Five months and counting

By: Dianne
Published On: 5/6/2007 10:25:03 AM

We are now 5 months away from the fall election of our Senators, Delegates, and other local officials.  Recently we have had some pretty intense discussion here on RK on the need to improve the DPVA website, including many comments on the need to hire an "Internet Director", devoted to making the Democratic Party's official face to the Commonwealth as good as it could be.

I think it is a no-brainer to come to that conclusion.  Call it what you will "Internet Director", "Communications Director", etc., there needs to be a person(s) responsible for coordinating the information that the DPVA needs to present/share with Commonwealth voters and getting it into electronic formats (website, e-mails, newsletters, blogs) that best disseminates the needed information to the intended audience (first time user, casual Democrat user, committee user, blogger, donor, staff user, and on and on).  It's not an easy job identifying and defining the requirements for each, but it is a task that must be done and should have been done.

The blogging community pretty much agrees that the DPVA has a serious problem with communications.  In today's diaries on the VBDems Blog http://www.vbdems.or... Eileen bravely acknowledges the validity of Lowell's "grading" of the state-level Dem and Repub websites.  She goes on to compares the Virginia Beach Democrat and Republican websites, giving the Republican site the higher grade.  So I looked at the Republican website and was struck one by part of the Republican Chair's Message:


As Chairman, I commit to working with you to achieve these important goals:
-- Unify the Virginia Beach Republican Party
-- Hold an Open House with elected officials to encourage more people to join our Party
-- Re-organize the precinct operations
-- Utilize the Voter Vault tools provided to us by the RNC and RPV
-- Include more grass-roots Republicans in the party mechanism
-- Encourage even greater participation from the Republican Women's Federation
-- Expand our youth programs such as the Young Republicans, College Republicans and High School Republicans
-- Revamp and update our web site
-- Improve every aspect of Internet communication so that we will not be the party of stagnation, but the party of communication, on the move

It's right there in black and white. This is how they are going to organize and communicate to elect Republicans.  They "get it"!!!!

The DPVA should change/improve/show its "organizational mindset" (be it the DPVA staff, the local committees, the District committees, the Chairman, etc.) to do the very best we can to organize and sell ourselves positively to the Virginia voter.  I'm glad to say, the VA Democratic blogs have overwhelming proved that they can organize and sell the Democratic message, that they are major contributors to getting the message out, that they can raise money for candidates, they can release important and timely news, and can discuss issues that matter to the Virginia community.  Frankly, I feel very welcome here at RK and feel part of a community. 

The DPVA needs to make myself and other Democrats feel part of a community.  DPVA must embrace the blogosphere, embrace the Democrats who don't belong to a "committee", let all of us know what the goals and methods to engage Democrats in working to elect our own are.  The VB Repub Chair know and understands what he thinks needs to be done and has told his constituency. 

We only have 5 months to get that done. What can we do now to use those 5 months wisely?

Comments



Maybe a joint workshop (Kathy Gerber - 5/6/2007 10:51:43 AM)
of both bloggers and party folks focused on collaboration. A focus group setting would help work through the related power and control issues by encouraging level structure and equal participation.  Just a thought.

Really I think it's a good idea, but for some this is such competitive business that it may be doomed from the start by credit taking, blame making and the like.  Hard to say but it's something to think about.



Communications is key (elevandoski - 5/7/2007 6:31:53 AM)
Right behind its precinct ops, the Loudoun Democratic Committee put its communications.  And look what happened in 2005! It really boils down to the chairman setting priorities and delegating authority. 

Thanks, Dianne, for posting the clip from the RPVB.  I'd forgotten about it. 



Actually #2 pisses me off (elevandoski - 5/7/2007 6:39:14 AM)
Yeah, their electeds show up for these Open Houses all the time.  They call them Town Hall meetings.  They say they are open to the public.  They are the one and only opportunity for anyone even Democrats to get access to them.  It's ridiculous.


Yeah I wondered about that one... (Dianne - 5/7/2007 7:09:18 AM)
Pretty useless usually.


Elaine, you are right ! (Dianne - 5/7/2007 7:07:40 AM)
The Loudoun Committee is fantastic and can be proud of the work that it's done. 

I've mentioned this before, but I'll try once again to see if it "sticks" this time: we need "generic" organizing tools on the DPVA website.  You've mentioned the most important -- precinct operations.  I can't even find anything at the DPVA website about precincts much less being a precinct captain, or organizing and operating precincts.  When in fact the Chapter on Precinct Operations in the DPVA Leadership Manual http://fredericksbur... (from the Fredericksburg Committee's website) states the following:

The Precinct Captain is the most important position in the entire Democratic Party.  Never doubt it.  When precincts are organized, the Democratic vote is maximized and our candidates win elections.
.
AND if the DPVA had a blogging function, just think what information could quickly and easily be shared among Democrats, volunteers, and precinct workers, etc.  With other state party websites providing these types of organizing materials (NC, AZ for example), it must be for a darn good reason!!!

It's not too late !!!!!!!!!