Mar 252006
I just returned from my DFL Senate District Convention. This is the first time I attended a District Convention and I’m feeling a little ambivalent about the process. I won’t get into a detailed explanation of the arcane rules behind subcaucusing, but it seems to me that there must be better, more efficient ways of promoting grassroots involvement in the political process. But the key word in the previous sentence is “arcane.” The rationale for what we were doing was never clearly explained and I’m not sure how it contributes to selecting a better slate of candidates. Perhaps that’s simply the nature of the beast. To paraphrase Will Rogers, I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.
I’m tempted to limit my political involvement to contributing money to the candidates I support and voting on Election Day, but I think the temporary cynicism I’m feeling will pass. I just need to find a way to engage in politics that is more meaningful to me.
As the Senior Director of Disability at the Democratic National Committee I can only say that I hope you don’t give up on being involved in the political process even if it does seem arcane. We need more individuals with disabilities to get involved and make our voices and concerns heard. So, please hang in there and keep going back to the table, because that’s where decisions are made. It’s better to be a part of the process than the recipient of the process.