The following account is most likely playing out across the country – especially in small rural communities. My source has asked me to keep silent until after the elections are over. Tomorrow I will reveal more of this story. But for now, suffice it to say that activists Democrats are quietly taking over the party and silently eliminating duly elected local party chairs by very unscrupulous and possibly illegal means.
Here’s how it works. . . Much of rural America is still operating by 20th century standards and that includes how the Democratic Party communicates in rural areas. Many party chairs are not too internet savvy. Usually information is still shared with party members by newsletters sent via snail mail. Many local parties in rural areas don’t even have a web page.
In comes a new party volunteer that offers to help get the local party online with a new web site. The local party is delighted. Donations come in, money is spent finding a good web site developer, and the local party web site goes online.
The helpful new volunteer offers to act as web administrator. The country chair is delighted. But little by little, the new web administrator takes more and more liberties and begins to publish “news articles” that are filled with questionable inflammatory opinions. The party chair asks the new volunteer to cease these activities. But the new volunteer refuses. Then the party chair is forced to remove the new volunteer as web administrator.
That doesn’t stop the new volunteer. After all, the new volunteer is part of a larger group of well-connected newcomers to the community that have already made plans to take over the local party. The volunteer begins to hack into the web site. Eventually the party chair is forced to take the web site down. A month later, a new web site shows up – almost an exact duplicate of the official party web site. The only difference is the name of the web site which now has “Active” as part of its title. For example: Dufus County Democrats becomes Dufus County Active Democrats. Oh yes, and the name of the party chair is missing from the new “Active” web site. The assumption is that few new visitors to the web site will even bother to think about the fact that there is a duly elected party chair.
The new “Active” party web site asks for donations. In one case that I know of the new “Active” party actually did take the time to register as a P.A.C. and that can be verified by the State Ethics Commission. In another case, the new “club” is seeking donations without even bothering to register as a P.A.C.
The official party chair turns to the state chair and the DNC, as-well-as to the candidates seeking assistance, but no help comes. There’s lots of sympathy and offers to look into it after the election. The conspiracy of silence even extends to the wronged party chairs because no one wants to rock the boat prior to the elections. Many Democrats are still in denial but some party chairs now realize, all too well, that this take-over effort is a well orchestrated national strategy by the far far left.
Share this information with an unfortunate moderate Democratic party chair who is probably already a target and may soon wake up to find out that he or she has simply been cut out of the party without so much as a local party election!!! So much for leftist style democracy!!!
This is very interesting and to put it mildly, scary. It also appears that for a county chair that was ELECTED by the people of their county, this coup d'etat borders on illegal. I hope that your county chair is looking into these matters and will be supported by the State Democratic Party. In saying that, however, it appears that the National Dem Party, chaired by Howard Dean, is for this type of coup and that is what is even more frightening.
ReplyDeleteHoward Dean's brother, James H. Dean, has taken over the "party" that Howard Dean started, DFA (Democracy for America) which is a very social, progressive party of far left democrats. http://www.democracyforamerica.com/about Their main goal is to gain control of the democratic party (as we USE to know it). Part of their training cirriculum in organization building states these goals:
Recruiting volunteers and building an activist base
Volunteer management
Working with the Democratic Party/ "Crashing" the Democratic Party / Taking back the Party
Please note the bold...it would appear that the "Active Dems" you are discussing are falling in line with the Deaniacs and their desires. Get in with the Dem Party, pretend to care and want to help and volunteer, and then "stab" people in the back!! What a great bunch of people they are!!! My fear is that the average, moderate democrat will NOT know their "hidden agenda" and will be sucked into something they have no idea about!
I appreciate you bringing this to everyone's attention and it is definitely something WE ALL need to stay on top of.
One Country Voice – thank you for your very helpful comments about the Deniacs and Democracy for America. It is very interesting that they actually state as part of their goals: “Working with the Democratic Party/ "Crashing" the Democratic Party / Taking back the Party”!!!
ReplyDeleteI will delay a follow up to this story for a couple of days. Yesterday the “Active” folks sent an open letter out to all the local Democrats explaining their actions. A response from the local party chair is forthcoming and I want to include much of that in the follow up.
I will anxiously await follow-up. Is it noted anywhere on their web site that they are not the "official" democractic party web site? My concern is, like you, that new people to that area or just "browsing" the web will THINK they are the "official" spokesman for the dems with their far left, progressive attitude! I am definitely NOT a democrat, however, I do hate to see ugliness and deception on EITHER side!!
ReplyDeleteI have first hand information that Don and Lynn Young from Parker County are helping the group here in Wise County.
ReplyDeleteThe Parker County Chair has been under attack for two years. Wise County is just a repeat of Parker County and now a group is starting in Wichita Falls! Same game plan, same complaints to the Texas Democratic Party, same attempt to take over as County Chair, same words spoken to try to get the Party to remove the local County Chair.
Rockwall County Chair is dealing with this and many, many other county chairs across Texas.
The Texas Democratic Party must address this issue because the local Democratic Party and the County Chairs conduct the Primary elections for the Party per election code.
I know how hard the Wise County Party Chair has worked during the past year in the election process that started in October 2005 and ended Thursday, November 9th. However, the Active and True Democrats don't value the election process...only electing candidates.
What to expect from the Active and True Democrats in 2008? See the members run for precinct chairs and county chair; to take over the Party before the 2008 State Convention. What will be happening there? Hmmm voting on the nominee for the Democratic candidate for President and this group is LIBERAL!
What to expect at the local level? The group, like the Parker County Active Democrats, will be recruiting candidates to run in the local elections. And they follow Howard Dean's shot gun approach. It will cost about $5000 to get through a contested primary (they want several candidates for choice) and at least $10,000 and more to win in November. After the group recruits the candidates, it will be their job to train the candidates. Then they will "help" with all the campaign materials and define the issues. One issue brought forward in this last election from one of their members regarding the county commissioners race was a requirment for support. The candidate for county commissioner should focus on economic development in the county and replace the oil and gas industry as the main source of tax revenue and employment. Once the candidates are recruited, trained and issues defined, the group will need to hold fundraisers to help fund the campaign.
The liberal group will need to find liberal candidates to run for two county commissioners positions , District Attorney (Wise/Jack), Sheriff, County Attorney, Tax Assessor-Collector and for constable. What is their stategy? It is going door to door to talk to the people. Howard Dean believes people vote the way their neigbors tell them to vote. So, all you have to do is tell them how to vote????
One member of the group has stated small town politics is past history! They don't have a clue about Wise County politics nor does Howard Dean or Howard Dean's brother! 50 state strategy...Wise County never heard of it! 90% of Wise County folks go to work in the morning...they don't read the activists blogs. Blogging and going door to door won't win elections in Wise County! It couldn't get Ned Lamont elected in the Northeast!
The group will have weekly meet-ups, complain about the County Chair and claim they are the True Democrats while no one else does anything. The group is not mainstream and does not represent the majority of the Democrats in Wise County. Their attempts to build on the reputation of the local Party will fail and they will fail in 2008. However, in the meantime, they are dividing the Party in counties all over the state. The County Chairs and the State Chair needs support to win elections. The netroots activists are not helping!
To anonymous who posted Sun Nov 12, 08:56:00 AM 2006 . .
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your extensive comments about Wise County. See the rest of my response posted under comments for "The Active Democrats Revolution."