Democracy in Progress

We're Moving!

posted by pdt @ 10/25/2005 07:38:00 AM

Strategic Breakdown, Part 2

We live in a Representative Democracy, where in principle we elect representatives whom we trust for two or four years to manage the state's finances wisely. But there are several problems with this picture:

First, the public is not so willing to trust politicians, and politicians are not even asking for their trust. It's evident with financial scandals like those of Tom DeLay, and with the constant ideological and personal battles that have little to do with government's responsibilities to its citizens. The message is that politicians don't feel accountable, so the public assumes they are not.

Second, we have much better mechanisms today than ever before, to involve citizens in decision making and accountability processes, using the internet, but haven't taken advantage of them. This is not to advocate a movement to direct democracy, but to merely keep the public better-informed of how its government is doing. A few high-tech innovations such as freeway cameras are becoming widespread, but more prosaic and useful tools such as financial and performance statements have not been used to good advantage in Colorado. When the public doesn't see the kind of periodic reporting that is common in private businesses, it assumes there is something to hide.

Third, the state government is too darn big. Not in the sense of doing too much, but in the sense of being inaccessible to its citizens, further perpetuating the notion that it isn't accountable. It has been widely observed that tax increases are much more successful at the local level than at the state level, and this may be largely because voters feel better able to monitor things at the local level. Gary Hart has written extensively on this aspect of human nature and how it influenced Jeffersonian ideals of small units of representative government.

Fourth, there is no visible evidence of competition and no obvious effort to benefit from competition. There is no reporting and comparison of public and private sector performance, so the public assumes it's because the public sector is inferior. Families dislike the cost of transportation regardless of whether it goes into public or private hands, but they do trust competition as a means of keeping costs as low as possible. We in Colorado misunderstand this concern as a desire to do everything in the private sector, rather than as a desire to have the most effective possible competition. We in the Democratic Party argue that the public sector has some distinct advantages in transportation for good theoretical reasons, but we don't back up that belief with actual public-private competition and quality public reporting of how it went.

Fifth, state government doesn't "feel our pain." It gives no evidence that it cares about the same things we do. It focuses on isolated locations in the transportation network, rather than the overall need to get us from one place to another. Instead of strategies to reduce the traffic that causes traffic jams, it builds big projects that cause even bigger traffic jams and doesn't fix the stupid little things we see every day. It wastes our time and doesn't give us choices that would allow us to take some responsibility for our own commute. It doesn't explain its decisions in a way we can understand and evaluate. It involves the public in project level decisions but not the more momentous network level decisions. It doesn't even pretend to make efficient long-term decisions that minimize our taxes. While local officials take care of business, state officials play political games in the media, at least that's the common perception.

Of all the many activities of government, transportation is arguably the leader in developing scientific tools for measuring its efficiency and effectiveness. But it's a well-kept secret. Politicians assume it's too complicated to explain to the public (which is both untrue and disrespectful), and they assume it's a patronage mess (which is self-fulfilling). Too often, politicians don't want their performance measured because, in fact, they think they do have something to hide. The public picks up on this easily.

What we need, then, is what's known in the business world as transparency. If leaders aren't afraid of exposure and accountability, then they will earn the trust of the voters.

posted by pdt @ 10/23/2005 07:36:00 AM

Strategic Breakdown Part 1

Take highway maintenance, for one example. Colorado spends nearly nothing on preventive maintenance for the $100 billion inventory of transportation assets owned by state and local government. Following capital asset reinvestment guidelines accepted worldwide, it should be spending about $1.5 billion every year in combined Federal, state, and local maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and replacement to keep its roads and bridges in service at minimal life cycle cost. In the private sector, if a firm were to fail so miserably to reinvest in itself, it would be considered to have a limited future. As facilities deteriorate past the optimal maintenance schedule, they become very expensive to keep in service, making the enterprise unsustainable.

The Colorado Department of Transportation goes out each summer and applies cosmetic treatments like chip seals, that do little more than paint over the cracks. These actions are all it can afford, but they are worse than doing nothing, because they hide the enormous problems and future costs building up under our tires.

In spite of its massive transportation component, Referendum D will do little to make Colorado's transportation network more sustainable. It takes care of some very important large replacement projects, and adds capacity in critical places to reduce congestion. Those investments certainly deserve voter approval. But the long-term problem of a sustainable transportation network — the strategic breakdown — isn't addressed.

Budget-cutting is the worst possible solution to the strategic breakdown. Long-term investments are the easiest to cut, because they are long-term; no one complains. There is no incentive in a budget-cutting environment to plan for the future, no political payoff to invest $1 now to save $10 ten years from now.

Yet, the private sector has no solution either. There are private firms out there who are eager to take over the management of facilities that are relatively new, happy to sign a contract of typically five years' duration to take care of a road with relatively few needs. When T-Rex is finished, it will be a prime candidate. But there are no firms out there willing to take on the maintenance of an average Colorado road network for a significant chunk of its useful life, typically 20 years for pavements and 75 years for bridges. When the full life cycle costs are factored in, the cost of such a contract would make the public faint with sticker shock, because it would be far more than we are spending now.

Average roads are highly variable in the problems they present, and private firms are much less able than the government to handle such risks. Factor in the costs of risk mitigation, marketing, and profit, and private firms trying this in other states haven't been any less expensive than the state's own employees, even when the private firms are non-unionized. From my own personal experience working in this industry, state transportation agencies — at least, those which are adequately funded — are making much better use of technology than private firms do in optimizing the long-term maintenance plan. This includes all types of technology, from equipment, to materials, to data processing. Moreover, state forces are more flexible and accountable to the public, and they don't charge a fortune for change orders.

But the problem we have in Colorado is that the voters don't trust state employees to work efficiently. I believe this stems in large part from state government's failure to prove to the voters that it is efficient. Yesterday's Rocky tried to make the state's case, but it was a very weak presentation due to lack of evidence. Next weekend I'll present a program of improvements — relatively low cost but high value — in the way the state runs its transportation program, that will help the public to gain some insight, trust, and feeling of ownership that is necessary if the public is to be willing to invest in its roads and bridges.

posted by pdt @ 10/16/2005 08:28:00 AM

Coming to a Decision

I've been out most weekends this fall working on one project or another about Referenda C and D, and before this weekend mostly found people unfamiliar with the measures, even as recently as last weekend's Castle Rock Oktoberfest. A consistent observation was that there were some firm 'yes' and 'no' voters, and some leaning 'yes', but none leaning 'no'. The 'no' voters always seemed very sure of their vote, the 'yes' voters more cautious.

This weekend the reaction is changing. There are still quite a few firm 'no' votes, people who seem to have made up their minds long ago, very often with "W'04" or "it's your dough" bumper stickers. But the percentage of these among Douglas County shoppers hadn't changed from previous weekends. What had changed is the number of firm 'yes' votes, which has decidedly grown.

Most encouraging, however, was the number of people who seemed newly aware of the election, wanted to become informed, had concerns, but took a generally positive attitude. They had seen the 'no' ads on TV, and didn't take them seriously; "a lot of noise pollution," one person said.

I've often been asked by C and D opponents what guarantee there is that the money will be spent in a certain way. I've had to explain that we live in a Representative Democracy and we generally have high expectations of our representatives to work out the budget themselves, try to do a good job of it, and be accountable at the ballot box. It has been this way for more than 200 years. This weekend, I didn't have to explain it as often. More people seemed to understand and respect our Constitution. If we don't have lawmakers we trust, then we need to get better ones, not cripple the state or throw away our Constitution.

When somebody yesterday shouted the predictable "it's our money," a lady commented to me, "of course, it's our government, too". The people I met this weekend were more open than in weekends past in talking about the services they expect from government, their awareness of the cost of those services, and the notion that people often take them for granted. The main cautionary note in this was a comment that people can't tell whether government is operating efficiently or not; all they know is that taxes have gone down and so has the quality of service — and they're not happy about the quality of service. I think people would perceive more of an ownership in their state government if a much better effort were made to measure and report on the government's efficiency and effectiveness: that would be a sign that government respects and is accountable to its owners.

While I was handing out leaflets at the Safeway, a pair from the Knights of Columbus — one a Republican and the other a Democrat — were with me collecting donations for a charity for handicapped children. They commented on Archbishop Chaput's letter in the Rocky Friday endorsing Referenda C and D. Chaput's main rationale was that the state has not been doing its part to help the poor, and Referenda C and D were a much-needed step in the right direction. The pair both agreed. The government has been shirking its responsibility, trying to put it all on the church. This is both unfair and inadequate to do the job. Economic policies that widen the gap between rich and poor, or that raise barriers to upward mobility (such as higher tuition) only make it worse. I hope the Archbishop will take a more vocal role on this even after November, as it has not received anywhere near the discussion it deserves.

This admittedly unscientific survey leaves me optimistic about the prospects for C and D. Now we just need to get people out to vote.

posted by pdt @ 10/09/2005 07:35:00 AM

Pride and Paranoia

This question deserves some thought because the argument in favor of this point of view is a good one: Democrats do have a brand image problem. There certainly are people in our community — we've met them — who are unable to look past a party label.

One factor that tends to amplify this concern in a political organization of any party is a tendency toward paranoia. This is analyzed through numerous case studies in the book Political Paranoia: the Psychopolitics of Hatred by Robert Robins and Jerrold Post. Paranoia is not necessarily an illness, but is a human trait existing in all of us at a low level that normally stays underground. However, political organizations and leaders often try to awaken the trait as a way of building a more active support base. This is especially easy in strongly ideological organizations because of the dissonance that already exists between an over-simplified ideological world view and the complexities of the real world. You can find a continuing flow of examples in any conservative or liberal political blog.

I'm not saying that any of the activists of either party are mentally ill, but I am saying that many people are hyper-sensitive to political overtones in everyday life, because it awakens their healthy paranoia, a reflex that is highly developed because it is constantly exercised by political rhetoric. For example, a Democratic parent who is told by a teacher that there will be a unit on the Bible as Literature, might immediately be concerned about the teacher's motives; or a Republican who learns of some change in the tax code might immediately suspect a hidden tax increase. As someone who deals with the general public on a regular basis in a political context, I hear these attitudes on both sides all the time.

I believe that one reason people so often want to hide their party affiliation is that they have experienced the awakening of paranoia, find the sensation unpleasant, and want to avoid doing this to others. They fear that the paranoid impulse might be right, that a political reference might provoke the hostility they fear. I see this in political canvassing operations, where certain people perceive much more hostility from voters than what actually occurred, or may be so fearful of hostility that they refuse to participate even in places where the voters are known to be overwhelmingly friendly or apathetic.

People who are politically active, who are much more exposed to political rhetoric than the general public, are much more susceptible to the paranoid reflex. Put another way, I believe the general public is much less sensitive to party affiliation than we often fear. It's undeniable that in Douglas County a large fraction of voters mark the (R) bubble without ever looking at the candidates further; but it's also undeniable that FastTracks, renewable energy, and Scientific and Cultural Facilities District ballot questions won in Douglas County last year even though heavily promoted by Democrats.

When an organization has a brand image problem, there are really only two viable approaches: either abandon the brand, or work to rehabilitate the brand by addressing its weaknesses and associating it with its positive aspects. Ford chose the first approach with its Edsel, and now that brand name is a distant memory. When Tylenol experienced tampering problems that made it the butt of late night comedy routines for an extended time, the company decided to defend its brand, and succeeded. It responded effectively to the tampering concerns, and focused its advertising on the positive benefits of the medicine.

The Democratic Party has the same kind of choice to make. It can be an Edsel, or a Tylenol. To follow the path of success, it needs to deal frankly with the problems voters perceive, especially excessive ideology and the lack of a pragmatic balance among competing interest groups. Then it needs to associate itself firmly with all of its good works. When we feel strongly about a non-partisan issue, whether it be public transportation, renewable energy, science and culture, open space, gratitude to our troops, curing cancer, helping battered women, aiding hurricane survivors, cultural tolerance, supporting local businesses, or solving the state's financial problems (all issues we've worked on in the past year), we do those issues no favors by hiding the nature of our organization. All of those causes appreciate our support.

At the Relay for Life earlier this year, we were roundly applauded by Republicans and Democrats alike, because we showed up and made a difference. That's what we do. When we're proud of what we do, we attract others to help us, and that makes us more effective.

posted by pdt @ 10/02/2005 12:24:00 PM

Fund Raising

We began Friday evening in Highlands Ranch with a benefit concert for survivors of Hurricane Katrina, which attracted 300 people and provided a very receptive forum for Gordon and Rep. Morgan Carroll to talk about government's proper role. On very short notice Teresa Masterton and Christian Moreau lined up five bands who donated their time to the cause. A substantial amount of money was raised for the Salvation Army.

We noticed at the concert something we've often noticed in Douglas County: when we remove partisan labels but still talk about issues important to Democrats, we get widespread agreement even from mainstream Republicans. We all care about our children and businesses, and we all feel a responsibility to help people on the Gulf Coast to get back on their feet.

Over the following four days, a constantly-changing cadre of concerned citizens followed Sen. Gordon through Highlands Ranch, then to Castle Pines and Castle Rock, through Larkspur and Greenland, and on to Palmer Lake and Monument. For awhile House Speaker Andrew Romanoff joined us with his famous dog, Zorro. We were constantly buoyed by people tooting their horns and giving the "thumbs-up." (Yes, we're sure it was always the thumb!)

With all the fund-raising activity surrounding the hurricane and the ballot measures, we talked about whether we should postpone our own fund-raising dinner, the Fiesta on September 24. We ultimately decided to go ahead as planned. Our fund-raiser for the Salvation Army helped with the immediate needs of the survivors, so now we have to look to the long-term. Our role as an organization is to make sure something like the New Orleans disaster doesn't happen again. This means doing our part to make sure there is political accountability; to elect leaders who believe in the government's moral obligation to protect its citizens and to underwrite its economy and civilization.

It's very difficult to maintain intensity in an odd-numbered year with few announced candidates; but the Democratic Party needs to be strong now, more than ever.

posted by pdt @ 9/24/2005 07:15:00 AM

Feed the Beast

Economic fundamentalism has always had a built-in time bomb, the inevitability of a big event that brings to public attention its true implications. Hurricane Katrina is exactly that kind of event. In one single $200,000,000,000 storm, all the savings of decades of past and future short-sighted penny-pinching have been wiped out. If the president were willing to follow the Grover Norquist message to its logical conclusion, he would have to walk away from 500,000 suddenly homeless people and the economic productivity of a major US city. That's why Tancredo voted against the down-payment aid package for the Gulf Coast, because it would violate the purity of his ideology. Bush, on the other hand, realized the public wouldn't support turning its back on New Orleans, and couldn't bring himself to follow through.

This could be huge. I don't know if we can declare the death of economic fundamentalism just yet. Perhaps Referenda C and D will give a clearer picture. But this is certainly a bad sign for the forces of selfishness. I'm sure Norquist is on the phone to Bush and many others right now, telling them they lost their nerve, reminding them that it's not cool to care.

For years now, at all levels of government, we've been following a pattern of short-sighted lazy incompetence, dressed up as political ideology. It's time to realize that the budgetary process is much too blunt and simple-minded to be effective at improving the efficiency of government. It doesn't work, in real life, to cut funding for disaster preparedness and first responders, and expect that this will magically cause them to be more efficient. What happens in real life is it makes them ineffective. We saw plenty of proof on live TV in the past three weeks.

In the field of health care, we know that regular checkups and preventive care keep us out of the hospital, and in the long run save money. They also make us healthier and happier. Cutting preventive care doesn't make the health care system any less expensive in the long run. The only thing that has ever worked is the sophistication and professionalism of doctors.

The government is in many ways the foundation of the economy, and the ultimate safety net that keeps capitalism working. It's the one force that can guarantee our ability to survive major disasters. It isn't free, and it needs regular maintenance to work most efficiently. Call it a "beast" if you want, but the world can be a hostile place, and the beast will be fed.

In recent years the public has reacted to a highly complex world by yearning for simple solutions in government, solutions that are now proven not to work. So we see finally that the inadequate preparation and response to Katrina are cultural problems. It may be "your dough," but no, you don't know how to spend it better than the government, any more than you can perform surgery on yourself better than a doctor can.

Democrats need to lead us away from the mentality of lazy and selfish incompetence. We can make the government and private sectors both efficient and effective by focusing on better education, and the cultural virtues of professionalism and caring. This is a much better way of coping with the complexity of the world. We recognize that this is a responsibility that government has to us, and we have to each other.

posted by pdt @ 9/18/2005 08:05:00 AM

Looking for Our Soul

These people who somehow got elected to lead the nation don't deserve to be called "human." They have no respect for life.

Bush and his resume-padding crony FEMA boss Michael Brown and the rest have their utopian vision that the world will be better if government goes away. So the first thing to go, since no one was complaining, was disaster planning. Well, so a few people died. It wasn't like it was 10,000 or anything. They must have deserved it since everything was going according to plan, drowning the government in a bathtub and all that. Collateral damage.

Well, we don't think this way. A poor person isn't 3/5 of a person. Next time someone tries to defend the monstrosities we've sent to Washington, show them the Declaration of Independence, and read them the first sentence of the second paragraph. (No, I'm not going to tell you, go read it yourself. Read the whole thing.) Has America lost its soul? How do we get it back?

posted by pdt @ 9/11/2005 04:12:00 PM

Unplanned Consequences

Our Party Strategic Plan doesn't mention "hurricane relief," and we have no rules and no committees to address it, but we do have a network of amazingly talented people, a web site, a mailing list, lots and lots of contacts, and experience. It's a perfect mixture to spawn grassroots relief projects, and it has:

• One person, who works for a major airline, decided to put her unused buddy passes to work to transport hurricane victims to Colorado and find temporary homes for them. Others offered to provide those homes.
• Another person volunteered to research the best relief agencies and put their contact information on our web site. Others chimed in with their own suggestions.
• An ad hoc team in Highlands Ranch came together around the idea of holding a relief concert to benefit the Red Cross. Within 24 hours, they had lined up five bands, a venue, several speakers including a well-known local sports figure, and lots of amenities, all donated.

I was starting to wonder whether political parties have lost their relevance in a changing, self-involved world. I don't wonder any more. The three unplanned efforts listed above will each undoubtedly raise more donations than our entire organization will this year. Yet, by bringing together these incredible, generous people, giving them a network and infrastructure that builds their confidence and capability, our local party has done its part. I'm very proud of this group.

If you want to help with any of the projects listed above, please send me a note and I'll refer you to the right people. As soon as possible we'll be posting information on the Douglas Democrats web site.

Speaking of generosity, I want to thank Bill Winter for offering to produce and pay for two weeks of Air America advertising (starting Wednesday) for the September 24 Douglas Democrats Fiesta, as well as a series of subsequent ads in support of our organization. Bill has done some amazing work for progressive causes in Colorado, and we are all very grateful.

posted by pdt @ 9/04/2005 08:46:00 AM

Democracy Under Assault

• "President George W. Bush said on Tuesday that Iraq's Sunnis, who have balked at a draft constitution offered by Shi'ites and Kurds, have to decide if they want to live in a society of freedom or violence."
• "Assassinate [Venezuelan President] Chavez, Pat Robertson tells a stunned America"

(We happened to be there at the Wildlife Experience with our kids to catch the final day of the Lego exhibit. The juxtaposition was frightening: people like Norquist have no business being near children.)

This is less than a year after Bush appointed famous torture advocate Alberto Gonzales to be his Attorney General. These are the same people who talk up anti-abortion laws that will never pass, while adopting policies that have caused the abortion rate in Colorado to double since 2000.

Douglas County is reputed to have one of the best-educated populations in the nation. So why are people like Tancredo and Norquist coming to Douglas County to raise money for their violent causes?

There are plenty more examples of the hypocrisy of the Republican leadership, and you can read all about it in the book, Democracy Under Assault: TheoPolitics, Incivility, and Violence on the Right by Michele Swenson. Swenson came to Castle Rock Tuesday to speak to the Castle Rock Dems about her book and the immense amount of research behind it.

The Republican Party leadership has been taken over in recent years by a diverse coalition of extremists that are united by anger and violence. Some advocate war as a way of forcing the Second Coming of the Lord; others adhere to the concept of social Darwinism, that the condition of the human race over the long-term will be improved if the underachievers are killed off. Many are frustrated by the inability to stop terrorism, or the inability to keep people of other races from living near them, and want to just "kill 'em all."

I don't want to believe Republicans in Douglas County subscribe to these views. Even before I became a Democrat two years ago, few of my neighbors would ever mention such views to me. We have Republicans in Douglas County who sincerely believe in the traditional values of their Party, and hope someday to regain control of it. But they are largely afraid to speak up because they are well aware of the violence of their leadership. It won't get any better. You may have been a Republican all your life, but the Party you grew up with is gone, and won't be back. The Democratic Party is eager to welcome you.

posted by pdt @ 8/24/2005 09:11:00 AM

Intelligent Design

It would be really easy to argue that trigonometry doesn't exist because it's too complicated for anyone to understand, or that adults must have been created individually by God because the process of growing up from childhood is too complicated to understand. We don't hear anyone arguing these as objective reality, because people who make the effort can readily disprove both these assertions. However, in a subjective sense both statements might be true: a novelist might act as if trigonometry doesn't exist since he might have no use for it in his own life; any adult who believes in God might rightly assert that she was in part created as an adult by God: that's the main point of being Born Again, and it's a very real experience even if there's no scientific evidence of it.

What's wrong with the debate about intelligent design is both sides allow themselves to get stuck in positions that are indefensible.

Intelligent Design is a marketing concept to try to convince intellectually lazy people that science has somehow proven the existence of God. It's like Occam's Razor gone mad: it must be true because it's a lot simpler than evolution. It gives science too much credit, because science doesn't have the power to prove or disprove the existence of God even though a great many of us have perfectly certain proof in our own hearts. It fundamentally denigrates God and Faith to say that the existence of God needs scientific proof.

The other side is just as bad. Evolution, as an explanation of the development of species over the eons, is neither more nor less than a theory; it is emphatically not a religion, and was never meant to be taken on faith. Scientists accept the theory of evolution because it currently gives a better fit to the evidence we are able to gather, than any other theory. But evolution doesn't address the question of whether there is an intelligent designer; it merely describes the world as we see it. Intelligent Design, on the other hand, isn't science because it isn't based on testable hypotheses: God doesn't submit to scientific experiments. Evolution and Intelligent Design aren't alternatives or competitors to each other; they are complementary, with one in the realm of science and the other in the realm of faith.

We mustn't let a debate over Intelligent Design stop us from teaching critical thinking about any scientific theory, including evolution. We make intellectual progress by questioning our theories. It seems to me we are allowing the right-wingers to back us into a corner by giving the theory of evolution too much certainty: that makes us appear intellectually dishonest, or at least lazy. That accomplishes the political goal of discrediting intellectualism, a goal that has nothing to do with either religion or science.

I think we should address some of these issues in high schools, but in the context I've described here. It's an excellent case study of the scientific method to follow the chain of logic of the theory of evolution, how we move from evidence to theory, and look for the weaknesses along the way. It's an excellent exercise in the philosophy of science to ask where the concept of God might fit in, to show what science is by exposing what it isn't. It's an excellent opportunity for parents to explain, or to give their churches a chance to explain, what role their faith plays in the matter.

The goal here is to teach critical thinking, that scientific truth is ascertained by logic and evidence, not by who we are. This is in contrast to religious truth, which is determined by who we are and not by logic or evidence. Both are important, and it is the parent's duty - and no one else's - to integrate them.

Seems like grown-ups have a habit of playing political tug-of-war using their kids as the rope. We've got to stop doing that.

posted by pdt @ 8/21/2005 08:42:00 AM

Leo Strauss and the Neo-Cons

The book traces the followers of Leo Strauss, a University of Chicago political theorist who died in 1973. Strauss himself was a sort of revolutionary, someone who made a point of questioning all authority, irreverent toward established views and traditions; in short, not necessarily a conservative at all, more like an early Ward Churchill. He was adored by his students, who after his death organized themselves into what they called the Straussians.

Nearly all of the Straussians held political views well out of the mainstream, some very liberal but most very conservative. Norton chronicles the careers of many of these students as they rose through the ranks of academia as influential professors. Their names are not well-known to the general public, but their students will be more familiar: people like Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, and Irving and William Kristol. (Norton herself was also one of these students.) This third generation continued to trace its lineage to Strauss (even maintained a "Straussians" web site), but created a political philosophy far different from anything Strauss would recognize, known today as neo-conservatism.

Norton traces the relationship between the Straussians and more conventional conservative thought. During Strauss' time, this relationship was fairly close, as Strauss rejected liberal orthodoxy in the same way contemporary conservatives did. Over time, however, as Straussians evolved into "neo-conservatives," they ironically began to shed much conservative orthodoxy. Conservatives valued custom and tradition, and believed that wealth and power brought responsibility. Neo-cons rejected most tradition, especially the tradition of statesmanship, and believed that the rich and powerful owed nothing to society. They favored a two-class society and the use of military force as the primary tool of international relations.

A hallmark of conservatism is a belief in the importance of limits in behavior, but neo-cons explicitly reject this notion and believe ends can justify any means. Traditional conservatives rejected grand theories and utopian projects, but neo-cons invented the Project for a New American Century, a grand project to take over the world and remake it in America's image. This grand project meant much larger government, but the neo-cons didn't see that as a problem, in contrast to traditional conservative views.

Traditional conservatives uniformly resisted social change, but neo-cons had a more complex view. They wanted to return the fabric of society to an imagined past, where gender and racial roles were well-defined. This was both conservative and radical at the same time, and required building an entire theoretical framework upon a foundation of bigotry and oppression. This has given us people like Tom Tancredo, who talk about small government but vote for big government, and whose most active supporters are motivated entirely by hate.

Norton's book is incredibly insightful as it explores the evolution of neo-conservative thought and several important influences on it, even going as far back as Theodore Roosevelt. However, sticking as it does to Norton's own first-hand knowledge and expertise, it leaves some important questions unanswered. Why, for example, do so many Americans disavow bigotry and call themselves conservatives, yet support a political philosophy that has rejected all tenets of conservatism save bigotry? And how can modern liberal thought fill the void, as the neo-cons abandon what was good in conservatism? These will have to be the subject of another book.

posted by pdt @ 8/14/2005 08:07:00 AM

Inter-Party Cooperation

A prime example is the small business community, especially independent entrepreneurs that depend most on a level field of competition and a government-supplied economic infrastructure. Referenda C and D are directly aimed to benefit this community, which is why the ballot measures are so strongly supported by Chambers of Commerce and other business groups dominated by small companies.

Small companies can't build their own roads, or provide higher education, or deliver police and fire-fighting protection. They demand these services from the government, and are more than willing to pay their fair share of the cost, as long as they see the services provided efficiently. Small business owners are rarely found in that small ideological group that wants government drowned in a bathtub. It's not good for business if roads are in disrepair or congested, if qualified employees can't be found locally, or if insurance costs become outrageous.

Small business owners of every party will be on our side in the upcoming election, so let's treat them as friends and work together with them to maintain Colorado's economic vitality. Hug your Republican small business owner today, and leave her with a stack of Ref C-D brochures.

Another issue shaping up to be bipartisan is the encroachment of certain religious doctrines into public education. Many Republicans are just as concerned about this as we are. We have great churches and Sunday Schools in Douglas County, which deserve our support. We count on them to teach the religious doctrines that we have chosen. We don't expect or want our public schools to spend time on this, or to confuse our children, or to make trouble within our families. We want our schools to teach the skills that help our kids to be highly successful later in life, and that's all.

There are groups right now in Douglas County that would like to remove the Douglas County School District from the public sphere by giving up Federal funding and the strings that come attached to that, including the separation of Church and State and quality standards. They want to raise our property taxes to compensate for the loss of Federal funding, and then feel free to indoctrinate our kids any way they like. This would be a disaster for Douglas County parents and taxpayers of every party. Those of us who came to Douglas County specifically for quality schools would move away, and that would be disastrous for local businesses.

Democrats and Republicans both will need to examine the School Board ballot very carefully this November, talk personally with the candidates, and make sure we aren't buying a pig in a poke. The best way to make sure the ballot has good candidates supporting quality education, is to be on the ballot yourself. You only need 100 signatures, which you can start gathering today and must be turned in by August 26. For more information, contact Vicki Simonson, 303-387-0123 at the Douglas County School District.

posted by pdt @ 8/07/2005 08:17:00 AM

No Jobs for You

Let's face it, we live in a competitive world. States that make the necessary investments to support high-tech will win those companies away from those that don't. Sure it costs money. Everything worth having costs money. We've neglected our roads and universities, and we see the results every day in traffic jams and declining quality of education. We have a lot of catching up to do, and it's time to get started.

Refs C and D follow the process prescribed in TABOR, asking the voters for permission to undo the damage from the recession. In Douglas County, we're being asked for permission to spend about $100 per family to fix bottlenecks on I-25 in Castle Rock, C-470 in Highlands Ranch, and Parker Road, as well as to keep Arapahoe Community College open. It's a great deal, and we should take it.

Speaking of good jobs, our Congresspeople (Tancredo included) lost a great opportunity to bring some to Colorado. Both environmental groups and the conservative Cato Institute agree that the energy bill about to hit the president's desk is larded with gifts to cronies in the fossil fuel industries, with nothing to help build the renewable energy industry, improve national security, or reduce gas prices. More air pollution for Colorado, and once again a lost opportunity to bring a new, clean industry here. Time to throw the crooks out.

posted by pdt @ 8/01/2005 07:51:00 AM

Tancredo Advocates MAD

Tancredo made the remarks as part of a rambling presentation on a number of issues at the start of a forum primarily dealing with Veterans Administration and Social Security issues. At another point in his remarks, he commented that he believes the main problem with the Veterans Administration is that it has too many lawyers. He presented as fact that the VA has about 900 lawyers, and said this might be the largest of any Federal agency. The VA Administrator, who was next to speak, quickly corrected that the VA has only 308 lawyers. Of course, the Defense Department dwarfs both numbers.

About half the crowd, estimated at more than 150, laughed when Tancredo first raised the subject of his proposal to threaten bombing Mecca, and the same people laughed again when he was caught in the lie about the VA's lawyers. They cheered at the end of Tancredo's remarks. I'm proud of the other half, who expressed their disapproval of the MAD concept. I'm very concerned that our culture has completely lost its conscience, and was especially saddened that the people who took so lightly the making of threats against millions of innocent, devout people, were largely senior citizens and veterans, people who otherwise would deserve enormous respect. (The other half, the ones whose consciences were still intact, were also largely seniors and veterans.)

As senior citizens, most of those attending the meeting remember the real cold war, when the United States and the Soviet Union had large numbers of nuclear weapons pointed at each other. What made the system work, in its insane way, was that both nations had elaborate systems in place to ensure that no individual, save the Head of State himself, could launch an attack, and even then with multi-level safeguards against accidents or rash actions. The very rational leaders on both sides fully understood the simple equation: push button = everyone dies, and believed that would be a bad thing.

Terrorism is different. Suicide bombers understand the same equation, but think it's a great thing. There are no safeguards and no hesitation. Terrorists don't read the papers, aren't rational, and couldn't care less if Mecca is blown up. They are not true Muslims. So Tancredo's threats have nothing to do with protecting America from terrorism, but are great for Al Qaeda recruitment and fund-raising. Somewhere in a cave in Afghanistan, Osama Bin Laden (remember him?) is thanking his perverted concept of Allah for Tancredo's idiocy.

posted by pdt @ 7/23/2005 05:19:00 PM

Deep Impact

We're fortunate that a hard fight by our scientists has given us small space exploration missions such as Deep Impact and the Mars rovers, which are both still exploring the Red Planet more than 16 months after landing there. The 1969 moon landing seems a distant memory, perhaps a dream. Today when we send people and machines into space, it's largely for military or commercial ventures, not to learn. Fundamentalists have no need for learning: just praise the Lord, pass the Coors, and veg out until the second coming. Maybe start a few wars in an effort to force God's hand and make him come faster, as though He's some sort of machine at man's command.

The events of this week help to give us some perspective on the sickness of fundamentalism that has infected America over the past three decades, reassuring us that the rest of the world doesn't have the disease so badly. Our country was created 229 years ago as the land of Liberty, and we showed the world how it's done. Now as the United States loses its way, other countries are taking the lead. Spain, for example, has just joined Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands to legalize gay marriage. Social progress of other nations can help us nudge our own progress along. Don't forget we're only 5% of the earth's population, and a shrinking percent of the world economy. We've nurtured the world along for a hundred years, but now the rest of the world is strong enough to nurture us through our illness. If we can maintain our education system, natural environment, and especially our cultural curiosity, diversity and spunk, we can get through this.

But we're sure not trying very hard. We learned this week that the first full-scale fusion reactor will be built in France, not America. The US had weakly supported a site in Japan, but had little leverage, having brought little to the table. Offering the potential for nearly limitless energy, the $13 billion project will cost only 5% of the $260 billion we've spent so far in Iraq. China is also working on its own fusion project, and will soon launch its second manned space flight. America's share of worldwide scientific papers and patents is dropping. Stem cell research is moving overseas. Japanese households routinely buy internet service seven times as fast as Qwest DSL at a lower price. We're falling behind.

We're fortunate indeed that the rest of the world hasn't caught the fundamentalist bug. Other nations can keep the scientific research going until we are able to regain our leadership role. To anyone in Europe or most of Asia or anywhere in the southern hemisphere, Colorado Springs and Medina are very similar places, the former having better weather. Fundamentalist groups have perpetuated a cancer in southwest Asia and another slightly different variety in North America, a cancer that is sapping our economic and technological vitality. Recovery isn't automatic; we have a real fight ahead of us. We need to rebuild our education system, basic research and technological edge, and preserve our economic infrastructure, so we regain our ability to provide the products and services the world wants to buy.

posted by pdt @ 7/02/2005 10:09:00 PM

Too much power

Westerners - both Republicans and Democrats - have always been especially sensitive on this issue. Pioneers moved west expecting a high degree of autonomy, the ability to live their lives in a style of their own making, without a lot of rules to hold back the rugged individual. They were in for a big shock as the long arm of far-away Washington soon caught up with them. More recently, much of Ronald Reagan's support came from westerners resentful of a Washington that imposed rules on the west without ever trying to understand western needs.

Most of us who have moved west in recent years did so to enjoy the beauty of God's undiluted creation, with the understanding that Federal lands - national parks, monuments, and forests - would be protected in a way that was impossible in the east, free for the enjoyment of the individual. Again, we were in for a big shock as we experienced the power of large corporations to defile vast areas of land as well as the air and water. Robert Kennedy spoke about this at length last night.

Democrats and Republicans alike value the elegant balance of power of our Constitution, designed to protect the individual from tyranny. But government isn't the only source of tyranny in our modern world, as corporations are in many ways more powerful, especially in the west. Worst of all is when the powers of government and corporations combine to create an unstoppable juggernaut.

The need to check the powers of the corporation is nothing new. Abraham Lincoln, our greatest Republican president, once commented that he faced the south on one side and the bankers on the other, and of the two he feared the bankers most. Our system has developed a balance of power between government and corporations through the processes of regulation and competition. Vigilence of the voters and the Congress have served to keep government and business separated, so the forces of competition can work. We all knew intuitively that corporate money could corrupt politicians, convey an unfair advantage, and break down the balance of power.

Somehow in recent years we have forgotten this lesson, let our guard down, and allowed a small number of large corporations to gain ownership of both the Congress and the Executive Branch. As a result, corporations pollute at will, we see our beautiful mountains on fewer days each year, we no longer have a meaningful competition of ideas in our media, and we rush into wars with little thought given to the people and smaller businesses who suffer as a result.

We in Douglas County and the eastern plains are acutely aware of the awesome combined power of government and corporations as we deal with issues of eminent domain. Landowners on the eastern plains were alarmed when they discovered that the state had the power to forcibly buy them off their land and give the land to a private tollway developer. The statehouse saw one of its largest grassroots protests, ever, over this issue. Because of the controversy, we then became aware that there is precious little protection against the taking of water rights as well. The US Supreme Court in a decision this week reinforced this dangerous possibility.

The problem here isn't the corporations or the government: they both do exactly what they are programmed to do. The problem is loss of checks and balances, and the growing lack of respect for the individual.

We saw the disrespect for individuals graphically just a couple days ago when Karl Rove attacked half the population - "liberals," as he calls them - suggesting that they would gladly destroy the country. Now mud-slinging among politicians is older than the Republic, something that we've come to expect even if we don't like it. But mud-slinging directed against a large segment of the public - people doing their best to raise their kids, run their businesses, and create a better world - that's something new that we've only seen recently. Anyone who is puzzled by the rise of grassroots activism led by people like Howard Dean, should pay close attention here: we take it personally, because it's directed at us personally. The government/corporate juggernaut wants to pollute or take away our land and water, supervise our private lives, and even add insult to injury for good measure. Yes, we're mad as hell.

If we're not going to take it anymore, we have to change our own ways as well. We keep nominating presidential candidates from the east who don't understand these concerns. We've got to stop that. It's not a matter of big government vs. small government: we want a government that does a good job of what it's supposed to do, including limiting the power of corporations; and stays completely out of what it's not supposed to do, leaving our land and lives alone.

posted by pdt @ 6/26/2005 09:25:00 PM

Big Upcoming Events

We can start the discussion next weekend when Robert F. Kennedy comes to Castle Rock to speak at the Douglas County Events Center. Besides having a famous and tragic father, Kennedy is well known for his work to protect the Hudson River in New York. He is author of Crimes Against Nature, a book that chronicles how we have lost sight of environmental protection and of those who make their living off the land.

Please come to Castle Rock on June 25 for this rare and unique event. You can download a flyer with all the details by clicking here. There will be training workshops all day, with the main event from 6:20pm to 9:00pm. Tickets to the Kennedy speech cost $35.

The discussion continues in July as we move to another subject we all agree on, patriotism. There seem to be a lot of public figures lately, starting with the president himself, who are quick to dismiss anyone who disagrees with him as unpatriotic. That's just mean-spirited hogwash. We all care very much about our country. Bring the whole family to show it on July 30 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock for A Celebration of Democracy with Gen. Wesley Clark.

Gen. Clark is the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, and former candidate for president. Gen. Clark has a vision of patriotism and of America's role in the world, that is both more sophisticated and more effective than what we've been hearing from Washington. It's a message all of us of every political party need to think about.

Aside from the 6pm address by Gen. Clark, the July 30 event will feature training workshops all day, rides for the kids (including donkey rides!), booths of all kinds, great music, and many more inspirational speakers. The fair and speakers are $35 for adults, and free for children. Watch the Be the Change USA web site, btc-usa.org for registration details. This event is co-sponsored by the Douglas County Democrats.

Be the Change USA is a Federal Political Action Committee promoting progressive issues and principles first espoused by the Senate campaign of Mike Miles. Be the Change USA is steadfastly committed to progressive ideals: compassion over greed, effort over pedigree, service over wealth, and the common good above all.

posted by pdt @ 6/19/2005 08:26:00 AM

Yes on C and D

A small group of right-wing extremists is opposing Refs. C and D because they don't care about economic growth or the success of our children. Well, we do care. Very much. Putting the state back on a sound fiscal track benefits everyone in Colorado, building the infrastructure our businesses need, and keeping higher education affordable.

Referendum C allows the state to keep and spend all revenues collected from existing state taxes for the next five years. It reduces the "ratchet effect," where an economic recession can go on forever when the state has no means to adjust and bounce back. The money saved will be spent on health care, schools and colleges, and preserving roads and bridges.

Referendum D allows the state to issue bonds to speed the economic recovery. This money will be spent on transportation; pension funds for firefighters and police officers; and repairs of public school buildings, colleges, and universities.

These measures are essential for the state's economic growth and the success of its business community, which is why they enjoy strong business support. I've written before about the importance of public infrastructure as an enabler of economic development. Strategic, optimized infrastructure investment has been the basis of my whole professional career and is a cornerstone of Democratic economic policy. It's a major part of the government's value-added in the economy.

It's about time we in Douglas County jettison the baggage of economic fundamentalism, a close relative of religious fundamentalism. The mantra to "starve the beast" in practice means "starve the economy." Our business-friendly neighbors are complicit in their own economic stagnation if they continue to allow a small band of fervent fundamentalists to put a straitjacket on economic growth and innovation.

Without ballot measures C and D, we'll have an economy with all the vibrancy of Mississippi. Without a Colorado competitive advantage, businesses and jobs will follow the telecommunications industry out of the state, often overseas. The business community is worried, and so should we all be. Vote 'yes' on C and D.

posted by pdt @ 6/12/2005 07:08:00 AM

County Chairs' Summit

One of the most notable aspects of the meeting was the high level of energy and motivation of the County Chairs, urban and rural alike. You would think this is an election year - well, I guess it is, with ballot questions C & D coming up in November. Quite a few of the chairs are new and are getting established in counties that had very little organization before. Others have considerable experience and shared it liberally - so many great ideas and tips!

I've commented before on the need for a state party infrastructure. Less than three months after the state reorganization, we're already seeing incredible progress under the new State Chair, Pat Waak. The technology infrastructure work is proceeding much faster than I dared hope, with tools already rolling out for us to use. Technology is a difficult issue for the small counties but we are planting the seeds of a mutual support network so no county has to go without the best tools.

A great deal of work has been going on to clarify legal compliance issues so we get the best possible advice on legal and financial matters. As part of the meeting, the state Director of Elections addressed the group on the state statutes, recent administrative rulings, and relevant court cases. This will help all of us to stay well within the complex and often vague new laws.

Pat Waak updated us about ongoing work on messaging and polling at the national and state levels. We devoted a portion of the meeting to provide our own counties' input on messaging issues. The strategic planning and brainstorming sessions we have done in Douglas County were very helpful in this. We'll follow up on that next weekend in Boulder with a training class on working with the media. Several additional training classes are also in the works. CDP's new media director, Joelle Martinez, has done a fantastic job of establishing a truly professional media operation.

I had great fun sharing the ideas and products developed right here in Douglas County. Joél Lachance had assembled a poster montage of photos and ideas about our community involvement activities, community meetings, and social events. This sparked a lot of discussion about our role in the general community and the importance of working for a better quality of life even outside of elected offices. There was widespread agreement that this is the most important thing a county party can do to help the general public understand what we are all about.

Our new PCP Toolkit, completed just 3 weeks ago, was a major hit. Every county wants one.

I described to the group the organization and promotion of the Clinton-Carter Dinner, what worked and what we learned. Many counties had never held a fund-raising dinner, but went away ready to get started. Other counties, especially the bigger ones like JeffCo, had some great fund-raising ideas that I want to put to work right away.

We went into the meeting as isolated county leaders feeling very much on our own, and left feeling like a team. I can't wait for the next one.

posted by pdt @ 6/05/2005 08:49:00 PM

Rock, Paper, Scissors

But one aspect of Republican strategy that we do admire is the command of language, particularly the "framing" of political debate described so effectively by George Lakoff in his recent book, "Don't Think of an Elephant," and his appearance last weekend at the Denver Convention Center.

An important perspective I've gleaned from Lakoff is the three-way interdependence between values, communication, and policy. Values affect how we communicate and provide a context for communication. People understand our words and policies in the context of their own values. In a Democracy, policies are enacted by persuasion, so the effectiveness of a policy proposal depends to a great degree on how well it can be communicated. People accept policies that strike a chord with their own values.

The Bush Administration has been very effective in its communication strategy, especially in shaping its definition of "values" around the policies that keep its allies in office: redefining Christianity to mean war-mongering, division, and selfishness, for example, and redefining "pro-business" to mean pro-big-corporation. A recent failure that demonstrates the effectiveness of this strategy is Social Security, where Bush's ability to communicate was hampered by the complexity of the topic and by his inability to articulate his motivation and values behind the proposal. His true motivation for dismantling Social Security is the belief that people who don't save enough for their own retirement deserve to die. But he can't come right out and say this without weakening his already-dubious claim to being "pro-life," losing the political support of seniors, and perhaps even triggering some moral revulsion if anyone in America is still capable of it. So the policy proposal is dying because it can't be effectively communicated.

One key to Republican strategy is the meme that strength=good. Anything that is strong must necessarily be good. Overwhelming military force. Corporate scale. Mega-churches. Wal-Mart. Those are all signs of success, according to the strength frame. John Kerry fell right into this trap with his focus on war heroism, trying to show that he is stronger than Bush and therefore better. Of course, the strategy was doomed because Bush was president and Kerry was not, so obviously, to many, Bush was the stronger by virtue of where he sits. The fallacy of Kerry's strategy was accepting the frame that might makes right.

One alternative frame is ingenuity=good. Remember David vs. Goliath, the Road Runner vs Wile E. Coyote, or the huge economic growth of the 1990s driven by tiny internet start-ups. I'm not talking about book learning or command of big words. I am talking about resourcefulness, creativity, understanding, adaptability, and diversity. This is the logical evolutionary path for the Democratic Party's newly-rediscovered grassroots activism, if those of us in positions of authority in the party can let go enough.

Perhaps we should frame success not by whether it makes us strong, but by whether it makes us nimble. A changing world, with scientific discoveries, greater freedoms, and exciting new businesses, is our ally. We can adapt, and the Republicans cannot. Donkies are nimble, elephants are ponderous. The more we help individuals adapt to change, the more we prove our value and make the public less afraid of change.

So this suggests a very different strategy from the one we tried in 2004. It's not a game of slap-down where we try to slap harder than the other guys, responding to their hostility with even greater hostility. It's more like rock-paper-scissors, where we overcome the Republican juggernaut not by using their weapons and approach, but by coming up with our own very different approach, exploiting the diversity and creativity that they will never have.

Completely ignore their disparaging remarks about "flip-flopping." We can change with the times, we're adaptable, we have the new answers to new problems. Change is exciting, fun to watch and participate in, the engine of economic growth. American families, upwardly mobile, move to new homes every 4-5 years. It doesn't mean we were wrong last time we moved, only that we keep trying to do better. Americans have confidence that we can meet new challenges without compromising what we stand for, because a love of change is central to our culture. We admire Luke Skywalker, not Arnold Schwartzenegger. Political competition is a losing game of strength only if we Democrats uncritically accept Republican framing of it, rather than using our own sources of advantage.

posted by pdt @ 5/29/2005 08:38:00 AM

Relay for Life

The Douglas County Fairgrounds was transformed into a track lined with hundreds of luminaria, candles in decorated paper bags, honoring cancer victims and survivors. Hour by hour through the warm night, team members took turns walking a baton around the track to honor their pledge to donors. The Democrats' team honored more than 30 friends and loved ones who have battled cancer, including two survivors who participated on the team. The 12 team members were joined at various times by their children and well-wishers.

As part of the closing ceremony, the Douglas Democrats were warmly cheered by all the teams as they accepted an award for the best-decorated baton.

We want to thank Pam Moser for organizing the team. This is one of the many activities of our Community Involvement Committee, one of the largest and most active segments of the Douglas Democrats. Through the Committee's many efforts like this one, we work to improve the quality of life for everyone in Douglas County and demonstrate the power of the values of Freedom, Responsibility, and Opportunity. Please contact Sue Carter (303-841-4887) if you would like to get involved.

posted by pdt @ 5/22/2005 10:42:00 AM

Clinton-Carter Dinner

A crowd of more than 200 enjoyed a keynote speech by Rutt Bridges, Founder of the Bighorn Center for Public Policy, a successful software industry entrepreneur, and rumored candidate for Governor. Bridges spoke of growing up in rural Georgia in a large tight knit family and of his values developed there of Equality, Justice, Community, Opportunity, and Hard Work. He contrasted these values with those of the "Neo-Conservative" movement currently in power in Washington, which he maintains is immoral and not conservative at all. He advocated a return to leadership based on Freedom and Responsibility. Mr. Bridges would not confirm his likely candidacy for the Colorado Governor's office.

Bridges was introduced by Colorado State Senator Dan Grossman (D- Denver), a likely Candidate for Colorado Attorney General. Colorado State Representative Morgan Carroll (D-Arapahoe County) opened the event by discussing the new legislature's support of small business, entrepreneurship, education, and the environment. Both Grossman and Carroll spoke about the historic agreement with Gov. Owens on state budgetary reform that will be sent to the voters as Referenda C and D in November with strong business community support.

Also on the program, State Chair of the Democratic Party, Pat Waak, spoke of her years working for President Carter, and newly announced candidate for governor Bill Ritter spoke of his decision to run for the Statehouse. Bill Winter was the Master of Ceremonies for the successful fund-raising event.

posted by pdt @ 5/15/2005 09:10:00 AM

Apathy

Over the past week a couple dozen of us have been phone banking, contacting Democrats in the county to drum up business for the May 14 Clinton-Carter Dinner, for our monthly community meetings in Highlands Ranch, Parker, and Castle Rock, and for our fund-raising programs. We've had some wonderful conversations and some success in our mission. But what was most striking to many of us was the number of people who simply don't care, who would much rather be washing their hair than getting involved in their community.

Of course, apathy is rife among Republicans as well. We canvassed a large fraction of Republican households in support of our candidates last year, and found that few people recognized the names of their legislators and County Commissioners.

One thing we can say for the Republican Party, though, is that it has less trouble with apathy than we do. Why is that? Two reasons, which together make a very clever political strategy.

First, they've discovered that a heightened emotional state is the best antidote: emotions like fear, hatred, and disgust are strong and effective motivators, directed against any convenient group - Gays and Arabs today just like Jews in 1930s Germany. This is a strategy for less-educated, less-empowered segments of the population, but we're not immune to it in Douglas County. I remember a neighborhood party recently where one person went on at length with derogatory comments about various ethnic groups he didn't like. Interestingly, his largely Republican audience was uncomfortable and didn't join in the conversation, but remained silent.

And that brings us to the second part of the strategy, an ingenious form of jujitsu that actually turns apathy into advantage. Douglas County Republicans are largely business-oriented and pragmatic. They are aware of the moral deficiency of a strategy based on hate, but as long as it seems irrelevant to business, they find comfort in turning a blind eye to it. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The unholy alliance of fundamentalists and business interests that is today's Republican Party holds together because each side is apathetic toward the other.

The emotional energy of fundamentalism was what brought the Republican Party into power, and apathy is what keeps it there. What's the lesson for Democrats? That we need to find our own source of emotional energy. This is a tall order for a group that is traditionally rationalistic (in other words: boring and unemotional, characterized by the likes of Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry).

Let's start with what doesn't work. We tried disgust directed toward fundamentalists, but that didn't work. We tried being depressed, suspicious, angry, sad, shocked, frustrated, and anxious, and those didn't work either. Maybe we had to go through those phases, but I think we're past them, now.

Maybe it's about time to focus on the positive emotions, let the Republicans keep their negative ones. How about ambition: the thrill of forming new businesses and community organizations, of opportunity for success, of creating something bigger than ourselves, of raising fantastically talented children. How about excitement: new discoveries from science and technology, great accomplishments in medicine and sports, more freedom and mobility. And how about love: of our families, of nature, of our communities, and of our neighbors (even the Republicans, regardless of how they feel about us).

I am constantly struck by the extent to which Democrats in Douglas County already are living these values, finding strength in these emotions. Our small business entrepreneurs, our community boards, our schools, and our charitable organizations are led disproportionately by Democrats. Democrats maintain the excellence of our libraries, roads and bridges, and open space. In my own subdivision, only 15% Democratic, the Homeowner's Association is led by a Democrat, the Social Chair is a Democrat, and the community newsletter is written almost entirely by Democrats. While a few Republicans are loudly looking for people or institutions to tear down, Democrats in Douglas County are quietly building a better quality of life.

We will combat apathy by appealing to positive emotions, by bringing out the best in people. We've started organizing events that contribute to quality of life, such as restoration of open space and supporting cancer research, and these will quickly become more visible as our own skills and resources improve. We are recruiting candidates who are honest, who care about the community, and who are good at communicating the positive energy that we feel. Fundamentalists, who are also looking for a foothold in Douglas County, will fight this fiercely, because it's not their agenda. We need the numerous Democrats who are already heavily involved in the community and care deeply about it, to build their courage and come forward to stand up for their values and lead by example.

posted by pdt @ 5/08/2005 09:33:00 AM

About Us

Of all the counties in Colorado, ours will see the biggest changes in coming years. Voters will turn their attention to pressing local issues such as transportation, water, sustainable growth, education, and health care - wanting government to spend its resources in ways that directly affect our lives.

We aim to live our vision of community: working to improve the quality of life for all Douglas County residents; making the county and state a great place to raise a family and start a business; preserving the democracy and freedom we all cherish; and taking seriously our responsibility to each other and to the world.

Over the last two years, the Douglas Democrats went through an incubation phase, building harmonious relationships among the area's Democrats and nurturing a new grassroots movement. We discovered in the 2004 campaign that we could be highly organized, that not only are there a great number of Democrats in the county, but they are skilled and motivated.

So in March of this year, our focus shifted to rapid growth. We elected a new slate of officers and built a larger organization, learning from our extensive network of contacts with other Metro counties, but aiming to improve on their accomplishments. - in organization, technology, visibility, and effectiveness. We are small business owners, artists, professionals, and parents of small children - the demographic mainstream of Douglas County, a nucleus for a major shift in voter attitudes.

You are a critical part of this change. As donors and volunteers, you make it possible to realize this vision. You attract people to our cause simply by living your values and giving to the community. It's an honor to work with you all and a challenge to keep up with you!

posted by pdt @ 5/01/2005 07:20:00 AM

Dems Aid Open Space

Hidden Mesa is a recent acquisition of unique riparian and upland habitat stretching from Cherry Creek up the bluffs to the west. The area is under intense development pressure, but a wise landowner agreed to sell the land to the County in 2003. The Town of Castle Rock also contributed significantly to the purchase, which connects with the Town's Gateway Mesa Open Space near Founders. The land had been heavily over-grazed, destroying the shrubs native to the area. With a few hours of good honest work we've made a big difference in restoring the original vegetation near the creek.

Hidden Mesa Open Space is easily accessible by the paved Cherry Creek Trail, which extends southward to Castlewood Canyon. The County will soon build an unpaved trail for hiking and mountain biking up to the Mesa. The area is also accessible from Parker Road at the old Grange Hall. It would make an excellent Saturday family outing.

Click here for more information about Douglas County Open Space.

posted by pdt @ 4/24/2005 11:15:00 AM

Absolute Power

What's a filibuster? It's a Senate rule that allows a minority of at least 40% to stop legislation that they strongly oppose. Most legislation and judicial nominations pass smoothly with a 50% majority vote, but at times the majority can try to ram particularly extreme bills or presidential appointments through. It happens no matter which party is in the majority.

Right now, the filibuster is the last defense against indoctrination of our kids with someone else's religion, the final check on the increasingly bold criminals who dominate the legislative branch. Without the filibuster, we haven't even a fig leaf of the checks and balances we thought were guaranteed by the Constitution.

Call Senator Allard today. Just leave a message if a real person doesn't answer. They do count the calls. For that matter, call Ken Salazar as well at 303-455-7600, just in case.

posted by pdt @ 4/16/2005 02:10:00 PM

Budget Reform

We're planning a full-scale voter education and get-out-the-vote effort for this referendum in November. Organizations like the Club for Growth — the ultra-right-wing group that thinks everyone making less than $1 million per year can go to you-know-where — is already making plans to flood the ballot with 20 competing measures to totally confuse the voters. They want to completely destroy state government, and this will be a test of whether they can do it.

On the side of Freedom, Responsibility, and Opportunity, we'll be walking the precincts to explain what's really happening, and show each voter how they can help fix it by voting in favor of the referendum. This will be a costly and time-consuming battle, but if we don't stand up for what's moral and right, who will?

Much of what we do with our Precinct Committee People and volunteers this summer will be preparation for that battle. We'll have workshops on July 30 and August 13 (mark your calendars now!) to get ourselves conversant in all the technicalities of the measure. It's not a time to be lazy, so get ready for some study and practice.

Douglas County has a very important role to play. Our Democrats are supporting this already, but a large number of unaffiliated and Republican voters will support it as well. They have children in school, and only the cruelest of parents would deny their children and their neighbors' children a chance at college.

We Democrats own this budget reform package. We designed and negotiated it, and worked hard to get Republican leaders — even the conservative Gov. Owens — on board. Republicans will vote with us and discover that it feels good to care about one's community.

You can make a difference right now. Visit our web site, and click Donate Now!

posted by pdt @ 4/10/2005 05:51:00 PM

Front Range Lifestyle Showcase

Sue Carter and Marilyn Beem deserve tremendous credit for the organization and decoration of our booth, by far the finest one in the show. No one passing the booth would have any confusion about its purpose, with all manner of patriotic features, bumper stickers and other paraphernalia for sale, an attractive door prize, and a great supply of up-to-date literature.

The booth was well staffed, with never less than two, and sometimes as many as sixteen (!), friendly volunteers present. When the 16 people weren't all trying to crowd into the booth, they were walking the aisles in their new Douglas Democrats tee-shirts, undoubtedly making an impression on people who had not yet gotten the message that the Democrats are coming.

Those of us who worked the booth both this year and last, noticed an important difference: not only was the crowd bigger, but there were far more Democrats in it. Not necessarily people registered as Democrats, but people realizing that they have more in common with us than they thought, and less in common with the increasingly fundamentalist Republican Party.

People who came by and identified themselves as Republicans were friendly and talkative, many commenting that they were happy to see us there and very concerned about the direction of their party. Their concerns fell into a predictable pattern: that government should stay out of people's personal lives; that politicians in Washington aren't taking the deficit seriously, and are becoming boldly corrupt; that we're not creating the small, high-technology businesses we need in order to stay competitive in the world; and that the state's natural beauty has been taken for granted and is in danger.

Even more striking was the number of people who openly and gleefully identified themselves as Democrats, most notably the owners of many of the small businesses occupying other booths at the show. Our message was that it's safe to come out of the closet, the pendulum is starting to swing the other way and it's time to recognize the change. People understand the importance of Freedom and Responsibility, and are coming to the realization that the Democrats have much to offer that our children and businesses need.

This experience adds momentum to our Blue Business program, an effort to recognize businesses that support progressive causes and show them the community's appreciation. If you would like your business to be recognized, please contact us to join our Blue Business program.

posted by pdt @ 4/03/2005 08:42:00 AM

Schiavo

The fundamentalists didn't know or care about the circumstances of the case, they merely saw an opportunity to make a political point, that they are in control and no family is immune from their oversight. They have no sense of Responsibility, either to the institution of the Family, or to the taxpayers. They don't value dignity. They hate our freedom. It's time for them to go.

***

We Democrats are big believers in fair competition, and we know that the threat of political competition, if it still existed, is what could have kept the government from intruding in the Schiavo family. Here in Douglas County, for too long we have not provided any meaningful competition for the Republicans. This has to change, and now.

The Douglas Democrats are building a new and powerful organization that needs your help. Right now, please click here and make a donation. If it's a stretch for you to make a big donation, click the Tens for Dems link and set up a small donation each month. If it's worth something to you to see the fundamentalists escorted out of there, click here and buy two tickets to our upcoming May 14 dinner, where you can meet hundreds of like-minded people.

Not sure yet? Come to any of our monthly community meetings and talk with us in depth, or call me at 303-681-2425. This is how you learn more and get involved. Your family and business are not safe from these people, and you have a responsibility to take action. Do it now.

posted by pdt @ 3/27/2005 07:55:00 AM