From the “Autopsy”: “The depressed turnout that cost Hillary Clinton the 2016 election was due to both voter suppression efforts by Republicans and the Democratic Party’s own inability to mobilize its base. The party has made some progress on both counts in the past year. However, party leadership still does little to energize voters to turn out for candidates running credible campaigns for genuinely progressive policies.”

We mobilize our base, I believe, by walking the walk of being the party of the people. We energize the voters by acting as the party of the people. This must start at the grassroots and the Democratic Party county organization is as grassroots as it comes. I am working on an email to send to all of the members of the MCDP Central Committee. After a long introduction, it outlines three motions planned for the December 6 meeting and asks the members for support. I want to encourage these new members to envision how they can contribute to make the Central Committee an effective deliberative body. This is what my first draft looks like. Suggestions for improvement are welcomed.

This image is from October 2017, when a team of progressive researchers published “Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis,” which probed the causes of the disastrous 2016 election defeat. The report came in the wake of the party leadership’s failure to do its own autopsy. In a cover story for The Nation, William Greider wrote that the Autopsy is “an unemotional dissection of why the Democrats failed so miserably, and it warns that the party must change profoundly or else remain a loser.” La Opinión reporter María Peña summed up the findings this way: “To revitalize its base for future elections, the Democratic Party has to clean up the rubble of its defeat in 2016 and develop a strategy beyond condemning the actions of President Donald Trump.”

Greetings fellow Central Committee member,

After the 2016 election, many of us were overcome with the conviction that we personally must do something to make a difference. One year later as we headed to 2018, I realized I had not done much. In anticipation of the 2018 MCDP Reorganization meeting, I decided to to try to fill the 240 empty seats in the Central Committee with as many young Democrats as possible. I looked through the data file for registered Democrats ages 21-32 with good voting records who lived in those 240 precincts. I found 300 candidates and I spent a week writing and rewriting a letter to these young people urging that they seek election to the Central Committee to represent the Democrats in their precinct.

Christmastime last year, I stuffed 300 envelops and attached labels and a 50 cent stamp on each. I thought I’d have at least a 15% response — at least 45 young people — and imagined there would be many more. My wise brother-in-law told me to feel lucky if I got a 2% response and I explained to him why I thought a lot of young Democrats would be interested by this challenge and opportunity. As it turned out, I got 12 young people to contact me — a 4% response. Of those responses, seven are now members on the Central Committee. So, my vision of a transforming wave of young people didn’t happen but there are seven new young Democrats on the Committee. The time and the $200 I spent on the project was time and money well spent. In addition, I found nine additional Democrats to seek election for unfilled precincts in Kettering, Centerville, and Washington Township.

We’ve had a huge increase in the membership of the Central Committee. My effort is a small part. The big increase in Central Committee membership occurred after the Reorganization Meeting through the work of Tim and Alison Benford. They have worked tirelessly and have shepherded the appointment of over 85 new members to the Committee. I don’t have the latest numbers. I very much appreciate their efforts.

Because of this big increase in the membership of the Central Committee, we have a big opportunity to walk the walk here in Montgomery County and to make the MCDP the very model of what a party of the people looks like. The election of Trump demands a push back. Our best way to push back is by making the Democratic Party effective.  Our best way to push back is to do the work needed to be effective members of a body that represents all of the 40,000 Democrats in Montgomery County. How do we make this a stronger and better party? How do we move ahead? I think it is all about coming together as a community. It is our challenge and opportunity to make the MCDP Central Committee a deliberative and thoughtful — and effective — legislative body.

These are the motions that I will be making at the December 6 meeting. To go forward, I’m hoping fellow members will rise to second the motions and to speak in their support — and, if they wish, to suggest amendments and changes for improvements.

Motion #1

Mr. Chairman, For the Central Committee to be a connected and strong community, it would be helpful if each Central Committee member had a register showing the contact information of each fellow Central Committee member.

My motion is for the Executive Director to email to each Central Committee member a register of the names, addresses and telephone and email address of each member of the Central Committee, and, to those members not equipped with email, to send a paper copy this Central Committee list by regular mail.

Motion #2

Mr. Chairman, To be effective members of the Central Committee, members must have a good understanding of the MCDP budget and finances.

My motion is that the MCDP Treasurer prepare a thorough written report of the MCDP budget and finances and provide a digital or paper copy to each Central Committee member and that the Treasurer schedule a time to present this information to the Committee and to take questions from Committee members.

Motion #3

Mr. Chairman, The statistics are clear that Democratic turnout in strong Democratic precincts in Montgomery County in this 2018 election was a disaster. Mr. Chairman, how can we increase voter turnout in dominant Democratic precincts? This is such an important question, I believe it deserves an in-depth discussion within the Central Committee. I believe we should make preparations for a good group discussion in January.

My motion, Mr. Chairman — and I hope you will like and support this motion — that as a foundation for an informed discussion at the January meeting, that the Central Committee urge and encourage you, our chairman, prior to the January meeting to email each Central Committee member a copy of your responses to these questions:

1. What was the strategy/plan in this election for Getting Out The Vote in strong Democratic precincts?
2. What is your evaluation of this strategy/plan and what is your evaluation of how this strategy/plan was implemented?
3. How much money did the MCDP spend on GOTV efforts? How was that money raised, and how was it spent?
4. What is your evaluation as to the root causes of low voter turnout in strong Democratic precincts?
5. In your judgement, what would a two-year effort look like that would address the root causes for low voter turnout in strong Democratic precincts?

There are 62 precincts in Montgomery County that voted 80%, or more, for Richard Cordray. Unfortunately, these strong Democratic precincts had a turnout of only 43.0%. The top 62 Republican precincts, meanwhile, voted 72.1% for DeWine and had a turnout of 60.4%

The turnout gap is getting worse. In 2014, the gap in turnout between strong Democratic precincts compared to strong Republican precincts was 14.1%. In 2018, the gap increased to 17.4%. The consequence is that Democratic candidates are losing out on a lot of votes. For example, if the turnout in the top 62 Democratic precincts had matched the turnout in the top 62 Republican precincts, Richard Cordray would have had a net gain of 8330 votes. As would have Russ Joseph.

Poor voter turnout in dominant Democratic precincts is an ongoing disaster for the Democratic Party. It makes sense that in the wake of an organizational disaster, the governing body of the organization should seek to understand what happened. If a company suffers a big loss, the board of directors expects an explanation from management.

The Central Committee is the controlling body of the MCDP. It is the Committee’s obligation to address the GOTV situation and at our December 6 meeting, I will make the following motion:

Mr. Chairman, The statistics are clear that Democratic turnout in the strongest Democratic precincts in Montgomery County in this 2018 election was a disaster. We are losing elections because the turnout in these precincts is absurdly weak. If we are to achieve a better GOTV outcome in 2020, we need to understand the details of the GOTV effort that was made in 2018.

Mr. Chairman, how can we increase voter turnout in dominant Democratic precincts? This is such an important question, I believe it deserves an in-depth discussion within the Central Committee community. I believe we should not delay and that we should make preparations for a good group discussion in January. It is my motion, Mr. Chairman — and I hope you will like and support this motion — that as a foundation for an informed discussion at the January meeting, that the Central Committee urge and encourage you to email each Central Committee member a copy of your responses to these questions:

1. What was the strategy in this election for Getting Out The Vote in strong Democratic precincts?
2. How and to what degree was this strategy implemented?
3. How much money did the MCDP spend on GOTV efforts? How was that money raised, and how was it spent?
4. What is your evaluation as to the root causes of low voter turnout in strong Democratic precincts?
5. In your judgement, what would a two-year effort look like that would address the root causes for low voter turnout in strong Democratic precincts?

The Democratic Party needs transformation — one from a political boss structure to a representative democracy structure, from rule by clique to rule by representative body, from a party of the few, to the party of the people.

Of the 60,000 Democrats in Montgomery County, only a handful have a voice in the local party organization. The MCDP has operated with a “political boss” structure stretching back to its beginnings. This structure is consistent throughout the party. For example, David Pepper, the ODP Chairperson, was chosen to be the leader of Ohio’s 1.4 million Democrats by a committee of only 148 members. Only 66 of these individuals were elected during a Democratic Primary, the other 82 are party insiders.

David Esrati writes: “The Ohio Democratic Party needs to have a housecleaning — as does the Montgomery County Democratic Party who have let our county go from Blue to Red over the last 10 years thanks to their protection of the ‘Friends and Family’ plan.”

Rather than “housecleaning,” I’d say, a better term is “house restructuring.” We need a house restructuring. The foundation for such restructuring was established in the revised MCDP Constitution approved at the June MCDP Reorganization Meeting. (The MCDP website is not up-to-date. It shows only the expired 2014 document, not the approved 2018 Constitution.) The elected delegates approved a new preamble and new statement of purpose (see below) that state three goals:

1. Empower representative democracy within our party.
2. Empower representative democracy throughout the county.
3. Connect Montgomery County Democrats within an extended MCDP community where every member has a voice

To accomplish these goals will require a restructuring of the MCDP. Coming up with a plan to advance these goals should be the focus of discussion and debate in the MCDP Central Committee. The big news is that largely because of the efforts of Tim and Alison Benford, the membership of the Central Committee has had an increase of more than 70% — roughly from 130 to 225 (I don’t have the latest number) — a great influx of new energy and new ideas. There is reason to believe that the transformation needed in the Democratic Party is starting here in Montgomery County.

Proposed Changes to the MCDP Constitution

At the June, 2018 MCDP Reorganization Meeting, the first four of these proposed changes to the MCDP Constitution were approved with no debate. All of the proposed changes concerning endorsement policy (5-9) were debated and defeated.

1. PREAMBLE: “WE THE REPRESENTATIVES of the Democrats living in Montgomery County — in order to form a strong party organization that empowers representative democracy within our party and throughout the county — do establish this Montgomery County Democratic Party Constitution.”
2. A New Name: “The Montgomery County Democratic Party.”
3. A New PURPOSE: In accordance with the provisions of Section 3517 of the Ohio Revised Code, this organization shall be the “Controlling Committee” of the Democratic Party of Montgomery County. The purpose of the Montgomery County Democratic Party is to represent and to serve Montgomery County Democrats. The MCDP advances this purpose: by connecting Montgomery County Democrats within an extended MCDP community where every member has a voice, by advancing candidates of the people who are dedicated to public service and whose principles align with those of the Democratic Party.
4. An expansion of MEMBERSHIP: “The MCDP welcomes all Democrats registered in Montgomery County to become a member of the MCDP organization.”
5. Endorsement recommendations by the Screening Committee shall be announced at least three days prior to the Central Committee meeting at which the recommendations will be acted on.
6. Central Committee members may register their vote with the MCDP Secretary at any time during the three days prior to the Central Committee meeting.
7. During the Central Committee meeting, any endorsement recommendations made from the floor, and seconded, will be communicated to Central Committee members not attending the meeting. Voting on these recommendations will occur via communication with the MCDP Secretary and voting will be concluded after 48 hours.
8. The endorsement of Democratic Primary candidates shall occur after the Board of Election deadline for Democratic candidates to file for the primary.
9. Central Committee votes on all motions for endorsements shall be by roll-call or by paper ballot with the member’s signature, or by registering the vote with the MCDP Secretary. For each endorsement, a record showing each Central Committee member’s vote shall be made available to all members of the MCDP organization.