To Push Back Against Trump, Transform the Democratic Party Into a “For-Democracy” Movement

This re-write of  my recent article was produced by ChatGPT. Amazing! I can see how AI will become a full partner in creative projects.  Soon, the human will be the junior partner.

My prompt: “I am posting the re-write of my article that was produced by ChatGPT.  Please produce an image to accompany my article showing ChatGPT as a guide and partner in helping a human writer to improve what the human has written.”

The first meaningful opportunity to push back against Donald Trump and the corrupt Republican Party will come in 2026 at the ballot box. For citizens of Ohio’s 10th Congressional District (OH-10), voting against Republican Congressman Mike Turner will be the most direct way to express disapproval of Trump’s divisive policies.

The challenge before us is daunting but critical: to mount a credible, transformative campaign that can energize voters, including those who have long been disengaged from the political process. This will require more than a candidate, a campaign, or a catchy slogan—it will demand a movement powered by grassroots participation and leadership. Despair is not an option; leadership means rising to meet this moment with resolve.

Why OH-10 Is the Battleground

Among Ohio’s ten Republican-controlled congressional districts, OH-10 stands out as the most competitive. It is the least gerrymandered, providing Democrats with a genuine chance to make an impact. If there’s a place in Ohio where we can push back against Trump’s authoritarian agenda, it’s here, in the Miami Valley.

But to win, we need more than hope. We need a vision, a plan, and the broad support of Democrats across the state. Fortunately, an idea whose time has come can be unstoppable—and the idea of democracy has never been more urgent.

The Time for Democracy Is Now

Democracy itself is under threat, and more Americans than ever are waking up to that fact. The Democratic Party must seize this moment to position itself as the for- democracy party—a party that doesn’t just defend democratic principles but actively empowers citizens to participate in them.

Imagine this as the core mission of the Montgomery County Democratic Party (MCDP): To nominate and elect a candidate of the people who will represent all OH-10 citizens and, once in office, work to empower constituents through a 21st- century system of participatory democracy.

This vision is bold, but it is achievable. In the 19th century, it would have seemed outlandish for a congressional representative to pledge weekly engagement with a Citizen Assembly of 5,000 constituents. But in the 21st century, technology and artificial intelligence make such a system not only possible but cost-effective. Our challenge—and our opportunity—is to harness these tools to create a party that empowers rank-and-file citizens like never before.

The Problem: A Weak and Outdated Structure

Currently, the MCDP and the Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) are relics of the 19th- century political boss system. The MCDP Executive Committee consists of just 168 members, many of whom are inactive. Statewide, the ODP is similarly constrained, with its leadership dominated by insiders and power brokers. Of its 148 Executive Committee members, only 66 are elected by Democratic voters—the rest are unelected insiders.

While Ohio has over 800,000 registered Democrats, the state party functions as a hollow shell. Rank-and-file Democrats are invited to join as “members,” but there are no meetings, no meaningful engagement, and no pathway for them to shape the party’s direction.This must change.

The Way Forward: Democratizing the Democratic Party

If we are to challenge Mike Turner and win in 2026, the MCDP must transform itself into a true organization of the people, by the people, and for the people. It must become a vibrant, participatory entity that brings together hundreds and thousands of Democrats across Montgomery County.

Here’s the roadmap:

  1. Rebuild the Party from the Ground Up
    The MCDP must open its doors to rank-and-file Democrats, empowering them to take on leadership roles and have a say in party decisions.
  2. Embrace Participatory Democracy
    Adopt technology and AI to create a platform for deliberative democracy, where constituents can regularly engage with elected leaders and influence decision-making.
  3. Lead with a Pro-Democracy Message
    Position the Democratic Party as the champion of democracy in an era when it is under attack. This means not just opposing Trump’s authoritarianism but also offering a compelling, hopeful vision of a government that works for everyone.
  4. Leverage 2025 for Organizing
    Use the next year to lay the groundwork for this transformation. Build local coalitions, engage new voters, and develop a candidate who embodies the values of participatory democracy.

A Call to Action

The Democratic Party’s mission must be nothing less than to become the for- democracy party—a movement that builds community, fosters harmony, and revitalizes the practice of democracy. The citizens of OH-10 deserve a party that works tirelessly to represent their voices and empower their participation.

The stakes are too high for half-measures or outdated tactics. Let’s make 2025 the year we rebuild, reimagine, and revitalize the Democratic Party in Montgomery County. Together, we can create the strong, effective organization that this moment demands— and lead the way toward a brighter, more democratic future.

 

 

 

 

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To Push Back Against Trump, The Democratic Party Must Be Transformed Into A “For-Democracy” Organization.

This is a revision of the paper that I distributed last night at our January  meeting of the Montgomery County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

Regardless that the election of 2024 was a big disaster for Democrats, the leadership will not be held accountable. Liz Walters is secure in her position as ODP Chairperson — reporting to a small clique of insiders called the Ohio Democratic Party Executive Committee — ensconced in a 19th century organizational structure. It’s pretty impossible for rank-and-file Democrats to have any influence.

Our first chance to push back against Trump and the corrupt Republican Party will be at the ballot box in 2026.  Voting against our Republican congressman, Mike Turner, will be the one way that OH-10 citizens will be able to express their disapproval of Trump and his policies.

Our challenge is to generate a credible challenge to Turner. We will need a candidate, a campaign, and a message that will stimulate a grassroots movement of hundreds and thousands — including many habitual non-voters. This sounds impossible, I know, but our task of leadership is not to throw up our hands in despair, but, to actually show leadership.

Let’s start with the good news that in the ten congressional districts in Ohio controlled by Republicans, this district, OH-10, is the most competitive. It is the least gerrymandered. If Ohio Democrats have any hope of pushing back against Trump in 2026, it will be here in the Miami Valley. We need a credible plan that will gain wide support by Democrats throughout Ohio.

I like the saying that, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” I believe the idea of democracy is powerful and that, more than ever, now is democracy’s time. More and more citizens are waking up to the fact that we could lose our democracy. The way forward for the Democratic Party, I believe, is to do the hard work needed to be branded the “for-democracy” party. To defeat Mike Turner, I believe this should be the MCDP Executive Committee’s POV:

Our goal is to nominate and to elect a candidate of the people to represent all of the citizens in OH-10, who, when elected, will empower all interested citizens within a 21st century system of participatory democracy.

We need to be the party of participatory democracy that empowers rank-and-file citizens. In the 19th century, it would have been crazy for a candidate to promise that, if elected to the US House, he or she would return every week from Washington and engage in a meaningful discussion with a Citizen Assembly of 5000 constituents, or more — organized as a deliberative democracy. But we are in the 21st century. What not long ago would have been difficult and expensive, now is doable with little expense. Our opportunity is to become a 21st century party that leads in the use of technology and artificial intelligence to empower ordinary citizens.

I’m working on a muti-chapter paper that deals with the topics in this post. For fun, I instructed ChatGPT to design a book cover with the paper’s working title — “Blueprint For A Miracle: Transforming The Democratic Party, Vitalizing Democracy, Winning In OH-10.”

There are 50,000 registered Democrats in the county, but, as it is, our county organization, mostly, is just the members of the MCDP Executive Committee — 168, at last report, and many members are inactive. We are a weak organization.

The MCDP organizational structure reflects the 19th century political boss system that dominates the state party. There are over 800,000 registered Democrats in Ohio and the leader of the Ohio Democratic Party is elected by a tiny ODP Executive Committee — 148 members — only 66 members of whom are elected in Democratic Primaries. The ODP Executive Committee is dominated by the 82 members who are party insiders, union leaders, and other power brokers.

Ohio Democrats are welcome to become card-carrying members of the ODP, but the ODP, like the MCDP, is not a real organization. The leader of the ODP, Elizabeth Walters, is the “Chairperson of the ODP Executive Committee.” Likewise, the MCDP is not a real organization. Rank-and-file Democrats are urged to become members, but, there are no meetings, no officers. Mohamed Al-Hamdani is the “Chairman of the MCDP Executive Committee.”

In order to challenge Turner, the MCDP must become an actual organization of hundreds and thousands of rank-and-file Democrats. The way forward for the Democratic Party, I believe, is the democratizing of the Democratic Party. Our goal must be to become the “for-democracy” party that builds community and harmony and that advances the practice of participatory democracy. Our task of leadership is to envision how we can become the strong effective organization that we have the potential to become. We need to use 2025 to develop the Democratic Party in Montgomery County that the crisis of our time sorely needs.

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The Montgomery County Democratic Party Must Accept Responsibility For Its Role In The 2024 Election Disaster — And Must Create A Plan For Organizational Improvement

Dear Mohamed,

Mohamed Al-Hamdani, in 2022, was elected the Chairperson of the Montgomery County Democratic Party Executive Committee. Mohamed has an inspiring life story. Coming to Dayton as a refugee from Iraq in 1992 as a ten year old, knowing no English, he now works as an immigration attorney. He previously served as a member of the Dayton Board of Education.

These are dark days. The disaster of the 2024 election is sad and depressing. It’s important for the MCDP Executive Committee to come to grips with the reality of this defeat. We had no meeting in November and at our December Christmas party meeting you asked that I not make a motion I had prepared. You indicated there would be opportunity for discussion at this January 23 meeting.

I believe the Executive Committee — as an obligation of leadership — must engage in a process of honest analysis of this disaster. What have we learned? What should we do differently in the future? As the elected leaders of the MCDP organization, we must acknowledge and accept responsibility for the failure of the organization.

I think we can all agree that if the MCDP had been stronger and more effective organization, the election results in this county would have been better, maybe, much better. We need to step away from the attitude that, “well, we did the best we could do.” Individually, that statement is true for many who tried so hard. But, our task of leadership is to engage in the painful task of honestly listing the ways that the MCDP, as an organization, fell short. Our task of leadership is to list the ways the MCDP, as an organization, can, and should, improve.

We need to be guided by measurable data and here are four questions that I believe should structure our research and discussions:

  1. What are the benchmarks that indicate the strength of a Democratic Party county organization? (One benchmark, for example, is the number of elected precinct leaders in a county.)
  2. What is the MCDP score for each benchmark? (Currently, only 168 precincts, out of 382 precincts in Montgomery County, have Democratic leaders.)
  3. What are the MCDP goals for these benchmarks for January 2026, 2027, 2028?
  4. What is the strategy and plan for accomplishing these goals?

Many rank-and-file Democrats are depressed, and, seemingly, are giving up on the Democratic Party. As Democratic Party leaders we shouldn’t pretend that everything is wonderful and that, if we just keep doing the same things, everything will be fine. To have any credibility with rank-and-file Democrats, we need to acknowledge there’s a lot a reasons to be discouraged with the Democratic Party, as an organization, and that the Democratic Party has a lot of room for improvement. Then, I think it is crucially important that we offer a positive vision for the future — a strong and thriving MCDP organization — and a plan for actualizing that future.

I’m hoping that you will support a motion that calls for the formation  of a study group with membership in this group open to all members interested in participating. This group would be charged with researching the above four questions and preparing a report for discussion at our February meeting.

Sincerely,

Mike Bock — Elected in 2022 to the MCDP Executive Committee to represent the Democrats in precinct Kettering 4-K and to serve as MCDP Precinct Leader. (First elected in 2006.)

 

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