November Victory is an Internet Discussion Group for Democratic Congressional Candidates. It is open to all candidates who are running in the 2008 cycle as well as previous cycles. November Victory is a vehicle to allow present and former candidates to share ideas and insights on running for office
No Longer Balkanized
by Alison Baker
Most of what people read and hear about politics and the Internet either has to do with the online fundraising or blogging. Email and web sites have helped activists organize their particular causes. Individual writers now have an audience through their blogging. But something else just as important has been happening. Democratic candidates for congress have been organizing as a group to discuss and develop a plan for taking back the U.S. House of Representatives.
These candidates started their online discussions in 2004.
All of the candidates are Democratic challengers in incumbent Republican districts. What they share is their uphill battle. Until the online group organized, most felt they were alone in their struggle. Their districts were like the kingdoms and republics of the Balkans before the First World War, subject to the whims of greater powers outside their territory. With the help of an activist from upstate New York, all that changed in May 2004.
Cynthia Pooler was deeply concerned that the Democrats were making no headway in winning back a majority since their loss of the House in 1994. Pooler was no stranger to the struggles of a challenger candidate. Pooler’s experience as a candidate began in 1984 when she ran for the New York State Assembly in a heavily Republican district. Although she lost, she never lost the desire to remain in the political arena. Over the years, she noticed that many people run for office, lose and drop out. As these candidates disappeared, their knowledge of politics and their district went with them. With each election, the new candidate faced reinventing the wheel, usually with the same result. Pooler made it her goal to do something about this cycle. She realized that the community building power of the Internet could offer something to challenger candidates. Something that would allow knowledge to be shared and retained and that would relieve the stress of the lone candidate’s struggle. It was at that point Pooler decided to create the NovemberVictory YAHOO! Discussion Group™. The group now includes over 100 Democratic challenger candidates from across the nation.
Connecting with so many candidates across the North American continent is daunting. Pooler called them one person at a time. Pooler points out the Internet and reasonable long distance plans have made this kind of organizing more practical. It still can be a struggle. Some candidates were concerned that she might be an infiltrator. Others, frequently on the road, did not have time to participate and did not join. However, Pooler refused to give up. At the end of the 2004 election cycle, there were about seventy candidates enrolled. After the election, candidates began to drop out. Yet, Pooler continued her efforts to retain those who wanted to run again and recruit from the new batch of 2006 candidates.
It might seem that a group of people who run as Congressional candidates would have little in common. Pooler discovered that just the opposite was true. Everyone was woefully underfunded and unsupported as the Party continued to ignore their districts and campaigns. Pooler stated "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) wants their candidates to walk in the door after accumulating $300,000 from their fundraising efforts and some have done exactly that." She contends that the DCCC prefers to provide them with excuses rather than receive them with open arms: It is too early. It is too late. It is a Primary so we only give advice. The fundraising amount is a good start. Can you raise another $100,000 our new deadline? Pooler found that excuses from the DCCC are quite typical for all Congressional candidates unless one of the Party leaders has already anointed the candidate. The Party prefers the elitist approach, and they expect the alienated candidates to disappear quietly into another career choice. Rocking their elitist boat is not a good thing.
Pooler laments that congress has become nothing more than an invitation-only fraternity. Only a select few gain entrance. They are not always the best candidates for the job of protecting the public trust in a democracy. Typically, the DCCC chooses candidates for open seats and leaves all other Party candidates to fend for themselves. The single criterion is money. The more successful the fundraiser, the easier it is to become a Congressional candidate with full Party support. Money rules at the expense of true commitment to the democratic process. The sad reality is that, at every level of government, there is a person who would do well in public office and affect change. Incumbents prefer controllable candidates as they seek re-election until they retire from or die in office. Many enjoy living in a higher tax bracket because of their time in Congress.
Pooler sees the value of the NovemberVictory discussion group in it’s facility to allow each of the candidates to communicate with one another on exactly what is working — and what is not. It provides a resource for those who are succeeding to share the tools, techniques, and other ideas that are helping them succeed. This is a way to share the community knowledge with those who need it now.
Pooler can be reached at UnitedDems@aolcom