All politics is local

It recently came to my attention that someone who I’ve known for over 3 years is insisting that I’m working hard to undermine efforts to build a strong Democratic Party in DuPage County. This individual has repeated these claims at local meetings (of interest groups and township party meetings), as well as on e-mail mailing lists (public and private).

Among other things, this individual has suggested I intend to challenge Gayl Ferraro for chair of the county Democratic party. I don’t – Gayl has my complete support. This individual has also tried to convince people of my plans to run for Congress. I have no such plans, period. This individual has hinted that I’m colluding with Rahm Emanuel (for what, it’s not clear, but that’s apparently beside the point). Rahm Emanuel has no idea who I am, and except for a 30 second discussion at a fundraiser for Governor Blagojevich two years ago, we’ve never been in the same room, let alone spoken to each other. Perhaps most befuddling is the claim that as an active participant in the Dean campaign (that’s right, the Dean campaign), I’ve used that experience to somehow undermine open source, community-built applications that would jeopardize the security and integrity of local efforts to build the party. (No, I don’t get it either.)

To be clear: Since late 2002, I have volunteered thousands of hours, all in the pursuit of a stronger Democratic party. I have volunteered for campaigns at the national level (Dean), the state level (Obama), the regional level (Cegelis, Freedman) and the local level (running for office myself, assisting Matt Freeman in his run for city council, and walking door-to-door during the 2004 cycle). I’ve run the local Democratic Party in Naperville for nearly two years, and am hard at work on ensuring that we grow the party locally so that we have candidates in the 2007 and 2008 races.

That I have to trot out my bona fides in light of these claims would be laughable if the charges weren’t so serious. I sincerely hope that people take these wild accusations for what they are: ill-informed, unfounded conjecture from an indivudal with a rather curious sense of imagination. To suggest (as this individual has) that I’m “vehemently, diametrically opposed” to a progressive agenda isn’t just wrong, it’s insulting.

Now can we please get back to trying to win elections? This is nuts.

9 responses to “All politics is local”

  1. That's exactly the kind of in-fighting that keeps the Democratic party down.Apparently some Demos really only can ape the Republicans; as their party begins to show signs of possible implosion, our party wants to jump on the bandwagon.

  2. What the heck is that person on? Not cool man, not cool. Whomever it is, really needs to redefine what “undermine” is. If tireless work, and support is seen as just an effort to “undermine” the party, then I'd hate to see what they would say about me.Keeep up the good work Rick, the rest of us need you.

  3. If one of the pioneers who first sowed the seeds of the netroots is “vehemently, diametrically opposed” to a progressive agenda, I must not understand what a progressive agenda is.The very idea is so bassackwards that — well — it leaves me at a loss for metaphor.

  4. You are nobody until somebody thinks you are a tool of the Man. It is at that point, you know you have reached the stage of people caring whether you are a tool or not.

  5. Infighting, backstabing wow the Democratic Party in DuPage is becoming legitimate.As for the party chair thing, it's not like you are an Ice Cream Tycoon or something. I still think Klau for Kongress has a nice Krusty the Klown touch.OneMan

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