Harris Co. Dem's strategy session Saturday, 11/20

[PDittie]

While the election is fresh on everybody’s mind, the Harris County Democratic Party is convening a strategy session, and we want your input!

In order to hear everyone, there will be a general session, after which attendees will be divided into small groups with a moderator for each. Each group will develop specific ideas and proposals.

Please bring a written list of your own ideas, including all areas of local party organization – message, recruiting, use of volunteers, voter registration, get-out-the-vote, election procedures, and any other categories you consider vital.

Also bring a statement or a list of what worked for you and your group. Please confine your ideas to what can be done right here in Harris County!

When: Saturday, Nov. 20 – 1:30 to 4:30 PM
Where: CWA Bldg., 1730 Jefferson Street (between Jackson and Chenevert), Houston TX, 77003

http://www.hcdp.org

[merci_me]

1. Prior to that............

You're all invited to the West Houston Democratic Club's monthly meeting. It will be earlier Saturday, 10am-11:30am at the Tracey Gee Center (map link: http://www.westhoustondemocrats.org/whdc/location.htm) just east of Beltway 8, between Richmond and West Park. Sign-in begins at 9:30 and there will be coffee and some goodies.

Our special speaker this month is Dr. Richard Murray, political science professor and stratigest from UofH. His son Keir Murray is a Democratic political consultant some of you heard at the brown bag lunch last week. Dr. Murray will fill us in on what the numbers meant 11-2 and where he sees the numbers heading in Harris County.

This is the perfect warm-up for the Harris County Dem meeting starting at 1:30pm. Just enough time to grab some lunch and head down there with our notes.

merci_me

[PDittie]

2. I will be there, merci

Mrs. Dittie will sleep in and join us in the afternoon.

Stan Merriman of the Progressive Populist Caucus urges everyone who isn't going to S.A. to attend the HCDP meeting. The PPC will also meet in Houston on November 29 at 6:30 p.m. at Central Market, Westheimer at Wesleyan. He sends the following message:

You are probably aware that the HCDP is having a Nov. 20 feedback session at the CWA Hall downtown. consult www.hcdp.org for details or call 713-802-0085. Below is some feedback I hope PPC members not able to join us with our meeting on Nov. 20 in San Antonio will convey, and also by identifying yourselves as PPC members, loud and clear.

Many PPC'rs worked with me in the HCDP's efforts focused on precinct mobilization... a core value of the PPC's reason for being. On many levels it was a large scale disappointment. Though when we started with building precinct organizer/chair training 1.5 years ago with Gerry and the HCDP, it was with the realization that this was a 10 YEAR PLAN TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT. Example: of approx. 850 precincts in Harris Co., we have 500 Dem. Chairs; there are approx. 150 key Dem. dominant precincts without chairs. Of the 500 Dem. Chairs in place, only 100 ordered walk/phone lists to work their precincts, using Dem-Data on line or the Party office to help them print off...that suggests only 20% of Chairs did any semblance or working and mobilizing their precincts, in spite of 1.5 years of invites to workshops to teach them how to do it...many, many such workshops over many months. In the last month, Chair Birnberg sent a weekly post card, a weekly phone message, plus emails and numerous web announcements giving each Chair explicit pointers on what organizing work needed to be done...frankly, because of age, inertia et al, the overwhelming majority did not respond or do their job in any way. It is also true that approx. another 100 such precincts were to some degree worked using the Dem-Data materials by candidate campaign volunteers and club volunteers, but the fact remains that the overwhelming majority of Precinct Chairs did not do their job; this is the basic job of the Party, spelled out in Party Rules and in the admonitions from Party leadership at all levels; this is not the primary responsibility of campaign organizations, though many try to do this work out of desperation because the Party infrastructure just cannot (yet) be counted on to do their basic work. This is the crisis at hand and we need the YD's and other groups populated by young activists to join with the local PPC to work with Birnberg to survey these chairs, document those where there is no evidence or testimony from the Precinct Chairs that they did their job. Another area of breakdown evident with the GOTV program, which only showed modest gains over 2000, though many of us "sensed" a feverish pitch of work at the grassroots over months, was the repetition of non-performance by Senate District Chairs and SDEC members elected to lead us on the ground right after the June State Convention. Some in the County did become engaged, a few at an admirable level, but some only very late just weeks before Nov. 2. But others were largely missing and unaccounted for. They must be held accountable to lead the on-the-ground work to mobilize Precinct chairs and not be re-elected or asked to resign. If this is not the basic work of the Party, what the hell is? Energizing Party leaders and Precinct chairs especially is the PPC mission at the local level.

Please speak out on Saturday. We will address this at our planned Houston area PPC meeting on Nov. 29. Please look for that announcement and plan on attending: Central Market, 6:30 pm, Wesleyan and Westheimer.

Stan Merriman Statewide PPC Chair

[kedrys]

3. Interesting Post, Thanks!

Evidently, some precinct workers and SDEC members did not get the idea, or worse, were ringers. One of the SDEC members on the HCDP Steering Committee told everyone he voted for *. :mad: That person is no longer on the committee, needless to say.

Regardless of the eventual outcome of the presidential election, methinks it's time to grab the big push broom and clean house. But that's just me.

[ChicanoPwr]

7. I agree

There are too many fake dems.

[ChicanoPwr]

4. Is it safe to be part of HCDP

I am asking because when I was involved during 1996 - 1998, it felt like the old guard did not want to listen to any young adult. The mood felt like young adults have not paid their dues. So I just stop participating with the HCDP. One of my former co-workers, who was very involved with the local Repugs, knew how frustrated I was with our local party, so she was trying to recruit me because I was Hispanic. This was before Sanchez ran for mayor against Lee Brown. She really was trying to recruit me, she kept telling me how after a couple years in the party I would be able to run for some office. I told her no matter how frustrated with the local I was not willing to sell me soul. I guess she thought I would be like Gov. Good Hair or former council member Gabe Vasquez and help them break into the Hispanic neighborhoods. I do have lot of ideas how the Dems could win back Harris County.

[PDittie]

5. I don't feel qualified to answer your query, Chicano

All of these organizations have their cliques. I'm not one of the Cool Kids. The Democratics ought to be willing to listen to everyone at this stage.

<I do have lot of ideas how the Dems could win back Harris County.>

Then please come to this meeting on Saturday and we'll wrest a microphone out of someone's hands.

And welcome to DU.

[PDittie]

8. I got there about 11:15, merci

and caught the last of Dr. Murray's Q&A. Excellent.

Now I'm having a sandwich at my computer before we go to the afternoon session.

I'll be wearing a white shirt with a blue collar; Suze is wearing a red T-shirt.

PD

[WestHoustonDem]

9. I decided after the WHCDP meeting to go too

I'll be wearing an orange sweater

[merci_me]

6. kick

THIS SATURDAY!!!

Mary

[PDittie]

10. Report:

A very empowering afternoon!

Probably 250-300 people in attendance; numerous candidates and elected officials, and a few luminaries, including Dr. Richard Murray from U of H and his son Keir, a rising Democratic strategist in his own right.

The session began with a panel discussion including the Murrays, Rep. Scott Hochberg and Mustafa Tameez, Hubert Vo's campaign manager.

Breakout group discussions covered nine topics: message development, getting out the message, attracting young voters to the Democratic Party, campaign strategy (a battle plan to elect Democrats in Harris County and Texas in 2006), precinct organizing (with a particular focus on powering up our chairpeople), the role of Democratic clubs, fundraising, achieving unity and building coalitions, and election logistics (specifically, how the Party can improve public confidence in the election process, i.e. fixing BBV).

Closing the day was a wrap-up of the breakout sessions' brainstorming.

Lots of good ideas, advice and tips but one of the most important things I took away was that no office shall go uncontested. We identify potential candidates and provide guidance and even training in how to run.

And join a local club. Talk politics all year round. Do the little things that nurture the grassroots, like having your neighbors over for coffee to talk aboout the potholes in the street and how to get them fixed.

West, merci, y'all have anything to add?

[WestHoustonDem]

11. I'd just add

that we have to find a way to frame our message in soundbites and not concede issues like morality, values and security. We need to reach out to interest groups and give them more voice in the party.

It was really great to so many folks so energized and to put DUers names with faces!

[sonias]

12. Excellent turnout Houston!!

The PPC also came up with the same no republican shall run uncontested in any office priority today. Great minds think alike.

Also we had a gentleman from Houston also give us an update on the Vo campaign and said they are having support actions (press conference, rally etc for him) so check out the web site for those.

And since you mentioned Mustafa Tameez, take a read of the current Texas Observer issue there is a nice interview with him and another hot and upcoming political consultant by the name of James Aldrete.

Here's the link
http://www.texasobserver.org/showArticle.asp?ArticleID=1801
The Road Back to Power
The Texas Observer talks recovery with two Democratic campaign experts

Congratulations on your meeting and let's keep up the grassroots out there.

Sonia

[johncoby2]

13. Another point

We have to convince people that they really are not Republicans. (This really isnt hard to do)

Many believe they are Republicans like my sister in law, living just above poverty, twice divorced, 2 kids on rehab, oldest has 2 kids with a husband that cant keep a job, but now is sucking off the government with a county job.........and they think they are Republican. Go figure.

Hum...maybe they are just hypocrites. But I digress.....


I was expecting 40-50 people. I was shocked at 200-300!!!!! LOTS of energy to continue. We could use one of these meetings for a complete weekend. Coming up with ideas, fleshing the ideas out, and moving out on them with our local clubs.