Last Sunday night I was in Point Reyes, California -- a gorgeous part of the country filled with progressives. Several I met at a community meeting used the same words I hear from progressives all over the country: "Isn't it awful?" or "I've never seen it this bad," or "our country is going to shit." The good people of Point Reyes are taking some grass roots action through an impressive organization called "Mainstream Moms." But when people I meet around the country typically express outrage to me, they aren't doing much at all. They'll say "The Bush administration is taking this country down the toilet," but when I ask them "what are you doing about it?" they shrug. These are the Complainers.
The rest is here:
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2006/05/co... And I got hipped to it here, because the thread is pretty good on its own:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/4... I guess you could call me a complainer. I wasn't always a complainer. I did. I was involved in county politics. I gave them a website(a PHP/MySQL dynamic website, actually...) and I ran it for them. Never asked for a thing. Not money, not a patronage job(which I could have used), not one damn thing. I didn't want to "taint" things and I wanted to
give something, even if I could not give money(ain't got much of that). You can do the math on what the value of the work I gave them really might be. I can't face it.
A new chairman and county committee came in. I was essentially run off, thanks to the tender ministrations of a known and skilled shit-stirrer. Truly, no good deed ever goes unpunished.
The sad fact that rarely, if ever, fits into the calculus above is the fact that some people become "complainers" because that is all that they are allowed. For a minority party that needs all the help it can get, I have never seen such a need to purge ranks as I have seen in the Democratic Party. It's like there ain't much else that's fun, so why not have fun by lopping off some heads. I have heard, with my own lugholes, the phrase "Those Damn DFA'ers!" while at the same time there is no end to the many things that needed to be done to at least try to revitalize the local party from the grassroots.
It's like there is a death wish. Or, perhaps, an accomodation with the local repukes. Mine is not the only mind that idea has crossed.
Of course, a friend of mine, a wise and thoughtful veteran of big-time journalism once inquired as to whether I was totally nuts to get involved in local politics. He had a point. At the local level in politics, sadly, there are always "people of the lie" who live to beat up on someone, anyone, their side or the other. If they have nothing substantive, no matter: whole cloth is cheap. Easy to use as well.
I would highly recommend that Dr. Dean and the DNC, now that they are paying attention to these local level organizations, take a look at just how these organizations are utilizing that which may be the most valuable resource in politics: the motivated volunteer. Something is happening that isn't good, if you want to win elections. I know I am not the only one that has been forced into an abrupt and early retirement from local political participation. It hurts, it makes enemies. Nothing good comes of it. Some of those enemies might, in reaction, take that motivation and talent over to "the other side", just to get even. I will admit, it crossed my mind, albeit for a nano-second. Then I projectile vomited.
Stop this sort of thing and I predict you will cut the ranks of "The Complainers". Might win some elections, too, if that is truly your interest. If not, then you couldn't ask for a better state of affairs.
