Vote Russell Wallace for party chair
October 25, 2007
About a year ago, I asked what the purpose of the Democratic Party was. It was a post largely inspired by this post by Russell Wallace. He argued that:
The purpose of the Democratic party is to turn the views and values of its members into public policy.
That’s exactly right, and we could do a lot better, especially in a city as politically active as Madison. (For one of the reasons why we need a better local party, recall the brouhaha earlier this year about city council endorsements.) In order for us to succeed, we need to have a party that is responsive to the views and values of its members.
I met Russ a while ago, in his role with Democracy For Wisconsin, a progressive offshoot of Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign. He’s one of the good guys in politics. Now he’s running to be the chairman of the Dane County Democrats, and I can’t think of anyone better suited for the job.
I talked with him for a while this week, about his ideas for turning the Dane County Dems into a more open and energetic party, for building up our infrastructure, and for making it easier to get new people involved in politics, both as volunteers and by running for office. Suffice it to say that I think he’d do an excellent job.
We have a chance here in Madison to build a real progressive majority. The numbers are there; we just need to get our act together. And if we want to bring Progressive Dane and the Four Lakes Green Party into a winning liberal coalition, we need to make the Democratic Party into an organization in which activists and interested citizens can easily participate and make a difference.
If we want people who care to join the party, we need to make sure that the party is able to turn the views and values of those people into public policy. And it’s through little things like this — putting smart, active, and reform-minded folks in charge — that progress is made.
If you live in Dane County, and you haven’t already done so, you should join the party (*), show up at our meeting on November 14 (7:00 pm at the Concourse Hotel on Dayton St.), and vote for Russ.
(*) To be eligible to vote, you need to join at least two days in advance of the election.
October 26th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Wallace is a cowardly political hack of the worst kind; willing to lie about college students to push his agenda. Sad.
October 26th, 2007 at 9:00 am
That has not been my experience, and don’t you think an assertion like that needs some explanation?
October 26th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
I think Russell would be a breath of fresh air.
October 26th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Russell Wallace is a person of great integrity. Dane County Dems would be fortunate to have him leading their county Dem Party.
October 26th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I do believe that Russell will be the right person for the job.
November 2nd, 2007 at 5:24 pm
Danny Spirn is a cowardly political hack of the worst kind; a cliquish, coquettish frat boy willing to lie about Dem activists to push his agenda and too cowardly to back up his own words. Sad.
November 3rd, 2007 at 1:11 pm
I have no problem with a change in the Dane Dems leadership, I just have a large problem with Russell Wallace. Not so much that he has passion, but he acts upon it in the most undipolomatic ridiculous ways. If you have a problem with the party and want to reform it, reform it from within. Do not post the controversies you see on your blog for the world to see. Do not burn bridges with the people that can help you the most . If anybody cares, ask the College Democrats of Madison and Wisconsin what they think about Russell Wallace - they royally dislike him. If anybody cares, ask the majority of the current Dane Dems E-Board what they think of Russell Wallace - they think he is crazy. If anybody cares, ask the State Party what they think of Russell Wallace - they want him shot. Either the people who support Russell Wallace see something much different in him than a lot of the party establishment, or they have a much larger bone to pick with the party establishment. Why has this conversation never been had?
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Russell … If you are going to call out the Critical Badger make sure you do it without slandering him. Maybe he is, maybe he is not, a frat boy, but what does that have to do with him calling you out, asking you to answer for your actions. After all, that is one of your stongest requests of others. Likewise, use Reform Dem - your actual online personality.
November 3rd, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Anon. #8: Russell has commented on this blog before, using his real name and linking to Reform Dem. None of the comments on this post have come from his IP address.
November 4th, 2007 at 8:07 am
[…] These types of tactics are not forign to Wisconsin. After the Democratic Danes voted for no endorsement in last spring’s election, Democratic operatives worked behind the scenes to elect a libertarian to the city council. There does appear to be light on the horizen for a less antogonistic approach toward third parties. […]
November 4th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Russell Wallace Is not Ralph Sues Dems
November 14th, 2007 at 9:04 am
[…] As I mentioned before, I’m supporting Russell, but I’ll happily observe that the party needs someone who wants to win, and both Russell and Wayne obviously fit the bill. […]
November 15th, 2007 at 9:08 am
[…] 15, 2007 · No Comments I was quietly hoping that Russell Wallace would win Democratic Chair. Wallace was one of the fewDemocrats who I’d also consider a progressive. In the end though I was not surprised. The Dane County Democratic Party is a pretty conservative creature. When you had the current chair respond to open government and increased democracy as a coup, its only downhill from there. […]