June 3, 2005
Learning from Republicans
Excellent story on NPR this morning, featuring an interview with DNC chair Howard Dean. Dr. Dean explained that he wants to learn from Republicans how to win elections.
This is something I've been advocating since 1994, when the Democrats got their collective asses handed to them by Newt Gingrich and company. Back around that time, I was invited to speak on the use of computers in grass-roots campaigns at a "campaign workshop" sponsored by the parish executive committee. I went through a bunch of recommendations for getting data and making it work for a campaign. One of those recommendations was to purchase mailing list and demographic data from a Metairie company that just happened to be owned by a Republican. I was told by one of the executive committee members after the workshop that he had the riot act read to him by a Democratic "consultant," because I was advocating using a Republican business.
This is an attitude that unfortunately still exists in Dem circles in this state. When operatives in our party are more interested in perpetuating their own existence than getting Democrats elected, it's time for new tactics. It was time in 1994, much less now. We need to apply successful models, such as the 1994 "Contract With America" campaign, to win back seats in Congress.