or in ways that are strategic to their delegation or caucus.
The YDA should act to severely limit the amount of money spent on these things. While I by no means represent the opinion of any delegation, constituency group, or organization I would like to introduce some ideas. First, there should be a low cap limiting how much a YDA candidate can spend on an election. And I do mean low, like $150 (just enough for a candidate to have a black and white double sided 8.5 x 5.5 sheet of paper for a lit piece for each delegate). If that idea is unpopular, then perhaps every dollar spent on their own campaign must be matched by a donation to the YDA general fund? How about campaign finance disclosure? These are just ideas to get the ball of discussion rolling.
Just some other ideas, to generate discussion: create a Pro-Life Caucus (while it might not be a position of the YDA or the DNC, its important to have a nice, big tent), create a People of Faith caucus (open to people of ALL FAITHS, not just Protestants or Christians), create a mechanism to recruit and
support returning veterans from the Iraq war (they are quickly becoming our newest allies), sort out leadership differences beforehand (easier said than done, I know), and be more careful about what we say in front of a camera.
What is most troublesome about what went on last week is that dividing ourselves amongst slate lines now will only set precedence. While its cliche to preach "Democratic Unity," such fights encourage us to continue to do this in the future when the leaders of the YDA become the leaders of the DNC. After each day's session, how many delegates mingled, talked to, and got to know members from "the other side?" The biggest losers of the convention were not the members of "Team Unity"- but the hundreds of delegates who missed out on conversing, networking, and sharing ideas with other delegates just because of the sticker dangling from the credentials of another.
We need to stop talking about "unity" and being "progressive" and start ACTING in such ways. California- you are not the most liberal Democrats in the party. Your beloved and so-called "hottest mayor in America," Gavin Newsome, presides over the most segregated metropolis in America (drive through San Fran, then Oakland and tell me I am wrong) and insults progressives everywhere with his program of attracting bums downtown, then shipping them the hell out of town. Your own state party leadership sees nothing wrong with driving foreign cars, made with lower labor costs in hellish conditions, but doesn't think twice about accepting labor money. At the same time, rust belt labor dems need to explain
why its important to support their causes, not just threaten to take away money when they don't. Furthermore, we should listen to Southern and other Red State Dems why our federal candidates seem out of touch with voters who otherwise elect Democrats to state offices.
Anyways, I have ranted enough. I hope I cause some interesting debate and apologize if I have offended anyone. Keep your eye on this site though, there is more to come.
PUBLIUS
