This weekend Democrats elected Martha Laning as the new Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
As has been noted here and elsewhere, the race to succeed former Chair Mike Tate was not without negative and attacks, with yours truly having been at the center of some of those attacks. As I’ve noted here and elsewhere, I regret my role in the negativity of the DPW Chair race, especially in the last few weeks of the race. That being said, it’s time to move forward.
Now that the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has chosen its new figurehead, it’s time for Wisconsin’s Democrats to work to heal the rifts we created between ourselves in the months and weeks leading up to the 2015 convention. What’s more, we all need to start looking forward to 2016, because we Democrats have a huge undertaking ahead of ourselves if we’re going to start reversing the damage Republicans have done to our fair state.
We’re all going to need to be on the same page if we’re going to beat Republicans at the ballot box, and I’m willing to do my part – are you?
I am glad to see you taking ownership of the role you played in this. Blogging blue is a great example of ways we keep spreading our positive views and reach new people with our message. For me it was hard to see how BB turned into an attack machine. But i am glad you (and i hope others) recognized the role you played, own up to the rift you contributed too, and help make mends to build us for 2016 and 2018.
If you live in Waukesha Co and want to be involved reach out at http://www.waukeshadems.org
Once again, the DPW has proven that it is run by a good-old-boys network more interested in doing favors for each other than in actually turning this state around.
I just hope Martha can develop a team to work with her on a daily basis wherever she is…not just party with chairman across the counties, though they will need to be connected and committed as well. But it’s time we see that Republicans are not only well financed, they have a central agency that does much of the legislative, research, planning and media for each state in the union. That agency is called A.L.E.C. or American Legislative Exchange Council. Their influence is absolute throughout the party and very influential throughout the corporate media.
ALEC works very hard in Wisconsin because of our once outstanding progressive legislature.
Martha needs the man power and resources to combat that influence even if it costs the party extra operating expenses. The tide is shifting. Let’s do it right this time.
Hopefully we can focus on winning some seats in the state legislature and winning the governor and senate races in 2016. I think that if we can do a caucus endorsement system where we would endorse candidates for 2016 like the DFL does rather than the administrative committee that would be a positive step forward for party members and help get candidates out into the public. One problem with modern campaigns is the focus solely on a candidate sitting on the phone to raise money and the campaign loses site of how important it is for the candidate to meet the voter. I wish Mike Tate all the best in his next adventure, it was not an easy time to be chair and party membership did grow and that is positive moving forward. Our new chair Martha Laning I hope can help find candidates to run for office and look at how we can get people involved in the voting process that currently have not been as active.
First of all Zach, YOU have NOTHING to apologize for, especially nothing to apologize for regarding the state of pretense within the pseudo-duopoly party system of the one percent controlled “party,” politics claiming any actual or real choice.
Over a million bright and learned individuals subjected to the scrutiny of non-signatory GAB recall employees hired for the, “verification,” process during Walker’s recall certification are not paid party members for good reason. Party affiliation exists only in the minds of those who would attempt to continue to manipulate voters to let stand the unjustifiable goals of free market capitalism whose benefits accrue to only a few while guaranteeing radical obstacles to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everyone else.
Moving forward within any party framework as has been perceived as having any legitimacy previously is a lost cause for life or liberty.
It is not your fault.
Non, I don’t want to beat the proverbial dead horse, but I made some decisions regarding content posted on Blogging Blue that I wish I could take back.
That being said, we’re moving forward here on the blog, and I’ve learned some valuable lessons that I’m going to use to do better in the future.
Zach, don’t beat yourself up. In a two party system, you getcorrupt insiders on both sides and lucky you, in Wisconsin they mostly seem to reside in Waukesha and Milwaukee counties. I’m glad you and your other contributors are here to stay.
As far as Laning, I hope she embarks on rapid change. If we start hearing about trips to Washington for national Democratic Party meetings and the recruitment of neo-liberal candidates, it’ll be awfully disappointing.
Hey, Nonq, what exactly is this free market capitalism? Cause what we have in the U.S. are oligopolies propped up by subsidies and sanctioned monopolies. Why not at least try a free market economy and see if it works before we toss it on the rubbish heap?
I should be more careful with that terminology I guess, but it is what so many politicians and candidates(both “sides,” of the single isle) and “news,” sources keep claiming is what we have and what they stand for and support as our economic model, while what is actually happening is as you say, a fully rigged economic system.
Unfortunately the charade of a two party “choice,” will continue, will be pushed by these blog sites, pushed by the MSM to get their campaign cash and parrot their insidious programming. And this is not where change that prospers most people or promotes fairness, change that seeks sustainability (retention of a livable planet) or change that leads to massive demilitarization is going to originate from.
No matter who heads the state party, 14K dues paying member Dems in WI don’t really have any earned legitimacy to speak for the bulk of 1.4M regularly active WI voters who lean, “left,” politically. Would be great if they tried to, but we’ve been treated to hopeless and the changeling too often before.