precinct meetings

CHAPEL HILL, N.C./InterstateQ.com -- On Tuesday, March 11, tens of thousands of North Carolinians will head to their local precinct meetings to elect delegates to county conventions. The meetings are the beginning of the long trek to the state convention, the national convention and for choosing delegates to represent Democrats at both.

For Senate candidate Jim Neal, the meetings also represent a chance to reach out to more than 20,000 highly involved and attuned Democratic Party activists and likely primary voters. He has sent campaign materials for every meeting - bumper stickers and buttons - to distribute to local activists, along with a letter thanking attendees for their civic involvement.Neal’s campaign has also called and talked personally with 1,200 precinct chairs across the state.

The takeover is complete (haha). I have assumed the leadership role in our precinct over here in eastern Forsyth County.

We were just barely able to get our five for the quorum. I must say, it's a little weird that this is the most important elected position I've held in my life, and I achieved it by the unanimous consent of all of five people! So, while I'd like to do big things going forward in the precinct, the vote itself will definitely keep me humble!

Now---any ideas from you guys on how to build a lackluster precinct? All ideas will be very much appreciated.
Thanks!

Changing my name from Inter to Dear Leader soon. . .

Well, we're at it again over here in Forsyth, scrambling to "get our five" for an organizational meeting. We try again tonight, and this time my wife is coming so we have a better shot.

I've been reflecting on this in the intervening two weeks since we first tried, unsuccessfully, to get a proper quorum here in my little part of Forsyth. While some might be discouraged with the paucity of the flock, I am taking heart.

Earlier in my career, I was in management. Thinking back to that time, I always thrived on taking over small groups that were underperforming, rather than being the caretaker of some well-oiled machine. So, here I am in my personal life, approaching something I am passionate about, progressive politics, and I'm faced with the same opportunity.

Take heart, Democrats.

I've done a lot of political things, but I've never been to a party precinct meeting. Before tonight, that is. . .

What should I expect? Or is a better question: what shouldn't I expect?

Original Rethink Your Precinct post

Rethink Your Precinct - The Stakes

Find Your Precinct Meeting here.

If you are outside of Buncombe County, click here to find your precinct meeting info.

Tomorrow's precinct meetings across Buncombe County come as the Democratic Party stands at a crossroads. To the right lies the status quo, with it's collective centuries of wisdom and inertia. To the left lies an activist reactor of Progressive energy with its stable and unstable elements. Behind us is a history of Party complacency, of power concentrated in the hands of a few who made decisions behind closed doors. Ahead lies the possibility for a union of the old and the new as progressives team with the Old Guard to create an unstoppable Democratic Party juggernaut.

For those of you outside Buncombe County, contact your local Democratic Party to determine when and where your precinct meetings will take place.

(For background on this post, click here for original Rethink Your Precincts)

(Click here for last week's Call To Action)

During their years in the Congressional minority, Republicans built a vast infrastructure of think tanks, media outlets, and community groups. It all came to bear on the 1994 elections, and 12 years later, when things got as bad as they did in Congress and the White House, that infrastructure wasn't enough to win the day. The Republicans stunk too badly of corruption and incompetency, and the Democrats, fueled by so many new faces, pulled out a historic win.

And two years from now, would you bet that the Republican Noise Machine will fail again? Will the new blood of 2006 look so refreshing in 2008? Don't count on it. Democrats will have two years in the majority, during which the Republicans' "Mighty Wurlitzer" will spin every piece of legislation across their media.