Way back in June, I started writing this post after seeing DukieDem’s interesting diary over at Raising Kaine on the pyramid of party politics. It has been sitting in my drafts with the title “The 5 tiers of party politics.” I have been thinking about this for a while, but today’s NY Times article prompted me to not only revisit DukieDem’s diary, but to think about the state of the Democratic Party today.
The NY Times piece is a must-read for anybody trying to figure out what is going on at every level of the party. Dean is trying to build the party, from the ground up, and is more concerned about that long-term goal rather than the short term one of winning elections, much to the chagrin of the rusted-out party machinery currently in existence. Without saying it, he has a model to follow: the Republican party. George Will, in the Goldwater special, said that conservatives won in 1964, but the votes were counted 16 years later, with the election of Ronald Reagan.
I think Dean is on the right track. We have to face the reality that the old way of doing things doesn’t apply today. Times have changed, the electorate has changed, and we must figure out how to re-energize those who are still here, re-engage those who left, and attract new supporters. It starts at the bottom. The old and the new ideas must come together and move this party forward.
If it takes 16 years, so be it.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
That seems like our best shot, though Dean will likely change the face of the party in the process. I’m willing to wait though…
One problem though:
Dean’s foundation isn’t based off of anything concrete. It’s based on a handful of activists who’s best weapon is outrage. Not ideas.
If I were a Democrat trying to rebuild the party, I would turn straight to RFK and recapture that spirit.
Then again, that’s free advice from a Republican. 🙂
If it takes 16 years to rebuild a political party in our own country, why is there so much belly-aching that we’ve taken too long to build a Democracy (from scratch!) in Iraq?