MDP Rule Change - Part 3.5
November 17th, 2005 | by christine |If one sweeps before his own door, the whole street is clean. –Yiddish Proverb
Having shown Mark Brewer so little kindness, I feel it is only fair to revisit my last entry.
One of the reasons this rule change caught my attention was the rush to make it happen. Especially troubling was how easily opponents of this rule change were dismissed. The concerns of my friends. The pleas of other party officers. The opinions of our elected officials. All ignored.
At least that’s how it seems.
Today I was pleased to get a response from Mark Brewer, who took responsibility for moving this rule change forward. The reason for the rush to make the rule change was to make sure the party had time to inform all party members and precinct delegates of the rule change prior to the convention next summer.
I can understand that. That’s a lot of people to reach out to in a relatively short period of time, when you’re working on a limited budget during an election year. If you are determined to go through with the rule change … if you have cut off all other options, then you should do it as soon as you can. You should make sure you have enough time to put the new rule to the best possible use.
The MDP will be communicating this rule change to members through the use of direct mail, the Michigan Briefing (which I repeatedly sign up for but never get … anyone else???), newsletters, and other means. The party will continue this campaign through next year. Some precinct delegates have told me that they have already received mailings on the rule change, along with an invitation to join the MDP.
I’ve always thought that it’s a good thing to reach out to the party members. Maybe this will re-energize the base. Maybe this will result in new members. Join the party, vote at our State Convention! But that takes me back to my first concern: who will be showing up to vote?
There is no doubt that there is a feeling of disconnect between Democrats and the Democratic Party at all levels. In trying to fix it at the local level, perhaps Mark has shifted it to the state level. In trying to open the doors of participation to some people, he may have slammed in the faces of others.
There is no perfect system, no perfect set of rules. But how we Democrats relate to each other does not depend on a system. It’s not the system that makes people feel belittled or ignored. It’s not the system that marginalizes legitimate concerns. It’s not the system that accuses people of lying when in fact they are just on opposite sides of an argument. It’s not the system that hurts people.
It’s only people who do that.
As for trying to kick Mark Brewer in the rear, I did that. But you don’t get kicked in the rear if you haven’t left anyone behind, and this aggressive approach to this rule change has left a lot of Democrats behind.
Next time … the rules, the rule change, and a little bit of law.
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