Thursday, February 16, 2006

43rd LD experiments with platform-building, McDermott to help

[cross-posted and adapted from my story posted on WashBlog]

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Much has been written recently, throughout the Washington state blogosphere, about grassroots involvement in the political processes of the Democratic party.  Whether we’re discussing the rights and responsibilities of PCOs, contemplating the attributes of the ideal chair of the state party, mulling over how to get through to Senator Cantwell with our ideas and concerns, engaging and connecting the people of our party with the Democratic party’s direction and focus has been a recurring theme. 

An important expression of the party’s grassroots, of what it means to be a Democrat, is the party platform.  We’ll take our first big step toward writing amendments to the state platform—bringing it up to date for the 2006 political season—in just a few weeks, at the precinct caucuses on March 4. 

These caucuses will be very different from those of two years ago, which longtime readers will recall that I wrote about at the time.  Though we were also supposed to take steps toward building the platform back then, such tasks took a very distant backseat to their presidential preference aspect.  Electing delegates and alternates to the Legislative District caucus who were pledged to support the precinct’s favored presidential choices drew huge crowds of impassioned Democrats on that chilly February morning.  Deliberate on the platform?  Oh yeah, that was on the official agenda, but hardly on anyone’s mind ... in my precinct, in fact, we never talked about the platform at all.

For this year’s caucuses, the 43rd Legislative District is experimenting with an alternative approach.  The hierarchical structure of 2004—precincts elect delegates to the LD and county, LDs elect delegates to the Congressional District, CDs elect national delegates—worked well when the ultimate goal was to choose a presidential candidate.  But when we’re trying to work on specific points of the party platform, to refine proposed positions on a dozen big issues, starting the process with a couple hundred tiny groups in front of a couple hundred blank slates doesn’t sound like the best way to start.

The model proposed by the 43rd is different.  We want to offer the participants in our precinct caucuses the opportunity to think about and discuss platform issues beforehand, to lay the groundwork for a more informed, more reasoned, more efficient, and more participatory platform-building process.  During the week preceding the March 4 caucuses, the 43rd Legislative District Democrats will hold a series of three open meetings, each devoted to developing amendments within a specified subset of the issues covered by the Washington state Democratic platform.  District Democrats are urged to participate in whichever one (or more) of the meetings cover the topics that interest them, especially if they’re interested in putting forward amendments to platform issues discussed in that particular meeting.

Details on dates, locations, subject matter, and procedures can be viewed on the website of the 43rd District Democrats, and I urge you to click over there.  Here’s a brief summary of the meetings and their topics:

Sunday, February 26, 2pm, Washington State Convention & Trade Center (7th and Pike)

After a keynote speech by Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA7) on Iraq and civil liberties, breakout sessions will consider platform amendments on:

• Iraq and the Middle East
• Other Foreign Policy and Military Policy
• Terrorism, Homeland Security and Civil Liberties
• Human Rights, including choice and sexual minorities, and Law and Justice

Tuesday, February 28, 7pm, John Marshall High School (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)

Breakout sessions to consider platform amendments on:

• Education
• Labor, Employment and Immigration
• Health Care and Social Policy
• Election Reform

Wednesday, March 1, 7pm, John Marshall High School (520 NE Ravenna Blvd)

Breakout sessions will consider platform amendments on:

• Environment and Energy
• Growth Management and Transportation
• Agriculture and Economic Development
• Corporate and Media Power

In addition to the opportunity to deliberate on amendments to the platform, at each of the three sessions we’ll provide forms for use by residents of the 43rd to run for precinct delegate or alternate to the 43rd District caucus (which will be held on April 22).  Those who use these forms to apply for consideration as a precinct representative to the LD convention will be on the precinct ballot on March 4, even if they don’t attend the caucus itself.

All precincts in the 43rd LD will caucus on March 4 in the same location—back at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center (7th and Pike), called to order at 2pm.  This meeting will somewhat resemble the 2004 caucuses—sign-in by precinct (bring your voter ID card or at least know your precinct number), elect precinct delegates and alternates to the LD and county caucuses later in the spring, review the amendments drafted at the three open meetings, debate and vote on resolutions brought up by attendees.

I have high hopes for this approach to precinct caucuses.  An informed populace, I believe, will lead to an informed and relevant platform.  In addition, I believe that a lot of LDs, party officials, and other interested people are looking to learn whether this method will encourage participation in the platform process by the District’s residents.  Based on suggestions originally presented by 43rd LD chair Dick Kelley, the organization’s Executive Board is enthusiastic that we’ll continue to lead the state’s Democrats in party participation, political engagement, and, well, just being the most Democratic Legislative District in the state of Washington.

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UPDATE: In a comment on my WashBlog story, emmettoconnell reports that something similar is in the works in Thurston County as well.