Unscripted and unplugged at the Wisconsin Democratic Convention 2012 (video)

Truth be told, I didn’t want to to attend the Democratic Party of Wisconsin State Convention this year. It was too soon after the recall, and I was just too damn tired. The mere idea of pep talks and strategic planning sessions made me want to crawl into bed with a bunch of junk food and remain there until the weekend passed. But since the hotel room was booked and the convention ticket paid for, I made the drive to Appleton. I’m glad I did, but not for the reasons you might think.

It wasn’t the all-you-can-drink-beer-with-glass-purchase at one hospitality suite (though that was nice), and it wasn’t the ice cream sundaes at the hospitality suite next door (though they were delicious).

It wasn’t the speeches. They were good, but not good enough to make me leap to my feet more than once per speaker.

It wasn’t even getting to meet Ed Schultz (though that was really cool).

No, what made the convention for me was Mahlon Mitchell’s impromptu musical performance and rally at 12am, after some conference-goers had gone to bed.

Mitchell’s performance wasn’t planned, staged, or even on-key. But it was original, authentic, organic, and just what we needed.

As the two-person band played along, Mahlon led us in a series of chants like “This is what democracy looks like!”, “What’s disgusting? Union busting!”, “The people united, will never be defeated!” and “Banks got bailed out, we got sold out!”. Fists pumped in the air, people whooped and hollered, cell phones were whipped out, and You Tube videos were created.

For the first time since Tuesday’s recall election, I felt unstuck, uplifted, and unified with other Democrats.

I realized that the future success of the Democratic Party lies in the willingness of party leaders to embrace unorthodox methodology, take some risks, think outside the box, and ultimately, trust in the people of Wisconsin, just like Mahlon Mitchell did on Friday night/Saturday morning.

Forward!

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17 thoughts on “Unscripted and unplugged at the Wisconsin Democratic Convention 2012 (video)

  1. Why would a legitimate comment be “awaiting moderation”
    That is a pansy ass blog reply.

  2. Cool as shit. This is the face we need to be showing the young and the disaffected. Mitchell is a force to be reckoned with, and even the 262 trailer trash know it.

  3. This sort of thing is fun and makes us feel better but it scares the poo out of the 55% in Wisconsin who voted for that balding turkey buzzard. We’ve got to get professional, try to calm folks down and get to them in their comfort zone. We’ve gotta work smarter not harder, friends.

    1. I’ll agree that we have to work smarter, not harder, and that starts with messaging and public relations. I think the DPW has not done as good a job as it could have in that respect.

    2. @Cat Kin This isn’t about making us feel better, it’s about being unafraid to OWN our beliefs.

      Mahlon Mitchell is not afraid to put himself out there and be wholly himself, consequences be damned, and that is why he is a great leader, and it’s why I’ve supported him all along. I don’t care what “common wisdom” says.

      If we want to get the youth vote, this is how we do it: stop being afraid to offend people, stop trying to play it safe, and start standing up for what’s right.

    3. Yep, keep acting stupid…you people never learn spoiled children don’t win!!!

  4. We learned that people power is not as great as money power. Moving forward, we need both. Don’t be criticizing Obama for having a super PAC; if he doesn’t, he’ll have the same result as Sen. Feingold and #Wirecall.

    Another great blog, Lisa!

  5. This is great! After viewing this, I KNOW we don’t have a chance in this state for decades to come!

  6. Time for you guys to crawl back into your hole and wither away. Wisconsin is moving back to the center.

  7. Ya lost. Big. All the union money couldn’t help. All the chanting, drumming, and folk-song singing failed. Change, or become extinct.

    1. Ironic that you accuse us of acting like children. Going onto the other side’s blog, insulting them.

      1. I found out that Club for Growth Wisconsin linked to this post in its newsletter on Wednesday. That’s where some of these comments are coming from…

        As Zach said, “We’ve got fans all over the political spectrum!”

        Something like that. 🙂

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