General Discussion

One of the problems is participation. Too few people participate in Democratic Party organizations by far. Those who do are often older and have participated for decades. When meetings and caucuses occur, only a few people bother to show up and offer to become part of the process.

For example, in my precinct in St. Paul, MN, we have never once had enough people come to a caucus who were willing to fill our 16 delegate slots at the next level's convention, the State Senate District Convention. Not once since I have been here. We had a small turnout at the caucus, and Bernie Sanders won, 37 to 21. But, when it came time to elect delegates to the convention, everyone had disappeared, except for a few who were willing to give up a Saturday morning at the convention.

And yet, those same people who can't be bothered to participate in the actual business of the party are among the first to criticize what happens at those conventions. They could have been there, but didn't bother to participate. And so it is every election year. Don't even ask about the mid-term election caucuses. I go, since I'm the precinct chair, but I'm often alone at the caucus, so I'm the only delegate to the conventions that help endorse candidates for office. And in odd-numbered years? I don't remember a precinct caucus that was ever called in those years.

Here's the thing: If all of those people who were protesting this year's election and its candidates had come to the caucuses, offered to be delegate to the conventions and got involved, they'd have been represented in the Party much better. The actual activities of the Democratic Party depend on who shows up. If you show up, you have a voice. If not, you go unheard.

So, if you want an active, progressive party that will get the things done you want to get done, you'll have to become part of the party organization, starting at the local level. The party will welcome you, I guarantee. I can't even describe how easy it would be for a progressive bloc to become the entire organization at the precinct level. From there, numbers of people also count.

You want a better party? Show up and become the party you want. If you don't show up, others will do it. It's really up to you. It takes some work, but not as much as you'd think. Try it. I think you'll like it.