Rethinking the Focus of our State Party

A recent weekly newsletter from the Wisconsin Democrat Party urged me to “Join the WisDems Coalitions … Sign up to get involved ... We need all hands on deck … Join the movement now.”

I looked at the list of six possibilities. There was a Black Coalition, a Latino, an AAPI, a Native American, a LGBTQ+, and a Women’s. Nowhere for an old white guy to sign up. No welcome mat for me at the door. That is always the case when we put people in boxes based on their identity. There are never enough boxes for everyone.

As a Party we have focused on our own identities long enough. It is time to turn our attention outward. Politics is about making our communities better. Good schools for our kids. The opportunity and freedom to follow our dreams. Safe streets. Affordable health care. An economy that works for all of us.

Let’s add some Coalitions that bring together members from all parts of our Party, pool our different experiences and perspectives, and work on solving the shared problems of our various communities.

How about an Education Coalition. A Housing Coalition. One on health care. Social justice. The economy. Or any of a dozen more.

These are all statewide problems that look different and feel different in different communities across the state. The fix won’t be the same everywhere. Harnessing the energy of its diverse members, the Party is in a unique position to bridge differences and look for solutions that work in each of our communities.

Coalitions focused on community problems would accomplish a number of things.

We would send a signal to voters across the state that as a Party we are serious about making our communities thrive, making life better, and we are organizing ourselves to do that work.

We would add context and how-to- get-it-done plans to the aspirations of the Party’s platform.

We could provide our candidates, particularly those running for the first time, a ready-made

overview of a problem, its causes and possible solutions, how we got to where we are, and how we differ from Republicans. A resource they could use in putting together their own message.

The product would not have to be comprehensive or prescriptive. An overview, a history, a report of practices that have been successful elsewhere would be useful to candidates, office holders at all levels of government, and Party members who just want information to use in talking with their neighbors.

Knowledge is power. Consider this one fact. If school funding had just kept pace with inflation over the years since Republicans took complete control of the legislature in 2010, our schools would have $3,380 more per student to educate our kids, reducing the upward pressure on property taxes. Simple to remember. Simple to repeat. More effective than, “Republicans have been underfunding our schools.”

The more knowledgeable we are, the more comfortable and more confident we will be to engage in the kind of conversations that produce trust and change minds. It is important to keep repeating what we want to do and move forward whenever there is an opportunity. We have to demonstrate our commitment with words and action.

When Kathleen first ran for the State Senate, health care was the biggest issue in the state; premiums were jumping and 500,000 had no health insurance. The Senate Democratic Campaign Committee (SDCC) told Kathleen not to go beyond advocating, “Reform that would cut costs by 15 percent, cover 98 percent of Wisconsin citizens, and make businesses more competitive.” All poll tested words with no substance to hold on to. She shouldn’t say anything more because there was no agreement on a fix.

Kathleen, who had previously taught health policy, put together a plan and talked about it everywhere. People engaged. It was an issue they cared about, that affected their lives. They had questions and comments arising from their own experiences with health care and insurance. They didn’t necessarily agree, but they appreciated Kathleen’s candor and willingness to discuss and explore ideas. There was the beginning of trust.

Forced to say something about an issue that resonated, her opponent the Republican incumbent, could think of nothing better than, “It is not the job of the legislature to fix health care.”

Becoming known as the “healthcare candidate”, Kathleen won. Repeating platitudes, sounding like a politician, would not have cut it.

Candidates and Party members know their communities. They know what they have experienced themselves, what they have done, what they have studied, what they have lived through. We all are flying blind, however, when it comes to problems outside of our own bubbles.

Candidates don’t have the time or resources to make themselves familiar with the variety of questions people will put to them in a campaign. Too often, by necessity, they rely on platitudes, repeat poll tested words, give non-answers or divert attention by attacking their opponent. The audience loses trust.

The Party could help, but it has to create a structure that makes that possible. By tapping into the wide knowledge and experience of party members from across the state, problem focused coalitions could be a resource for members and candidates as we tell our stories to voters.

I include all Party members intentionally. We need many voices. We can’t wait for candidates to announce and campaigns to begin. By then most minds are made up. People need time and space to change. We need to nurture that process.

What the political parties have been doing is not working. Fewer and fewer identify with either. Together, those who call themselves Democrats or Republicans, are outnumbered by those who reject both parties and call themselves Independents. They don’t perceive the parties as useful vehicles for achieving what they want for their communities.

Here in Wisconsin, the Democrat Party as a Party is falling behind in attracting new voters. The presidential turnout in 2012 was the highest ever until then. Twelve years later, this past November, Democrats had added 48,000 voters. Republicans had added 290,000. For every one new voter Democrats attracted, the Republicans added six.

When people vote, their one vote is simultaneously a vote for a candidate, a party, and a set of policies. It’s a package deal. Any one of the three can be a deal breaker. In recent years, the Party seems to have more often become the deal breaker.

Whether we like it or not, whether it is accurate or not, the Party is seen as “woke”. Self-righteous. Politically correct. Focused on identity. Ready to cancel those who don’t measure up.

Our image, the “party brand” is pointed to by some to explain why voters in state referendums can adopt Democratic policies by significant margins only to vote against Democratic candidates by similar margins. Our policies are more popular than we are.

We can change that by shifting our focus from who we are to what we can do. By creating structures within the Party to make that mission possible. By demonstrating our commitment to community by our actions. By using our resources to make it happen.

We are in the log-term business of building trust. But, it’s an everyday job. Building trust in our Party. Building trust in our candidates. Building trust in what we want to accomplish. Trust that makes persuasion possible. Trust that comes only with time as we persevere. Trust essential to winning support that lasts more than one election cycle.