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July 10, 2005
Chris Bell, from the SDEC yesterday
Damon McCullar of Burnt Orange Report liveblogged the state Democratic Executive Committee meeting in Austin this past weekend. Chris Bell addressed the assembly, and his remarks are so spot-on that you should go read the text of his entire speech. I'll just post some of the highlights:
As I travel Texas, Democrats are telling me something that just a few years ago would have sounded like heresy to some in our party. Everywhere I go, Texas Democrats say they are looking for new leaders who aren’t afraid to act like Democrats.
When Republicans say they’re representing the mainstream they really mean a narrow section of special interest groups in Texas, leaving a huge majority of people on the outside. Remarkably, these new outsiders are solution-oriented people of all stripes -- the moderate Republicans who Rick Perry is trying to kick out of his party, the Independents who are getting quite scared about what’s going on, and the Democrats who knew from the start that Rick Perry couldn’t lead a silent prayer. People who want our state to work, in short. And all those folks who don’t take frequent dips in Tom Delay’s hot tub and whom Rick Perry says aren’t real Texans, well, they are part of the New Mainstream. Todos estamos en esto juntos. We are all in this together.
For too long, we have assumed that all we really need to do is wait for people to realize just how bad Republicans are before they started voting for Democrats again. It is not enough to be right about them being wrong. We have to start defining a future not just for the Texas Democratic Party but for Texas as a whole. We can no longer charge into battle and assume that our armies are right behind us. We need to give Democrats something to fight for.
We’ve tried to out-Republican the Republicans, and all we’ve gotten for it is a demoralized base, demoralized donors, demoralized activists, and demoralized leaders. Our unwillingness to challenge the other side has given us the most corrupt and incompetent Texas government in a generation. It is our duty to restore Texas pride.
There is a disaffected majority of Texans in the state who are waiting, just waiting to find the basic moral courage to talk about the world the way it is and not the way it polls. They are waiting for us to stop pandering to the issue of the day and to start offering visionary solutions to create a tomorrow that they can get excited about.The New Mainstream is waiting for the Democratic Party to start getting serious about solutions.
In short, how can we call ourselves “progressive” if we fail to offer progress?
Go read all of it here.
Posted by Guest Blogger PDiddie at July 10, 2005 05:53 PM | Permalink
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Comments
I have heard some us say we weren't sure yet about Chris Bell, but I can tell you that, the more I hear from him lately, the more I like the idea of his candidacy. For those of you who missed Bell on the "DeLay panel" at Demfest in Austin, we were able to see Bell relaxed, charming and quite witty.
I'm warming up to this guy! Great speech, thanks for posting it!
Posted by: Leah B at July 10, 2005 08:01 PM
My compliments to PDiddie for sharing this speech with all of us. Like Leah, I too was impressed with Chris' participation in one of the workshops at DemFest in Austin recently. He actually came across as a warm and witty person.
I have heard him speak to various interest groups. Each presentation has had thoughts that resonate in much the same fashion as the address to the SDEC. He seems to have captured the spirit of need for change in our party and the serious need for solutions.
Chris is hitting the nail on the head when he says that "Democrats are looking for folks who are not afraid to ACT like Democrats!" We need that message to be LOUD and CLEAR to all of our office seekers... If they want our support, we should demand that each one fights FOR Democrats and Democratic issues.
The real progress for progressives will be to realize that the "New Mainstream" that Chris talks about in his speech is capable of listening to what we have to offer. We just have to be steady and clear on our message.
I wholeheartedly agree with Chris when he refers to our party's efforts to "out-Republican the Republicans." We have to define ourselves as distinctly different from the other side of the aisle as we possibly can, in terms that the average voter will understand. We DO NEED to create that future vision for our party in other's minds.
We can let the Republican's "out-Republican" each other...
Posted by: Phillip McNutt at July 10, 2005 11:17 PM