Want to Learn How to Help Democrats Win in YOUR Neighborhood?

I know you’ve thought about it before. I certainly have. So what can we do to help progressives win in our communities, and build a Democratic base in Orange County? How about marking your calendar for September 22, when Steve Young’s campaign will be hosting a campaign training session for everyone interested in making a difference for Democrats here in Orange County.

Want to find out more? Well, follow me after the flip for it…

So what will be happening on September 22? Well, here’s some 411 for you:

This will be an all day organizing meeting for Steve’s City Captains, Precinct Leaders/Volunteers, anyone that wants to join Steve’s campaign, or organizers and volunteers working on other campaigns which overlay the 48th District. Coordinating campaigns through good precincts organizing benefits all our Democratic candidates. Let’s work together to win in 2008. Please RSVP to Marion at 949-640-4400. A pizza lunch will be included.

OK, so where do we go? Go to Steve’s NEW headquarters:

101 Pacifica, Suite 100
(downstairs from the old office)
Irvine, CA 92618
Here’s a map of the location.

Come on, now. We know that the only way to build a lasting progressive majority in Orange County is if we build up our local Democratic Party here. So here’s our chance to learn something about how we can actually build a lasting presence that will help us win. And yes, it’s not just for Democrats in the 48th Congressional District who plan to work for Steve Young. It’s open to ALL OC Democrats.

So what are you waiting for? Go sign up, and start making a difference in your community. Trust me, you won’t regret it. 😉

15 Comments

  1. Andrew,

    This event is not about teaching Democrats to “win their neighborhood,” but rather helping Steve Young in his congressional campaign. In the future, can please label what these events are truly about? I was very excited to read there might be a forum to outreach to my neighborhood in Los Alamitos, but this is a precinct captain’s program in Irvine. Not remotely the same.

  2. Peoples, peoples! I’m not trying to make you all worship Steve Young. I’m just announcing a campaign training. And yes, even though Steve Young’s campaign is doing it, IT’S NOT JUST FOR THEM. Believe me, if it were, I would have just listed it as “Steve Young Campaign Training”.

    I apologize for any misunderstandings… But hey, I’m only announcing an event! YOU can decide for yourself what to make of it.

  3. Unless Marion and Steve learned something from Team Hackett in the 3 days they worked for the Young campaign in the special (the only time Steve hadeven a slim chance), you’ll be trained about how to do stupid feel good stuff – like how to pick the right freeway offramp to stand and wave your placard, planning useless rallies, and bombarding folks with daily email updates.
    Great strategy! But Marion has never been a part of a winning organization, so how can she know what it takes.
    Same goes for Melahat over at the Party.

  4. One who “remembers”-

    I can understand your frustration, but PLEASE don’t attack other Democrats and throw baseless accusations at them. Ya know, Melahat HAS been part of a “winning organization”: DFA-OC. We’re one of the strongest progressive organizations in ALL of SoCal, and we have folks like Melahat to thank for building it up. And oh yes, Marion Pack HAS also done a lot for this party, so don’t just use this thread to thrash her.

    And what makes you think this training is all about “stupid feel good stuff”? Is precinct organizing “stupid feel good stuff”? And how about building up the Democratic Party? Is that “stupid”?

    Know what you’re talking about before you start launching scuds at everyone. Steve Young’s campaign may have made mistakes in the past, but I think they’re doing a GREAT service in actually building up the Democratic Party in South County. They’re doing a good job in that, and I don’t think we should attack them over that.

  5. No offense Andrew, but Steve Young has yet to win a campaign, and neither has the new DPOC Exec. Director. If people want to become involved in a precinct captain’s training, they should probably work with an organization or a candidate that has a track record of winning. Then they can take that knowledge and implement it into a campaign such as Steve Young’s.

    And poster #4 has every right to blast the party if he/she wants to. This is a republic after all. Stop freaking out and acting like a GWB lacky or Matt Cunningham trying to control the debate to serve their purposes. Start being a little more professional and open-minded.

  6. With all due respect, the new DPOC executive director has just been hired and there are no elections that have taken place during that time. She is smart, personable and hard working. I think she deserves to go through an election day first before she is unfairly criticized, don’t you?

  7. “Calm down”-

    No offense, but I don’t like seeing personal attacks on other good Democrats on this blog. If you have genuine critiques of the party, PLEASE feel free to tell us. Just give us the facts, and don’t whine to us about “Melahat not doing this” or “Marion not doing that”. I do my best to stay open-minded, but why should I pay serious attention to someone’s “argument” when it only consists of personal attacks and lacks serious reasons why something’s wrong with the DPOC?

    Dan-

    Good point. Melahat is just beginning her new job, and so far she seems to be doing great. Let’s not hold her accountable for things that she had no responsibility for. Let’s give her a chance to show us why she’s the right person for the job. 🙂

  8. Melahat worked on Jim Brandt’s campaign for the 46th last year, so she does have a track record.

  9. This event is not about teaching Democrats to “win their neighborhood,” but rather helping Steve Young in his congressional campaign. In the future, can please label what these events are truly about? I was very excited to read there might be a forum to outreach to my neighborhood in Los Alamitos, but this is a precinct captain’s program in Irvine. Not remotely the same.

    Look, Andrew never said it was anything but a Steve Young campaign event. However, it’s open to anyone. If you want to support candidates in Los Al you should go to it and learn what they have to say.

    Campaigning is campaigning. Do you think somehow that what’s being taught to people who will be working Dana Point precincts is somehow different from what you need to know to work in Los Al?

    Get a grip.

  10. Pickled Pete-

    Yes, that’s true. And for managing the campaign that so many just decided to dismiss as “hopeless”, I think Melahat did a GREAT job in engaging Democrats in CA-46 AND holding Crazy Dana to under 60%! So if you want to hold Melahat “accountable” for that, then get ready to thank her for moving us forward in West OC! 🙂

    Gila-

    Thank you for that. I said clearly that Steve Young’s campaign was putting this training together. HOWEVER, IT ISN’T JUST FOR STEVE’S PEOPLE. It’s open to ALL OC DEMOCRATS, and they have good information on campaigning and party-building.

    All-

    No matter whether you’re in La Habra or Laguna, the info is good. So if you’re interested, go and learn something. And if you’re not, then don’t go. There, wasn’t that simple? 😉

  11. So, Andrew, please explain how my accusations are “baseless.”
    In her LONG history in OC progressive politics, how many WINNING campaigns has Marion been part of?
    And Melahat, though her time here is much more brief, how many?
    Point to DFA-OC all you like. I’m looking for concrete VICTORIES here.
    Holding Dana to under 60 is not a victory for Democrats, as far as I’m concerned.
    I just think you should be learning about WINNING ELECTIONS from people who have a proven track record of doing so.
    Dan – Melahat had a record and resume when she was hired. I don’t think there is a single successful campaign on it. And she was working for the Party as Political Director during the Umberg for Supervisor race, so 0 for 1 so far.
    As far as I’m concerned, the Steve Young folks do a great job of sucking up resources from other COMPETITIVE races. Not much more.

  12. One who “remembers”-

    Enough, already! So what the heck are South County Democrats supposed to do if they can’t build their own party in their own community? Believe it or not, they can’t always drive up the 5 to do a walk for Loretta or phone for the Harald Martin Recall. And why should they? If we can already recruit LOCAL DEMOCRATS in Central and North County Dems to take care of their own, then why should we tell South County Dems that the only way they can get involved is by leaving their community? That is not a way to build a functional party.

    Believe it or not, candidates like Steve Young and Jim Brandt were dealt crappy hands when they ran in districts where the national and state parties took no interest. They did the best they could with the resources they had. And then, they also tried to do something to build up the Democratic brand in these all too often forgotten areas of OC. And how do we thank them? We trash them for being “losers”?

    Enough, already! If we don’t want any more “losers”, then we need to get the head honchos to focus more on party building EVERYWHERE, not just swing areas and safe areas. And now that Steve Young and his team are willing to not just campaign in the short term, but also build the party over the long term, I won’t fault them for that.

  13. From my experiences, I’ve noticed that a lot of grassroots activists don’t venture outside of their own comfort zones. We have Irvine activists, Santa Ana activists, Costa Mesa activists, etc.

    So what the party needs to do is go out there and talk to these folks and get them interested in other OC areas. People aren’t going to volunteer for a campaign outside of their city/district unless there’s a reason to unify everyone to a specific cause.

  14. Jason-

    I kinda see your point. And no, I have nothing against activists choosing to do work in other areas. HOWEVER, we should NOT discourage local activists from making change happen in their local communities? Why must Costa Mesa Democrats travel to Anaheim to do something when they have their own city council to change? Why must Dana Point Democrats travel to Santa Ana to do something when they have a horribly corrupt mayor to hold accountable? Why must OC Democrats be guilted into traveling to LA for stuff when we have our own county to turn blue?

    See my point now? We need a Democratic Party here that’s functional THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY, and not just in a small handful of cities. That’s why we shouldn’t discourage South County Democrats from focusing on their own communities, and that’s why we need to grow a new generation of local activists committed to advancing the progressive agenda throughout local communities in OC.

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