Last summer, I wrote about the leading candidate for Governor in the Michigan Republican primary being thrown off the ballot because more than half the signatures in his nominating petition were fraudulent.
I read and found myself in agreement with much of this. Clearly DPW has abandonned any aspiration to creating sustaiinable local organizations to build power beyond modern campaigning. Everything is fundraising. County Parties are largely bypassed for "community captains" and online "mobilizing" that provides no feedback to local leaders. Even campaign strategy is set by big money -- why did all of the other US Senate candidates suddenly drop out beforehin the primary; why did party organizations have no part in selecting or endorsing a candidate?
But I don't think a return to Chicago style party politics and 'local control' is an answer. My own experience with that style of politics came more at the end of a police club. And much of the battle for local control in Chicago meant keeping neighborhoods segregated. Given the divisions and antagonisms currently in play it's easy to see a racist and xenophobic organization manipulted by controlling media and advertising as likely as a strong democratic party local organization. That appeal to localism echoes Maga denunciiations of "globalists" which often devolves down to George Soros and the Jews or some other "other".
I don't know what the answer is and maybe don't even get the question. My own nostalgia leads me to look for a party or organization based on a clear class stand rather than localism or simple fundraising.
I read and found myself in agreement with much of this. Clearly DPW has abandonned any aspiration to creating sustaiinable local organizations to build power beyond modern campaigning. Everything is fundraising. County Parties are largely bypassed for "community captains" and online "mobilizing" that provides no feedback to local leaders. Even campaign strategy is set by big money -- why did all of the other US Senate candidates suddenly drop out beforehin the primary; why did party organizations have no part in selecting or endorsing a candidate?
But I don't think a return to Chicago style party politics and 'local control' is an answer. My own experience with that style of politics came more at the end of a police club. And much of the battle for local control in Chicago meant keeping neighborhoods segregated. Given the divisions and antagonisms currently in play it's easy to see a racist and xenophobic organization manipulted by controlling media and advertising as likely as a strong democratic party local organization. That appeal to localism echoes Maga denunciiations of "globalists" which often devolves down to George Soros and the Jews or some other "other".
I don't know what the answer is and maybe don't even get the question. My own nostalgia leads me to look for a party or organization based on a clear class stand rather than localism or simple fundraising.