Reply #27: You are completely missing the point [View All]

[Eloriel]

What Dean is suggesting is what went so well and so far in his own campaign -- you let people self-organize and DO what needs to be done locally, without waiting for orders (or help) from "on high." You EMPOWER the Grassroots.

Doesn't mean you can't have some centralized organization and even control, but the real key is releasing enough control that it allows regular, everyday Americans to take their own political organizing and grassroots efforts into their own hands.

It's INCREDIBLY effective. Many states had full-fledged state-level Dean organizations before the Dean people quite knew what was happening, and certainly well before the Dean campaign was capable in any way of directing or organizing them. A lot of these people went on to work very hard for Kerry; some of them rejuvenated the Dem party in their states/counties. Some of them got elected to the State Dem Party apparatus, and some of them became candidates for office and got elected.

You empower people enough and you just get democracy breaking out ALL over the place.