Democrats try to rebuild the state party from the ground up

[blue-wave]

A couple of years ago, a little more than 1,400 voters took Democratic primary ballots in sparsely populated Warren County, which is about an hour west of Peoria. Almost twice that many took Republican ballots.

The Warren County Democratic Central Committee is not exactly a campaign powerhouse. The organization officially opened its PAC with $923.72 in June of 2016. By June 30 of this year, the county party reported having $917.72 in the bank. I couldn’t find any records showing how that $6 was spent.

But last week, the county organization received a $5,000 check from the Rock Island County Democratic Party. Warren is one of 14 counties that received a total of more than $200,000 from the Rock Island Dems last week.

Warren’s check tied with Effingham County’s for being the smallest. The Kankakee County Democrats received about $28,000. Kane County’s Dems received about $20,000. Williamson County got about $14,000. The Metro East’s Madison County Democrats have so far received the largest check in this initial round: $45,495. The Carroll County Democrats have raised an average of about $3,000 a year for the past 18 years, but they received $7,523.50 last week.

Full Article: https://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/illinois-democrats-blue-wave-rebuild-party/


I hope they put some training tools and/or strategic advisors in the pipeline. It would be nice if we would share our "best practices"....those practices that help us win, with each other. Group the counties into regions and conduct training exercises by each region.

[murielm99]

1. Thanks for this article.

I am going to see if my local committee knows anything about it. I am very familiar with the Carroll County Democrats, too. They have a new chair person, who is a busy person.

This could be a great help!

[frazzled]

2. This is why Madigan has to go

The Democratic Party of Illinois has been useless, except to benefit Madigan. It’s a bit of a sad thing that it has taken a billionaire, JB Pritzger, to finally remedy this situation, in the form of grants to the County Chairs Association—but I welcome it. He’s got the right idea, bypassing Madigan to rebuild the party infrastructure from the bottom up, county by county. I look forward to voting for JB in the fall, not just to unseat Rainer but to see big changes in the way the Illinois Democratic Party works in the future.

As I’ve told you before, the Rock Island Democratic Party Chairman is Doug House, who also runs the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association. Because state campaign finance laws allow unlimited contributions between county-level party organizations, the J.B. Pritzker campaign gave House’s Rock Island Democrats $1 million earlier this year as the first installment on its “Blue Wave Illinois 2018” program.

The idea is to finally try to build the party up at the local level after years of neglect by the top. The Democratic Party of Illinois, run by House Speaker Michael Madigan, has reported raising more than $80 million since 1999, but it has spent precious few dollars to help local parties. Basically, the only time DPI has bothered to work with local party organizations in the past is when they could be helpful with the handful of competitive state legislative races scattered here and there — particularly Speaker Madigan’s House races. And even then, the object wasn’t really to make local parties viable, but to extract whatever human and other resources they had in order to assist Madigan’s campaigns

Chairman House has, along with the Pritzker campaign, established a grant program. County party organizations can qualify for money by, for instance, opening an office. The local committees are also being strongly encouraged to hire a part-time or full-time administrator, depending on their size.

[blue-wave]

3. Geez

Madigan's been a leader in Illinois politics for years and has taken a lot of hits, especially from the republicons in Illinois. I wish we democrats could see the big picture. In my opinion, if it wasn't for Madigan, Rauner would have given our state away to his vulture capitalist friends a long time ago. It is highly likely that Madigan was consulted about and approved of this program, regardless of the cheap hit thrown at him in the article.

[murielm99]

4. Madigan is doing his job.

We would be Wisconsin without him. We would be a right to work state.

Madigan is the leader of our party, and I don't appreciate the digs at him. It would not matter who led the party, Rauner and his minions would find a way to slander him or her.

Of course Doug House is working with Madigan on this. Count on it. Madigan knows what goes on in our state. His discipline keeps Democrats strong here.

Many on this website like to whine about how the Democrats are not standing up to repiggies, are not speaking out. They are not strong and ruthless. Madigan is both. We need more Madigans, all over the country.

This is much like the criticism Nancy Pelosi gets here. It is baseless. It is one of the reasons Hillary is not President. They fell for years of slander from the right wing, weakened our leaders and caused confusion at the polls.

Until Rauner began smearing him, many people in this state did not know who Madigan was. I am not going to believe the smears Rauner spews in his commercials. I am not going to forgo strong leadership because the right wing weakens us!

[frazzled]

9. Talking about the DMI (Democratic Party of Illinois)

of which he is head, not his role in the IL House. And I have to say, having lived in a number of blue states previously, I agree with the criticism of the state party here: when we first moved here I contacted them and made a donation; 13 years later I have yet to receive the first contact from them about anything. That was not the case in MN or MA, both of which were much more open party structures, and less top-down, than they are here.

I'm talking party structure and electoral issues, not State Legislature actions. If the party is not funding all the counties, there will be no blue wave here (or nationally), and that kind of focus on building party structure in red counties has not been the case previously. Just as Howard Dean initiated the 50 state strategy in 2004, we need an all-county strategy in 2018. Whether or not Madigan has talked to House about this is immaterial: the point is, someone had to step in and lead/fund this initiative. It's never happened before in all these years, so I don't see why you want to suddenly credit Madigan for it happening now.

[murielm99]

10. Talk to your county organization. n/t

[frazzled]

11. I live in Cook County

The second most populous county in the nation, after LA County, with more than 5 million people. I've actually met County Board Chair Toni Preckwinkle, who I strongly support. And my alderman in the city is highly communicative—sends a detailed email about the city and City Council and ward issues every single Friday, and often asks us to write our state legislators on particular issues.

I realize that in my hyper-populous, reliably blue county, that party organization, staffing, and funding is not an issue. But in outlying and downstate counties it is. I have not heard a word from the state party regarding, say, IL-6, which is a crucial, flippable race. Why are they not contacting everyone within a 100-mile radius of that district who has reliably voted Democratic over the years to contribute or come help? I've contributed to other US House races in the state outside my district and county, but it's always been on my own initiative and research.

There are a lot of things the state party could be doing, but I certainly have not seen it happen.

[blue-wave]

12. I have lived in Illinois

My whole life. Never in over 50 years can I remember the state House and Senate Democratic majorities as large as they are in the recent past and present. This alone has held off Rauner and his vulture friends. Those majorities are due in huge part to Mike Madigan. It's time to unite behind all Illinois and national candidates.

[frazzled]

13. Yes, of course: he drew the maps of all the legislative districts

It's done every ten years, and he's done it for decades, to ensure that Democrats would be favored. So yes, it works! It's called gerrymandering, and we love it when it benefits us. Not so much when Republicans do it.

Just for the record to say that it's not rocket science why Democratic majorities have increased when Democrats have been in charge of redistricting.

It's still not what I'm talking about regarding party-specific organization and function. But whatever.

[beachbum bob]

5. Downstate democrats been ignored for decades but we are rising up as trump

Has provided us the focal point. Rauner has been a disgraced, and our congressional district can be flipped from a useless republican in Rodney Davis, fearful to do town halls to a responsive and hard hitting democrat in Betsy londrigan...

The race has gone from almost solid republican to lean republican in just a few months. Betsy strength is in organization and motivated supporters.

[blue-wave]

6. Nice to hear your

district is moving in our direction. I'm all about unity and strong party. We need this now more than ever. Your district is winnable. Anyone that tells you different is either on the republicon side or mistakenly bought into republicon propaganda. I truly believe that the vast majority of Americans hold Democratic Party values, it's just that they have been bombarded with false and misleading information for years. For the sake of country and the future of all, it must stop.

[beachbum bob]

7. We will see 3-5 seats flipped blue in congressional races, the republican

voter has no reason to come out to vote as Rauner will most likely finish 3rd behind McCanns and the winner pritzker..

[murielm99]

8. McCann

That is so funny. Usually it is our side that gets screwed by a third party candidate. Maybe he will get more votes than The Ruiner.