Local Democrats Take Weekend to Train Future Campaigners

By Darien Bates

There aren’t many things that could convince somebody to give up a sunny summer day to spend hours in a high school classroom. Just the idea of leaving the beach blanket to sit in an uncomfortable desk under fluorescent lighting is tantamount to punishment.

Yet earlier this month, as the hours ticked away on a glorious July weekend, over 100 people, from teenagers fresh out of high school to senior citizens now earning Social Security checks, showed up at George C. Marshall High School at 8 a.m. and staying all day for two days, sacrificing their free time in exchange for an education in grass roots politics.

The weekend training session is one of seven this year organized across the U.S. by Democracy for America, a Vermont-based Democratic organization founded former presidential candidate Howard Dean last year during the fervor of the presidential election. Now in its second year, after the confetti from Bush’s inauguration and John Kerry’s presidential campaign, have been swept away, the group has continued to coordinate training sessions in order to cultivate a new generation of Democratic activists, attempting to add structure to an increasingly energetic movement.

Founded in March 2004 by Gov. Dean (now chair of the Democratic National Committee) and headed now by his brother Jim Dean, Democracy for America was created with the purpose of rebuilding support for the Democratic Party from the bottom up, asking individuals to contribute their skills, not just money, to the work of the Democratic Party and to the overall functioning of government.

In the past, Democrats have been criticized for their lack of structure at the grassroots level. Despite the unprecedented outpouring of support spurred on by the party during the 2004 election and an increase in the involvement from young people and other demographic groups normally disassociated with politics, many political pundits surmised that Democrats were still outmaneuvered by a Republican campaign which they say managed to focus its local efforts more effectively.

But Arshad Hasan, training coordinator for DFA who helped organize the Falls Church training workshop, sees that explanation as ignoring the dramatic revolution inspired by the Dean presidential campaign, as well as the amount of energy that has continued to grow on the left, as rank and file Democrats are looking more and more for ways to make a difference.

Hasan said that as he has coordinated trainings the issue has never been about finding interest at the grass roots level, it has simply been about showing people what they can do to get involved. “On the left there hasn’t been a whole lot of training,” he said, pointing out that there is the manpower but not enough direction. “The DFA training program focuses that.”

Although it was founded during the heightened atmosphere of the presidential election, the support and enthusiasm hasn’t dissipated since November, and in fact the group has seen more interest this year than last. In 2004 Democracy for America trained around 2,000 people, already so far this year, they have trained over 1,400 with just over half the year gone. Over the next three years, their goal is to work with over 25,000 people.

Hasan emphasized that there is not just one way for people to get involved in the political process, something the training program takes that into account, catering its curriculum to specific needs of a geographic area and making it flexible enough for those looking to take part in a variety of ways.

In Virginia, this year, for example, the training has focused much more on specific campaign needs and issues due to the ongoing gubernatorial and state delegate campaigns. In other states where 2005 is an off-year, the curriculum focuses more on more general leadership training and campaign planning.

In either case though, the program highlights several different ways to take part in the process. One of the primary ways to get involved, and something Democracy for America is trying to promote is for people to run for office.

Maura Keaney, executive director of Democracy for Virginia, a state organization that coordinates a lot of its work with Democracy for America, talked with the News-Press by phone about the importance of running for office.

She said that in many local and state campaigns, incumbent candidates run unopposed by the opposition party. In Virginia, 41 Republican state delegates are running without opposition this November, along with 21 Democratic delegates (in the Falls Church area, both Del. Bob Hull and Del. Jim Scott are running unopposed this November).

The reason for the lack of competition, Keaney said, has to do with the fear many people have about taking on established politicians, especially when they, themselves, have little experience in politics. Most incumbents have the established name recognition and contacts to help them build substantial war chests, intimidating most people from running.

Additionally, the average citizen has little concept of what it takes to orchestrate a campaign, the complexities of field plans and fundraising strategies seem like arcane knowledge to those whose only involvement has been in the voting booth.

The problem with this lack of contention, no matter what party the incumbent is part of, is not just that there is no chance for changes in leadership without an opponent, but it also means that issues aren’t brought to light through the campaign process. While campaigns have the reputation of being dirty, mud-slinging affairs, they are actually important stages for bringing to light facts about a politician’s voting record and the decisions they have made while in office. Without an opponent a politician is not accountable for any of his actions.

“Just by not running you’ve abdicated some of your power,” Keaney said.

She acknowledged that Democracy for Virginia has a long way to go before there are progressive candidates running in every single race in Virginia, but she said that the training sessions, like the one in Falls Church and an earlier one in Charlottesville, have already been making a difference. Six candidates who are running for the first time this year have attended the training sessions to learn better how to operate their campaigns.

But running isn’t the only way to effect politics. The Democracy for America training program teaches people how to get involved in all levels of a campaign. While for some that might mean being a candidate, it can also mean working on a campaign as a staff member, volunteering time at a phone bank, or going door to door to talk with one’s neighbors.

Keaney herself, started as a volunteer, working the phone banks during the 2004 elections before becoming involved in Democracy for Virginia. She said that the experience gave her a much clearer perspective on politics and gave her the courage to get more involved when the opportunity came up to join Democracy for Virginia.

The training made available by Democracy for Virginia explains how to organize the campaigning process from the initial field plan, to gathering and understanding data, to learning how to fundraise and get out the message. Already many of the people trained are staffing campaigns throughout Virginia.

Sarah John, a member of Democracy for America and one of those who initially looked into arranging the event in Falls Church, told the News-Press that the work of Democracy for America is about making government work for the people and by the people once again. “Every individual has it in their power to shape how our government behaves,” she said. “We are part of the process.”

Present at the training session this month, John said she was impressed by the range of people who showed up to participate. She described young college students wanting to find a way to make their voices heard and people in their fifties who have been consistent voters but have never gotten involved.

Their presence along with a variety of others reinforces what John has always believed about citizen participation and the importance that participation has in society. “Each individual has the knowledge and ability to demand accountability from government,” she said.