PDNC Executive Committee Summer Retreat

June 6, 2010

Summary of consensus reached:

The EC agreed to continue the strategy laid out during last year's Annual Meeting:

exposing and confronting corporatocracy

facilitating and supporting grassroots democracy

researching and promoting alternative economic models (i.e., fair enterprise, solidarity economy; transition communities, et.)

Much of the conversation addressed PDNC's role as an organization, both within the Democratic Party and beyond the confines of the NCDP. The following themes emerged:

PDNC's work is basically three-fold, both at the local and state-wide level:

1. Developing a coherent Progressive Narrative

a. outside the party: developing the Democracy School as a non-partisan learning community (progressive think tank) that can serve both as a grassroots laboratory as well as a resource for the progressive community--we spent much time discussing how to initiate and maintain a meaningful political conversation (not to be confused with politics), telling our stories (moving from the personal to the collective), and learning how to listen to others. Open space technology, the Highlander model, the Great Unleashing (Carrboro's launch as a transition community) and the Social Forum model were discussed as possible structures.

b. inside the party: supporting progressive resolutions and reform, developing progressive talking points on issues, engaging our elected officials, initiating and supporting progressive policies; etc.

2. Building and sustaining Progressive Communities

a. outside the party: coalition building though shared campaigns and shared resources; focusing more on becoming the organizers' organizer and link organizations so like-minded groups are longer working in isolation; host training workshops and build a long-term infrastructure to sustain our efforts.

b. inside the party: less emphasis on recruiting members and more emphasis on recruiting partners to transform the party from a patronage organization into a more populist grassroots organization; Chapters may be too rigid for many localities: a more action-oriented and less formal organizational structure might work better.

3. Serving as a political vehicle to bring about change

a. outside the party: act as a bridge for our non-partisan coalition partners and allies and work with them to connect issues with policies and connect groups with elected and appointed officials and/or legislators.

b. inside the party: support and challenge the Democratic Party to live up to its platform; hold the party leadership accountable; push for transparency and reform pay-to-play politics; open up the party for more grassroots participation. (Delmas reminded us that PDNC has had an important impact on the NCDP: it was PDNC's call for an independent Financial Oversight Committee that led David Young to appoint one and make a financial report readily available.)

Upcoming event:

Saturday, July 31, 9:30 am PDNC Membership Meeting
Holiday Inn Bordeaux
                                       1707 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC  28304