So – Here’s the link to the summary of the MDP convention. Here, I’ll be analyzing the caucuses I attended, the candidates, and the state of the party at large. So, with an even shorter preamble, let’s go below the fold!
So, I really sat in for three caucuses, the Progressive, the Youth, and the MI-08 caucus. I’ll be talking about the general activity of the caucus, what discussion centered around, and what needs to be further done in my humble and imperfect opinion.
Progressive Caucus: This was a pretty interesting caucus to be in, despite the fact that the chair had no speaking ability. Mr. Alexander had set out a twelve point plan in advance of 2014, and I’ll enumerate the relevant ones right here, with my opinion next to each point:
1.Welcoming OFA activists and leaders into the Michigan Dems – yeah, and we still need to do that. They were brought into the fold as volunteers, but they were trained uniquely by the Obamans, and thus would have a unique insight into the organizing that we desperately need.
2.Emphasizing empowering precinct and local organizers by giving them VAN access to organize locally – Interesting idea, but as we found out in 2014, VAN isn’t a tool to be given out like candy on Halloween – at least not on a campaign basis. We want our turf to be walked in an organized fashion, rather than everyone on the local level doing their own thing. Maybe this is possible for ’16 and ’18, but I think it will take a change in the way campaigns are coordinated locally.
3.Attracting and recruiting people of all ages – this one was really meant to target the top and bottom age groups – youths and retirees. It makes sense, but without a method to do it, activist recruitment remains a vague dream (although keep reading, and you’ll find at least one caucus is working on bringing youth into the fold)
4.MDP needs to push a list of legislative priorities – these priorities included K-12 funding, stopping fracking, reducing the price of college, ending pension taxes, and so on. These are good principles to campaign on, and should complement a broad vision.
5.Register voters all year long – YES and then some. In 2014, the coordinated campaign did not contact voters that we had registered through the drives.
6.Implementing Virtual Offices (as per the MoveOn.org campaign structure) – This one sounds good in theory, it really does, but I remember, being on the coordinated campaign, having to deal with some of the worst flakes when it came to volunteers. IMO, a physical office provides accountability, which is necessary for VAN access, as I stated 4 points above.
Of these, I think that points 3 and 5 are of most tantamount importance, the former especially so, given the demographics of the room, where not a single young person was to be found. I think that the party at large needs to re-imagine its campaign organization and the way it uses and gives VAN access, but local organizing is absolutely needed, to inform as well as to GOTV. Speaking of getting young people involved…
Youth Caucus: Nope, no grand 12 point plan here. We youth are way too disorganized for that. Of course, that isn’t to say there weren’t plenty of ideas to throw around. We got to two really good ones before Gary Peters so ungraciously interrupted our brainstorming session. First, we talked about rebuilding the Young Democrats in high schools all across Michigan. This is really a big one. In 2008, the Obamans used youth leaders in Iowa to drive out high school student turnout. Peer pressure is one hell of a drug, and while it’s known for its negative effects, peer pressure can be a positive influence on people as well. In this case, organizing in public schools can ensure that we drive up voter reg. among high school students. The other idea that came out was a need for the MDP to focus on bold, positive themes heading into 2016 and more importantly 2018. These themes should be complemented by the specific initiatives that the Progressive caucus was talking about. I think it’s a great idea, but needs to be put forward by the right candidate, else we run into the problem of discussing our solutions in vague platitudes, as Schauer did in ’14. I’m really excited about this caucus, and with people like Jeremy Moss pushing the envelope for us in the State House, I think this is one to watch.
MI-08: Absolutely forgettable. In fact, I was talking to a bunch of people from the different caucuses, and the district caucuses led to very little happening, apart from leadership being elected. This is one area where we have to step up our organizing and candidate recruitment.
Well, speaking of candidates, let’s move on to some of the potential candidates that I found to be most impressive.
Nathan Tripplet: He’s one to watch for I think. I saw him at the Youth caucus (easy to imagine why the East Lansing Mayor would be at that particular caucus), and he really is an easy speaker who presents ideas clearly, and is interested in getting things done. Is he the one I rush out my house to vote for if he runs for governor? No (but there someone who would – read on). But he would be a very stable candidate, and I think he’s clearly on the upswing. He and the third name on my list are counters to the “We have no bench” crowd.
Gretchen Driskell: I sing of arms and the woman, who first came from the banks of Saline to the State House….well, I won’t write a whole epic about her, but epic is really the only word to describe her candidacy. When I first read on DKE that she was running, I dismissed her candidacy as hopeless. Not anymore. She has signs ready already, four days after she announced, and she’s a strong speaker. She’s ready for prime time, and more than ready to take on Walberg. In fact, I called a few (very Republican) friends in that area, and all said the same thing: “Oh, we love Driskell!” I put the MI-07 race as Lean R for now, because I don’t want my heart broken, but this is going to Tossup soon.
Andy Meisner: Oh man. If there’s a guy to watch out for, it’s this one. I was impressed by Driskell, but not wowed. In fact, it takes a lot to wow me – the last time that happened, I had just seen Federer lose to Stakhovsky in Wimbledon. But Andy Meisner’s speech blew me away. The fact that a mere county treasurer could bring people to their feet, people who had looked disinterested when even the senators were speaking, was a sight to watch. As he railed against Rick Snyder and L. Brooks Patterson, I saw someone who should be included in every list for every office he’s eligible for, whether it’s MI-09 (if Sandy Levin retires), or County Commissioner, or even MI-Gov in 2018.
So that's it for the first two. I'm working on my final part of the three part series, and I'll upload that when I'm done. Feel free to ask me anything in the comments, and criticisms are appreciated!
6:31 PM PT: Here's the link to the third part of this series - http://www.dailykos.com/...