Welcome back, Saturday Campaign D.I.Y.ers! For those who tune in, welcome to the Nuts & Bolts of a Democratic campaign. Each week we discuss issues that help drive successful campaigns. If you’ve missed prior diaries, please visit our group or follow Nuts & Bolts Guide. This series has been focused on how to build and develop campaigns and successful activism efforts.
This week I’m taking time to discuss the Democratic Party Care Agenda. With all of our groups, candidates, and activists, how exactly do we start to combat Republican messaging that gets broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and multiple times on the radio and television dial?
In 2016, before the election, in a few states, notably South Carolina, North Carolina, Kansas, Nevada, Democratic activists began working on the Care Agenda. It was designed to send a positive message about who Democratic party members actually are in the community beyond just their name on the ballot.
What is the Care Agenda?
To put it quite simply, the Care Agenda is best exemplified in campaigns run in difficult to impossible to win districts—but statewide activists, candidates in sure-win districts, and party officials who look out for an entire state can, and should, also work to build upon the Care agenda.
Most of the Republican rhetoric you run into, especially in bright red districts, seeks to vilify Democratic party members. The Care Agenda is specifically structured to make it clear that most of these attacks are baseless and just don’t reflect who Democratic party members are to their community.
Democratic party members who took part in the Care Agenda last year engaged in activities like these:
- food drives for community food banks
- clothing drives for those in need
- community clean-up events
- adopt a highway
- book drives.
- Habitat for Humanity
- Home Health and Meals on Wheels
- Community Service Center Attendance
- reading programs
There are pages of possibilities for the Democratic Party Care Agenda. Candidates who engaged in the agenda weren’t looking to just win their race, they were also looking to help redefine what being a Democratic party member actually meant to a community. Forward Together Moral Monday Movement founder and president of the North Carolina NAACP Reverend Barber has referred to the Care Agenda as acting to provide moral justice and good works to the community. I’d agree with that entirely.
Democratic clubs take part
For years, many Democratic clubs have engaged in these events. From Women’s Caucus to Veterans caucus, party groups have often engaged in efforts to improve their community. One thing that Democratic groups don’t do so well is promoting the fact that this is a Democratic effort. While Republicans take victory laps on scrubbing pots that have already been cleaned—looking at you Paul Ryan—Democratic efforts are often done without taking credit.
The truth is, most Democratic party members feel as though taking credit for charity work or for their community work makes it into a photo op where people aren’t doing the work for a good reason, only to get publicity.
There is a fine line between sensationalizing your efforts and making people aware. Democratic groups can often prevent sensationalization and promote their efforts in a very simple way: schedule events and remind the community that an event is upcoming, encouraging more of the community to participate.
For example:
Wilson County Democratic Woman will hosting our annual Toys for Tots event this weekened. Any member of the community can participate, let’s help make sure children in need have a happy holiday this season!
Simple, to the point, and easily promoted on Facebook or elsewhere. By reminding the community of the good work your group does, you help remove some of the Republican talking points about who Democratic party members are by introducing the community to party members who are doing good works.
Candidates build community connections
Are you thinking about running for office but not for a few years? Maybe you want to run in 2-3 years after your children are older, or after you’ve had more time to settle into a community. Becoming active in the Democratic Care agenda will create ties within the community that will last a lifetime. It is very hard for even the staunchest Republican opponent to bash you for years of work in helping a domestic violence center. No one will ever be able to attack you for helping to improve your community, and the friends you make through these events can help build your base within the Democratic party.
The holidays are the perfect time to start the Care Agenda
Does your county party or state party have a plan for a Care Agenda? If not, then the holidays are the perfect time to start. Talk to your county parties, your local activist groups, and even your Democratic friends and ask if they would like to engage in a Democratic effort to encourage good works in their community. Have you ever wanted to be a hero? Find your local community food bank or your local homeless shelters. This isn’t about a photo op. This isn’t about a moment. This is about building a movement in your local organizations to make an ongoing effort to assist these organizations.
Don’t take on everything, but when you take something on, commit.
These organizations love to hear from you around the holidays when people think about charity. Keeping this effort going into March, June, September will be something that helps prove to these organizations this isn’t a photo op, this is a commitment to service that your group takes seriously.
If you decide to engage in a specific activity as part of the cares agenda, whether it is cleaning a park or delivering meals on wheels, your group has to be prepared to follow through. If you commit to do something and do it only once, it will be a photo op, and isn’t what the party should be about. Is your organization on the 10th Annual Coats for Kids drive? The 15th Annual County Highway Cleanup Weekend? You’ve established a reputation in your community for good works that will be hard to assail.
Final thoughts:
This week it’s simple. Associating your Democratic efforts with good deeds and being a good member of your community benefits the party, the candidates involved, and you will feel better about yourself for doing it. That’s a win in my book.
Next week on Nuts & Bolts: “Holiday Planning”
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Nuts & Bolts: Building Democratic Campaigns
Contact the Daily Kos group Nuts and Bolts by kosmail (members of Daily Kos only). You can also follow me on twitter: @tmservo433
Every Saturday this group will chronicle the ins and outs of campaigns, small and large. Issues to be covered: Campaign Staffing, Fundraising, Canvass, Field Work, Data Services, Earned Media, Spending and Budget Practices, How to Keep Your Mental Health, and on the last Saturday of the month: “Don’t Do This!” a diary on how you can learn from the mistakes of campaigns in the past.
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