This is the ChatGPT design. This AI mistakenly repeated the subtitle.
At the MCDP Reorganization Meeting to be held in June, I’m hoping there will be consensus that the MCDP should do everything possible to flip this congressional district and replace Mike Turner with a Democrat. If the party can be restructured to win OH-10, then all Democratic candidates in this county will benefit.
Politics has boiled down to two forces: one force is anti-democracy, and the other is for-democracy. These forces are in both parties. Our democracy is in very weak and in big trouble; this deeply concerns Democrats; it also troubles every citizen who worries about the future. I believe that the more that the Democratic Party can stand for democracy, and can be branded “the participatory democracy party” the more successful Democratic candidates will be. This will require much more than aspiration. It will require a vision and a plan.
“Participatory democracy” is loosely defined as a democratic structure that empowers rank-and-file citizens to meaningfully participate — something beyond simply voting. Many citizens feel they have no voice in the current system. Democratic candidates, I’m suggesting, should run on platforms spelling out, when elected, how rank-and-file citizens will be empowered to participate. For example, a platform should show a plan for transparency and for structuring participation by interested citizens like having a weekly on-line town hall meeting inviting input and dialogue.
My GPT prompt: Create a book cover for a nonfiction political book titled, “The Way Forward For The Democratic Party: Becoming The Participatory Democracy Party” by Michael Bock, featuring an image of a fork in the road showing that continuance on the current path will lead to disappointment and disaster.
The current MCDP Constitution defines the MCDP as the Central / Executive Committee. We need a MCDP Constitution that defines the MCDP as the total membership of the MCDP — the rank-and-file members along with Central Committee members. The Central Committee should be seen as one committee among with many other committees active in this MCDP community.
The desired relationship between the members of the MCDP and the Central Committee, I believe, should be something like between the stockholders of a company and the Board of Directors of the company. In my version, the MCDP membership would choose choose the CEO and officers of the MCDP and these individuals would serve in the same positions in Central Committee. MCDP members sometimes would vote to decide key issues.
The direct election of MCDP officers, I believe, would make the MCDP a stronger and more successful organization. Our way forward as a party, I believe, is for the ethos of the party to emerge from a true community of high-minded Democrats — Democrats focused on saving our democracy. The way we can flip OH-10 is to somehow ignite a grassroots movement and democracy is a concept that throughout history has thrilled, motivated and started grassroots movements.
To be a successful party, the MCDP must find a way to meaningfully engage hundreds and thousands of rank-and-file Democrats who now are not engaged. Opening the party up so that every member has a voice would be a big step. Of equal importance is focusing on bringing to reality a vision of the democracy of the future that the youth of today will want to build.
Right now, our system elects Mike Turner and he has complete authority over how our district votes in the US House, complete authority to establish the priorities of the office and the details of the budget, complete authority to ignore the rank-and-file. This district has, I’m guessing, 800,000 citizens and our system gives one person princely power to rule over us. That doesn’t sound like a democracy.
We need a system where rank-and-file citizens are empowered to participate beyond simply voting. I think the prospect of implementing a system of participatory democracy would appeal to a large majority of voters.
A reasonable goal is to create an MCDP organization where at least 5% of registered voters will choose to become MCDP members. Here is the key to flipping OH-10 — envisioning how these 2100 Democrats can become engaged in their own jurisdictions building relationships, advancing peace, love, and understanding. Wishing for this to happen, of course, is not enough. What is needed is a consensus for a vision and a plan — and my goal is to make a detailed proposal in my little book I aspire to write currently titled, “The Way Forward For The Democratic Party: Becoming The “Participatory Democracy Party”
