DNC does not give money to house and senate campaigns. Why spite them?

[madfloridian]

So explain to me why withholding money from the group that is the basic structure of the party is going to help us? I know it is useless here to post this stuff, but I will keep trying. I know that there are many here organizing elsewhere to come here and say not to donate. That's a shame, but that is reality.

Dean had a conference call today with the 400+ DNC members. He was disappointed and said we had to let those senators know how we felt. Here is more on what he said. Jenny is a DNC member from either OR or WA, not sure. A very respected Democrat.

http://jenny_greenleaf.mydd.com /

Dean's Comments on Filibuster Vote/National Message
by Jenny Greenleaf, Mon Jan 30, 2006 at 05:53:53 PM EST

"I'm on a conference call with Gov. Dean and DNC members. Someone asked about the disappointing vote on the filibuster. Dean said that progress is being made, but that some Dems in Congress don't see that hanging together is more important than their own re-election campaigns. "They're not there yet, and we just have to keep working on them." He also said that we should not hesitate to let Democratic politicians know when we're displeased.

I notice that many people conflate the actions of specific Democratic politicians with the DNC. The DNC has no control over what individual legislators do. The DNC does not give money to House and Senate campaigns, and doesn't give money to the DSCC or the DCCC.

So, it makes me sad when I see justifiably irritated people say that because of the vote by specific Senators, they're not going to support the DNC. The DNC works pretty hard to get these folks on the same page, but it's like herding cats. It takes time to turn a barge. I'm just going to take a deep breath and keep paddling."

Thanks, Jenny, many of us share your frustration at the lack of knowledge of some about what the DNC under the chairmanship of Howard Dean is trying to accomplish.

It is a new concept that has not been done in the party for years. It is rebuilding at state level and putting money there for a change.

I know this post is useless and will drop quickly. I do hope that others agree and will not fear to say so. To those who want to just donate to candidates....remember they get their orders from Chuck and Rahm at the DSCC and the DCCC respectively. They care very little what you think, that is where the larger sums of money come from.

[Coexist]

1. so where does the DNC money go?

That answer would be helpful.

[kath]

2. Yes - where DOES the DNC money go??

[madfloridian]

3. Right now going to building the state parties.

It is the structural organization. It does help build infrastructure for the presidential races. I will find the webpage from the DNC and post it.

[never_get_over_it]

8. We need to help build the state parties

we need to infiltrate these state parties and take them over as REAL Democrats. Third party won't work it will take too long. I use to be active in the VA Dem party but got tired of the same old crap from them - no new ideas no creativity and every time I tried ot bring up new ideas they looked at me like I had a hole in my head - but time to get active locally and stop these pukes.

Anyone in Central FL and know anything about the party - I'm fairly new here and haven't taken the time to investigate.

[madfloridian]

11. Our local DFA leader just became chair of the county Democrats.

I think Tampa DFA is pretty active in their local party. We are making some differences but a way to go. But we are trying, we are not giving up. Orlando, I don't know much about. I know some DFA from there, but not much.

There was an article in our paper today about the newly enthused Democrats, and it was nice to read on the front page. We usually get two lines on the back page. :evilgrin:

[never_get_over_it]

16. Thanks I'm in Brevard - nt

[NoPasaran]

29. Our DFA leader may be in the running for state chair

http://justanothermatt.blogspot.com/2006/01/glen-maxey-as-state-democratic-party.html
How cool would that be?

[madfloridian]

35. That's great. I followed the link and I have a question.

Are just some state party chairman paid? I think ours is a paid position, with Luis Navarro as political director whom Chairman Karen hired at a 180,000 salary, which is supposed to be more than she makes.

I guess I thought they all were, or maybe that is one of Dean's goals. I guess he wants the boots on the ground directors first to get the organizing started.

[mcscajun]

4. Damn! I wish I'd known this a half hour earlier.

I might have held off on unsubscribing from the DNC mailing list AND telling them why (blaming the 25 turncoat Dems.)

:argh:

(feeling kinda stupid right now -- and I HATE That!)

OTOH, what does this mean, then: "The Democratic National Committee plans the Party's quadrennial presidential nominating convention; promotes the election of Party candidates with both technical and financial support; and works with national, state, and local party organizations, elected officials, candidates, and constituencies to respond to the needs and views of the Democratic electorate and the nation."

[madfloridian]

9. They are the structure, not the ones who do their campaigns.

The way Dean is speaking of it, he wants to take it down first to state level, then on down to district and precinct level for organizational funding.

[madfloridian]

5. Here is a brief summary of what each group does.

Now, some of this is changing under Dean's leadership. His goal is to use a lot of DFA ideas, building in states to be more supportive of state and local candidates.

The DSCC is the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee with Chuck Schumer as head of it. They do the main funding for the senate candidates. DSCC raised huge money this year.

The DCCC is the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee with Rahm Emanuel as chairman. They do the funding for the House candidates, and like the DSCC have been "hand-picking" a lot of them.

Links to all the parts of the party are embedded at this site.

http://www.democrats.org/a/party/ourorganization.html

Our Organization
The Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee plans the Party's quadrennial presidential nominating convention; promotes the election of Party candidates with both technical and financial support; and works with national, state, and local party organizations, elected officials, candidates, and constituencies to respond to the needs and views of the Democratic electorate and the nation.

The Democratic Governors' Association
The Democratic Governors’ Association was founded in 1983 to support the candidacy of Democratic governors throughout the nation. The DGA provides political and strategic assistance to gubernatorial campaigns. In addition, the DGA plays an integral role in developing positions on key state and federal issues that affect the states through the governors’ policy forum series.
http://www.democraticgovernors.org/

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
The purpose of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is to elect more Democrats to the United States Senate. From grass-roots organizing to candidate recruitment to providing campaign funds for tight races, the DSCC is working hard all year, every year to increase the number of Democratic Senators. http://www.dscc.org/

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee serves as the official national Democratic campaign committee charged with recruiting, assisting, funding, and electing Democrats to the U. S. House of Representatives. We provide services ranging from designing and helping execute field operations, to polling, creating radio and television commercials, fundraising, communications, and management consulting.
http://www.dccc.org/

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee provides strategic services and financial assistance to Democratic leaders and candidates at the state legislative level. For nearly a decade, DLCC has been an integral part of the continued success Democrats have had winning at the state legislative level.
http://www.dlcc.org/

State Democratic Parties
The State Democratic Parties work to elect local, state, and federal candidates in their states, as well as supporting the state campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Learn more about your state party

[BlueManDude]

6. I'm sending a Zero and xx/100 dollars check to the DSCC

along with a note. yeah it may make no sense but i need to vent.

[madfloridian]

7. I think we are all mad. But we need to reward the ones who are for us.

Dean is, others are. We can't just be mad at all of our Democrats. I have told the DSCC and DCCC when they call that I don't like the way they are picking our candidates...that they are often anti-choice and too conservative.

I just say target the right people.

[BlueManDude]

14. I didn't expect to win this battle - but the dis-organization and

cowardice is just too much to take. I'm not proud of the way they performed. It was pure buffoonery. Biden with his stupid hat, Kerry from Davos, Obama's ridiculous comments, Landrieu's nonsense about "not enuf time" to fillibuster, the Gang of Seven. God just pathetic.

[madfloridian]

15. But why blame the DNC for that and withhold support. Doesn't make sense.

If you do not support the ones who are trying to change things, then you are hurting all of us as Democrats. You are giving it back to the GOP in effect.

[DancingBear]

10. Thank you for this info

Sadly, however, it confirms my fears.

After today, the DSCC will get zero dollars from me, for obvious reasons. It is a status quo machine.

Same for the DCCC. Their hand-picked candidates are nothing more than clones of the lackies that currently sit in the House and Senate.

I do, however, still maintain faith in Dean's ability to change things, so I will watch closely.

Until then, however, my money will ONLY go to individual candidates, via their individual websites or direct mail requests. I can not give one dime to any organization that represents the status quo. Both the DSCC and DCCC do exactly that, and after today that is unacceptable behavior in my book.

I do not wish to be confrontational in any way, and I do hope you understand why I feel I need to work in this fashion.

[madfloridian]

13. It is your party as well as mine. Do what you have to do .

The DNC is the biggest opportunity for change we have had in years. I hate to see us blow it.

[bmcatt]

12. We've got DNC/DSCC/DCCC - how do the Repubs do it?

It's a serious question because I really don't know the answer (and feel, at least at the moment, like I'd have to burn my computer if I went to the RNC website).

From everything above, it sounds like we've, got one group (DNC) that handles local, state and presidential elections, another that does current senators and another that does current representatives.

I won't even begin to talk about how utterly fucked that sounds, btw.

[hedda_foil]

17. The Repubs have equivalent organizations, but they're all on the same page

Of course, they all take their orders from Karl Rove.

[madfloridian]

18. Right. Here are some links.

http://www.nrcc.org/

http://www.nrsc.org/

http://www.gop.com/

And they do get their talking points from Rove in the White House, sent to Sludge, and many of the right wing bloggers and spread throughout the country in the form of attacks on anyone who speaks out.

[Dr Fate]

19. Does the money the DNC give to state parties find its way to Senators?

???

I admit my ignorance- But I could have sworn that the DNC gave aid to Senate & Congressional campaigns in '04. They did not?

If all you say is true, then that makes me feel a lot better- because I DO like to send Dean the occasional check when he kicks ass on TV.

[madfloridian]

22. See the story I just posted in this thread.

It does not sound like that. Like in Florida, Bill Nelson has a lot to do with the state party. But I think the fundraisers may be separate. Now I don't know for sure. But that is the way it reads.

[Dr Fate]

23. I think some of it does find its way to Senate & Congress campaigns.

At least that is what I was told to say when I was fundraising for them in '04- that the funds were going to help Democrats "nationwide"

I'm going to call the DNC and get clarification on this.

[madfloridian]

32. Please do. And don't donate if you don't want to.

Just try to understand that while Terry sent 5 million to VA to help the governor race there, Dean is trying to spread it all around to all the states.

[madfloridian]

20. Here is a warm, funny story about a drop-in visit at the DNC.....

And about what someone learned about how things were working there. It is from the Music for America site. One of the guys who formed it was a Dean person, I don't know about the others. I love this story from last year, and it tells a lot about the new DNC.

Be sure to read the whole thing. It is well-worth it. It gives a good picture of the goals. I think misunderstanding the purpose of each group is not good. This young guy just dropped and spent some great time there.

Just a few snips.
http://www.musicforamerica.org/node/80525

"This spontaneous drop-in turned out to be well-timed, because moments after I stepped off the elevator and asked if anyone wanted to talk to me, Vincent Fry, the Executive Director of the Voting Rights Institute, appeared and led me to a conference room where we spoke for the next 20 minutes.

The Executive Director of the Democrats' voting rights program is a young black man who likes talking to scruffy strangers that show up unannounced. To me that suggested the Dems may be entitled to a little more credit than we usually give them on the authenticity/sincerity angle."

Then this young man asks, but exactly what does the DNC do? He is told they are in the business of electing presidents. He is told the Senate and House have their own organizations to promote their campaigns. He is reminded the DNC is going to work to get a Democratic back in the White House.

Dr. Dean had only been in his new office a month or so, and I gathered from the way Mr. Fry answered some of my questions that the two of them still hadn't had their first serious strategy meeting (possibly a reason I was able to eat up his time). Instead Howard had been in Kansas, in Oklahoma, in places a Fundraiser-Chair wouldn't go because there's more money elsewhere. Folks are paying $50 for a ticket to see him, which is very low in this business. And like his presidential campaign, the crowds have a way of being bigger than expected.

..."The kind of work he has been doing is not frontman, press-corps-in-tow, kind of work. If Mr. Fry is giving an accurate picture, Dean is creating infrastructure now on the local level, so there will be a strong human support system powering the Democratic Party in the future to compliment the strong fundraising system McAuliffe created. It also sounds like that plan expands the DNC's stated job of electing presidents to electing Democrats at the other end of the spectrum. Council members, Sheriffs, dog catchers. That'll strengthen presidential campaign infrastructure, feed new blood up the chain toward the big positions, and generally improve our lives by putting people who share our values, one-by-one into small jobs that affect us.

That last paragraph sounds about like he intended DFA to be set up. Sounds like some changes might be really going on there.

So read up, think about it, and decide if it is the DNC who really let you down. After all, the Governor sided with Kerry and Kennedy the best he could...he has to be careful. Then make your decision.

[LSK]

21. K & R

The DNC has been doing EXACTLY what Malloy is telling everyone to do - ORGANIZE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

How many times do I have to tell everyone this???

[janx]

25. Dems aren't used to it.

That's the problem. :shrug: Many have been comfortable voting for president and sitting back, hoping the government will take up the slack.

But as you probably know, real representative government requires participation from the people, from the rank-and-file.

We'll get there. :pals:

[seabeyond]

24. i dont give a shit if they do. i gladly give a small some every month

i chose to empower. i dont see dnc as an enemy. i like dean

whereas, lol, dlc i chose not to empower, i dont give money. i still like emmual? .

[janx]

26. Thanks, MF!

Facts are wonderful things...

[tyedyeto]

27. When I got a call from them a week ago...

I told the person I would send my money to people who's beliefs I believed were compatible with my own. The answer I received was that by giving money to the DNC, the money would go toward races that needed more help or were close contests. I took that to mean that they do indeed use DNC money to support Congressional races.

[madfloridian]

31. That would be different then than what I am saying.

Close races are a different matter. Of course, they would help a Democrat. But it is not like Terry did, directing 5 million to one state just before Dean came on board. He is trying to spread it out.

I am sure all groups in the party intersect and overlap at some point.

But if you feel that strongly, go ahead and withhold your support. Just don't bash those who are trying to change things.

[Justitia]

28. I've never given to the DSCC or DCCC, I've seen how they work. I support

the DNC. Everyone has a shot with the DNC, the other two don't give a crap about anyone but their hand-selected buddies, and these are the same guys who drive us all nuts around here.

Folks need to educate themselves on the differences between these groups, and not knee-cap Howard Dean just as he's starting to make a difference to the state parties, like my own in Texas.

Thanks for this post MF, I don't have the energy today.

[madfloridian]

34. You are welcome. It is very tiring here lately.

It is being organized elsewhere, and it is tiring.

[Straight Shooter]

30. Thank you for clarifying this.

The first thing that seems to happen whenever we suffer a setback is we attempt to strangle the cash flow to those who are trying to help us, LOL.

I saw a thread about, "Sorry, Howard Dean, no more money to the DNC," or something like that, and thought to myself, "WTF?"

Howard Dean certainly has his hands full now, doesn't he? You know that everything he says is going to be dissected and scrutinized with an Orwellian microscope by the Repubs and the so-called MSM. *sigh* To paraphrase Reagan, here we go again.

[samhsarah]

33. I did not know this.....

Thanks for the info.

[madfloridian]

36. I tried to explain, others have as well.

I would not bother, as I know an influx is happening to bug those of us who want to stand with the party and work for change. They call us names at other places.

I have been pretty sensible, and I have criticized the DLC with their own words quite often. But I am considered a right wing hack now at other places.

Kick for info.