A NEW AND BETTER DAY

It has been a while since I last put my observations on this site. But this is a new and better day. We have had the most momentous presidential election in our history with the election of Barack Obama as our 44Th President. The reasons for the absence were necessary and intentional. Dedication to the local party's activities consumed most of my time during the past two years. I like to think that the absence was worth it. Washington County Democrats returned a a plurality to all Democratic Party candidates contested in each partisan election within the county. Even though Democrats did not win throughout the state in the Presidential, Senatorial and Public Service Commission contests, the overall outcome placed the Democratic Party in the best position it has enjoyed during past few election cycles. The Republican stranglehold on Georgia is losing its grip.

The continuing emergence of the Democratic Party locally, statewide, and nationally is the focus of the present dialogue. Locally, the party needs to be infused with younger people with fresher ideas for moving the party forward. The younger people have the energy and the numbers necessary to carry this out. The election results show that they voted in unprecedented numbers during the election of 2008. What has been missing from them is a cohesiveness of effort and participation in the formal setting of the electoral process.

This is an invitation to all of them to join the Washington County Democratic Committee and to provide whatever effort and participation they can afford from their busy schedules and responsibilities. Whatever they can add to the endeavor is a greater plus for party activities at every level. A number of additional people placing their impetus to the overall effort will surely move the whole further along the way. By participating locally, they will be more informed and can inform others of their acquaintance to the party's goals. These goals, after all, should be the goals they envision for themselves and for their families.

Some of the party's current concerns are: qualifying candidates to run for elective offices, identifying possible candidates to run for those offices, providing delegates to party conventions and activities throughout the state, creating committees to interact with similar committees with surrounding counties with the same objectives, providing publicity for party activities, raising funds to support Democratic Party nominees, registering citizens to vote, helping to provide transportation to the polls, explaining issues to constituents, preparing to to control party activities for now and in the future, and recruiting interested parties to support our causes.

As always, all are invited to add their comments to the general discussion or to raise other issues for discussion. This is your forum. Feel free to use it as you best see fit politically.