by William Skink
It may not seem like I want Democrats to be successful, considering all the derision and scorn I have heaped on the national brand over the years, but at the state level, I would like Democrats to at least make a minimal effort to succeed. Doing so could mean saving the veto power of the Governor’s office and keeping some legislative sanity so another Medicaid slaughter doesn’t go down.
Were blog posts more widely read, two recent ones would be raising serious questions about what the hell Democrats in Montana are doing to be successful.
One of the only things I appreciate about blogger Greg Strandberg is his digging into the numbers, and when it comes to Democrats in Montana, it’s clear they know how to raise and spend money, but to what end? From the link:
The GOP raised $20,000 in September and spent $28,000. They now have $27,000 in the bank.
The Dems raised $113,000 in September and spent $72,000. They now have $123,000 in the bank.
Later in the post Strandberg breaks down how much money Montana Democrats pay their seven paid staffers to run the Democratic show in the state. When you contrast what Democrats are spending to what the GOP is spending, you might assume spending more money on more staffing would translate into more political activity, but thanks to this surprisingly candid blog post from the Montana Post, that is apparently not the case:
The most pressing problem should be the easiest to fix. The Party needs to stop being silent. A look at the press releases page on the party’s web site shows the latest post was added over three weeks ago. The Facebook page? Other than posts about fundraising events, it’s a ghost town. Twitter? About one post a week.
And these have been pretty damn momentous times. Where was the Montana Democratic Party when thousands of Montana kids were out on the streets demanding action on climate change? The Party couldn’t offer support for these future voters even though our Party platform demands action on the climate?
Where has the Montana Democratic Party been on the latest wave of Trump scandals and his potential impeachment? While Republicans are gearing up their predictable attacks on the rule of law and their specious defense of the President, where is the voice of the Democratic Party defending the inquiries that will take place in Congress?
Parties play a unique role in our political system and some of that role must be to be the cudgel of the party, to take swings at Republican candidates for office that might be too difficult for candidates to take. Given the copious ammunition their voting records and public statements provide, Republicans should be taking hits from the MDP almost every week, if not every day. That’s just not happening.
Summer is over, and these people can’t muster more than a tweet a week? Really?
Is it laziness? Is it a strategic stand-down because Montana is considered a lost cause to the national party?
It’s inexcusable for the Democratic party apparatus in Montana to be taking in so much money with so little to show for it. Even the most doggedly loyal Democrat blog in the state is getting tired of this feeble refusal to fight for anything beyond financial contributions.
Change or keep losing, Montana Democrats. The choice is up to you.