Anger and frustration … and hope
Newsletter #31 - August 14, 2023
Spreading the word
New Headquarters of the Hardin County Democratic Party (Ohio). We are thankful and proud to be part of their new space.
Also checkout the quote on the website of the Cheboygan County Democratic Party (Michigan).
Speech by J. M. Purvis at the strategy meeting with the 9th District Chairs on 5 August 2023 in Blue Ridge GA (abridged version)
I’m here because of anger, and frustration .. because of yours, and mine, an awful lot of people all across this country. Under everything else, you hear the same thing: an overwhelming sense that something’s wrong, that we’re adrift as a party, adrift as a nation. One party official put it this way: we’re like a ship that’s lost it’s mooring.
There is a way out of this mess. Yes! Absolutely. The way out of this mess is you … the county leaders … and it starts with understanding what’s really going on.
This country .. our country .. is in the early stages of a slow-motion social, cultural, and economic revolution.
Twenty-five years ago, how many people questioned the confederate flag flying over state capitol buildings? Was it even possible to imagine Black Lives Matter marches breaking out in every major American city twenty-five years ago or that most of the marchers were white?
These kind of changes have created an incredible amount of social progress. And it promises so much more. But all that change, that fast, has made people incredibly uneasy.
The Republicans understand this perfectly.
They understand this isn’t about policy, and it isn’t about facts. It’s about emotion. People vote on emotional identity. That is a basic truth. This is all about identity.
MAGA. That’s not a political slogan. It’s not messaging. It’s an emotional home for these people. It’s a new way of politics.
The Republicans have one strategy: make everything about Us vs Them. Make everything about tribes. Belonging. Emotional identity. That is why facts don’t matter with MAGA. That’s why logic doesn’t matter. That’s why those pickup trucks are driving around with those giant flags. It's’ about belonging. It’s about a feeling of power, a sense of purpose. It’s about being part of something bigger. It doesn’t matter if it’s wrong, or it isn’t true, you still belong.
So, what do we do about it? How do we get the majority of Americans to emotionally identify with us? And I mean right here in the 9th District. How do we unite the Democratic Party, because if we’re not united, how are we ever going to get anything else done? But unity isn’t enough. How do we inspire Democrats?
Inspire: that’s a word I never hear when I talk to Democrats. But it’s central to everything we want to do. How do we make Democrats proud? How do we make individual Democrats want to go out into their communities .. into your communities .. and say, “I’m a Democrat and I’m here to make your life better!”
Well, we don’t do it with policy. Policy never inspired anybody. Neither do canned messages written by expensive consultants in Washington. And they don’t unite. When have Democrats ever agreed on policy? You couldn’t get everyone in this room to agree.
So what does unite all of us? One thing unites us. One thing inspires us, all of us. It’s the same thing that inspires Americans .. our core values, our basic beliefs. These basic values are the rock we all stand on. They are the reason we’re Democrats in the first place.
So, what are those beliefs? Where are they written down? Well, you can look all day, but you’re not going to find anything because nobody’s ever written it down. That’s why the Democratic Creed exists. That’s why we wrote it. Because nobody else had, and because we need it, desperately.
These values .. our values .. are powerful. They’re powerful because they’re true. You can’t spin them. And they’re American values. That’s the best part. The Creed is a bridge. It’s a way to connect with all the unaffiliated, the independents, the disaffected Republicans. It’s how you start.
But we need more. We need a vision. People have to understand why we’re doing this. People have to look at us and say they’re not just another political party, they want to do something, something I can identify with.
That is our vision: a just society .. as long as it takes. That’s the American vision. It has inspired people, one way or the other, since 1776.
Now you have values, and you have vision, and suddenly you have purpose, a purpose that inspires, a purpose that will serve you for decades to come. Purpose is why people agree to run for office when they know they’re going to get creamed. Because they also know they are part of something bigger, because they are paving the way for the candidates that come after.
But these values and this vision won’t be powerful, they won’t change anything, until people know about them. They won’t mean anything until we proclaim them. We have to hold these things up, publicly, proudly, or they will never be recognized. And things will not change.
That’s why I’m really here. It’s time for you to take hold of your destiny, take hold with both hands. Changing things isn’t easy. And it isn’t quick. You aren’t going to win in 2024 because you grabbed hold of the Creed. But you can win down the road, and you can start seeing progress a lot sooner than that.
Going out and making this real in your community, that’s the hard part. That’s the part that takes time, and energy, and sacrifice. You can inspire people, you can change peoples’ minds. If you’re willing to look at this as a long game, it is all possible. Change is possible. And here is how you can start.
First, read the book. It only takes a few hours. That was the whole idea. Then get your key people to read it. Then sit together and discuss it, find your own meanings. Believe me, it’s exciting to do that, it’s energizing.
Next, have your county adopt the Democratic Creed, officially. Make a statement. Put it at the top of your county website. Be proud. Let people know this is who you are.
Then reach out to us for more. And we’ll put you in touch with your brothers and sisters all across the country who are working for change.
That’s how you start change.
J.M. Purvis is the author of Democrats 101, and a contributor to the Democratic Creed.
In case you missed it
In July, Bryan Watson from Dems101 joined members of the Manistee County Democratic Party (Michigan) at their annual summer picnic in Onikama. they discussed the Democratic Creed, which the county adopted in June.
