With all the talk lately, there's plenty to get dismayed by and distracted from when it comes to the DPG. You guys know I'm a "glass half full" kind of guy, but I can't sugarcoat it. It's been a challenging two years and the picture right now isn't pretty. Finances, organization, planning, morale: all indicators are on red. Still we can't lose sight of our main objective. Remember, we exist primarily to find and elect good Democrats to office at the local, state and national level. Period. There's a huge amount of work ahead for us to rebuild the foundation and relationships that will make us a viable organization, vital to the future of Georgia. I implore each of you. Don't panic. Stay focused. Stay determined. There's heavy lifting ahead and we'll need each of you to do it. It won't be easy and it certainly won't be handed to us by the gods of demography.
The noise level right now is so high that we've forgotten the folks we are here to fight for; our elderly, our veterans, our youth and the disenfranchised. First, we've got the media/blogs pumping us up with these articles about the good weather ahead for us. HuffPo, Roll Call, DailyKos, you name it, they're saying the numbers are looking up, the environment is ripe for a turnaround and GA Dems are in a prime position to strike. Pay no attention to it! Really. It's like being on that doomed Carnival cruise ship before all hell breaks loose. The weather ahead may look great and the waves may be favorable, but it means nothing when the toilets are overflowing and the ship is listing to one side. While it does appear that Georgia is trending toward more potential Democratic voters, we've got to have the financial resources and sweat equity to actually get them out to the polls. Sorry to break it to you, but we've got a long, long way to paddle before we can even begin to see that port.
Then, we've got the endless naysayers who say it's all hopeless right now. They say we should just lay dormant for a decade or so. Wait until the numbers catch up, then put our good stuff out there. Are you kidding me? What in the world are we doing if we're just going to sideline it for the next few election cycles? Pay no attention to it! There's plenty to be said for fighting the good fight. There are times when you, against the odds, put your best plan forward and charge, head down, into the breach. I guess sitting out a couple of elections is one way to go. I'm a worker. I'm a fighter. I'm for gathering up the best candidates we can support and fighting the good fight. Governor Deal I'm talking directly to you and your "free pass" friends.
So again I say let's tune out the noise and get ready to do something that will be near impossible to do in the time that's left to do it. We've got to rebuild our treasure, rebuild the troops and most importantly rebuild TRUST. People have to trust us with their hard earned dollars. People have to trust us with their precious time. They've got to trust that Georgia Democrats, at every level, have a plan to improve the economy, increase educational opportunity and create an equal playing field for everyone. Yes, trust can be broken, but trust, with very hard work, can be renewed. I'm going to start on Monday by signing up to make monthly contributions to the party via the Yellow Dog Club. I trust you will join me in doing the same. rj
RJ Hadley, DPG Vice-Chair
Congressional Districts and County Parties
(404) 274-9281
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I would say do not forget about rural GA as we feel almost forgotten down here in South GA. We nay be at a huge disadvantage in the rural areas and it may make sense in a business sense manner to focus resource on the Urban areas, However, if you win the Urban areas and lose the rural by 20 -25 points you lose State wide elections. With a little support and encouragement we can close the gap to 10 points from 20 and with the hard work y'all already do in the Urban areas win a few State wide races and give us some momentum. Just saying!!!
ReplyDeletethx sky. I hear that people feel forgotten alot when I travel down rural south and up north ga mountains. Economically, it's true that metro Atlanta is GA's economic engine. However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a voice in policy decisions that touch us all. Open to ideas here because it's not an easy balancing act. rj
DeleteI just looked at the DPG State Committee list and we are missing committee members from 51 rural counties.
DeleteThis seems to be a pretty big issue, especially if rural folks are looking to the party to assist.
Old labor saying, if you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu.
Sounds like if you want rural issues on the table, folks need to be elected to serve on the committee as a small start.
Hey I live inside 285, but I want people in rural Georgia not to categorize everybody in metro Atlanta as thinking that we should write you off or to ignore you. We truly want to work with you because a statewide victory is only possible when all of us are at the table.
ReplyDeleteYeah the whole inside/outside 285 sentiment is hard to beat. We really need to talk about it because it's such a sore point within the party and it makes it difficult to mobilize statewide. rj
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DeleteGreat article RJ. Here's hoping for the best and willing to join the fight.
ReplyDeleteRST
"Georgia Democrats, at every level, have a plan to improve the economy, increase educational opportunity and create an equal playing field for everyone." If we lead with that, maybe we'll elect some Democrats. -jsq
ReplyDeleteRJ should run for chair. I think he will listen to good advice and rebuild some burnt bridges in the party. He has also been a strong supporter of rural Georgians as well as those inside 285.
ReplyDeleteWe hear you we agree Mr. Hadley. Ready to work.
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