TBRC Summit Meeting


  • “TAKE BACK RED CALIFORNIA”

    SUMMIT MEETING CONVENED IN BERKELEY, CA

    Over 150 activists from 23 of the California counties from all over the state and two from the state of Nevada attended the Take Back Red California Summit meeting on Saturday May 21st. Attendance was about evenly divided between blue and red counties.

    A panel of red county Democrats shared their experiences on the ground. A panel of Bay Area Democrats shared campaign approaches that have worked well in blue counties. Together they discussed how to improve Democratic Party visibility and infrastructure, and build multi-county partnerships to help elect Democrats statewide in November '06.

    Blue county dwellers learned that once you step into some of the red counties of California you are entering another world. There is a “constant barrage of right-wing politics”. When you go to the bank, it is more likely to be Fox news on the TV rather than CNN. Wear a Democrat’s button and you are marked for rude remarks, harassment wherever you go.

    Democrats are as a rule outspent in red counties by large margins. Corporations and conservative groups understand the importance of down ticket races in rural areas and finance them accordingly. Until now, Democrats seem to have only paid attention to races of immediate national importance and have left local races underfunded. Ed Fleming, Yuba City Democratic Club and Sutter County Democratic Central Committee, Jerry McNerney and other panelists described the seemingly complete abandonment of red counties by the state party.

    The churches seem to be particularly active for Republican candidates. At some red county churches you can find campaign literature in English and Spanish, at times in locations that could be seen as being inside the church. The Spanish versions are not direct translations however, and are far more slanted toward the sinfulness of voting for Democratic candidates. Slate cards, containing 100% Republican candidates, have been handed out prior to elections, even inside the churches on occasion. If you are an open Democrat, your church elders may just tell you that “you can’t be both a Catholic and a Democrat”.

    Harassment and intimidation is commonplace. Democratic bumper stickers mark your car for vandalism. If you operate a business, think twice about registering as a Democrat. “The “Good Ol’ Boy” Republicans’ first move is to impact you financially. If they can boycott your business or get your employer to fire you, they do – it’s vicious and it’s pervasive.” One businesswoman votes Democratic, but is registered as a Republican and is more afraid of being “outted” as a Democrat than as a Lesbian.

    On the bright side however it was noted that in some red counties there have been demographic shifts which combined with new energy and organization have enabled unexpected victories in spite of being massively outspent. While encouraging, these successes have only put a dent in the stranglehold that Republicans have on some red counties local government and must be followed up with hard work to make further inroads. Barbara Boxer's election results show that progressive Democrats can do well in so-called red areas, if they show up and work there. “People are very beatable out here, but you’ve got to run against them,” said Ed Fleming.

    Blue county panelists discussed ways to raise money and build community via house parties and ongoing precinct operations. Tools for organizing voter and volunteer data were presented. Efforts to organize small business owners were discussed. Issues based campaigns were singled out as particularly important, citing the strength of Democrats when it comes to issues such as health care and Social Security.

    The afternoon ended on a further positive note, with remarks from two representatives of the California Democratic Party, Alicia Wang, Northern California Vice Chair, and Michael Meurer of the Campaign for California's Future, a project of the California Democratic Party focused on empowering the grassroots. Their presence and that of blue counties indicates that the state party and blue county Democrats are beginning to understand the depth of frustration among red county Democrats and the need to reverse the increasing Republican trends in voting and registrations. It is clear that there is a growing appreciation for grassroots organizing from the DNC and the CDP. Howard Dean has set a goal for Democrats across the country: “organize volunteers in every single precinct -- channeling grassroots energy into a permanent, sustained movement for change.”

    “This summit is a terrific example of the power of citizen political activism and what progressive groups can do for all of California. Most importantly, it is something that the rest of the country can really learn from,” said Jim Dean, Chairman, Democracy for America.

    The general mood of the participants at the end of the conference was optimistic. Clearly there are challenges ahead, but this Summit was seen as a good step on the path to reversing the trends in Red California.

    Take Back Red California is co-sponsored by: Alameda Democratic Central Committee, California Democratic Council, California for Democracy, Central Valley Democratic Club, Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley, Democratic Party of San Joaquin, DemocracyAction, DFA-Marin, Diablo Valley Democratic Club, East Bay for Democracy, Marin Democratic Central Committee, Plumas Democratic Central Committee, Progressive Democrats of the East Bay, Project BlueBridge, Rural Caucus of the CA Democratic Party, The Ruth Group, 6th Assembly District Democratic Committee, Small Business for America, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club, Women's Democratic Club of Sutter & Yuba, Yuba-Sutter Democratic Club.