I went to an interesting presentation last night in Austin for the Campaign for a National Majority, and would recommend checking them out at their Houston presentation on Tuesday at 7. (Contact info at the link)
They have a long term strategy that meshes with the 'build the farm team' concept Dean has pushed. It is well documented that governors are the most likely candidates to become president, so CNM wants to work towards having as many strong Democratic governors as possible, so that we have lots of good presidential candidates and not just blowhards like Joe Biden.
Rather than focus on governor races, CNM wants to find lower level candidates that will be strong candidates for governor in the future. They have done extensive research into what offices produce strong candidates for governor, and are focusing on candidates for those offices. A little money goes a long way at this level, so there's a bang-for-the-buck aspect to the plan.
They have also done extensive research into traits of candidates that succeed in progressively higher races, and have prepared a model and an intensive vetting process to identify these candidates. They did a trial in 2004 on two candidates in longshot districts. Both won narrow victories, despite Bush winning in the same areas. In one location, Bush took 65% to Kerry's 35%, but the downrace Dem still won.
They are looking for two things - volunteers to help vet candidates and pledges to donate to the vetted candidates of your choosing. Money goes directly to candidates, never through CNM. They do not screen on issues beyond a core belief that 'The Democratic Party is the party of responsibility,' and they do no campaigning beyond fundraising. Think of them as investment analysts screening to find low-risk/high-gain choices to invest your Democratic donations. You still choose the ones that reflect your values, but your money is more likely to have long term gains.
Monday, July 18, 2005
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4 comments:
And just exactly how are they diferent from the DLC?
My guess is that the biggest difference is they don't have as much money. But, then, how involved does the DLC get in the "low level" races? (It's an honest question. I don't have a clue).
So far as I know, the DLC does NOT get involved in the grassroots, but they want us to THINK they're running the show.
Late response as I have been out of pocket, but the DLC is focused on issues while this group focuses on a candidate's ability to win increasingly higher offices. I personally do not see how the two groups could be compared.
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