PDNC Executive Committee Meeting 11/11/2006
Progressive
Democratic Executive Committee Meeting 11/11/2006
Present: Pete MacDowell, Susan Reed, Helen Clark, Delmas Parker, Matilda Phillips, Mike Oder, Chris Lizak, Isaac Coleman,
David Mills
Pete begins by calling attention to the agenda: Bios, visions and values:
Matilda: Need
to grow our organization, be a magnet, be a force for NC politics
Helen echoes Matilda
David wants to create state wide agenda and push it
through having key folks in place in legislature.
Chris says using Young Dem organizational plan..wants
to focus on larger cities first where majority of progressives live and build
our membership there.
Susan: Would like to see other choices for voters in
USA. Growing membership important.
Especially need to align with people of color. Anti-war movement. Incorporate
spiritual principles to draw folks in. Build dual identity chapters w/ PDA as
we organize counties.
Pete: Need to be part of the ethical populism: talk the talk, walk the walk. Money is
controlling politics and we need to challenge that. Vision: Focus on issue groups and get them
involved with The Progressive Dems…become a bridge for them.
Mike: Bridge
grassroots with statewide agenda
Isaac: Vision is to build membership and better
define PDNC. Getting splinter groups
behind progressive candidates. Recognizing serious problems African Americans, and people of color,
face in education and at all other fronts. Schools are re-segregating. Confronting corporations and their stronghold on politics
Delmas: Vision
is to bring politics to the people and strike at heart of power by working thru
the State Executive Committee
Pete: On
Greendog site we have 200 or so names and a mailing list of 900 or so. Mike can download
the excel list. Need an excel spreadsheet
with names, county, congressional and legislative district to develop email
list. Run a list enhancement LEAP to gather information regarding
demographics/affiliations we need to understand about our progressives. Costs
few hundred bucks. Helen and Mike will focus on excel list drawn from PAC list,
etc. Matilda to advise. Helen to ask Teresa Blackburn to help.
mdewp@yahoo.com
is Matilda’s email address.
Pete: Agenda- 1. Develop
Structured list; 2. Shut down greendog
website.
-Mike will develop new website
using domain: progressivedems.nc
-Susan proposes we don’t get rid of the greendog symbol
altogether…use it for a mascot
-Chris proposes that we use the term (Greendog Democrats) to identify our group
with progressive values to draw analogy with Blue dogs, etc.
-Pete asks if we can use the
Greendog name to identify our mission Keep it as a nickname There is no opposition to this
at this time. We can’t exceed without
leadership buy-in. Ideology as the basis
for auxiliary group has not been tried. We can be an educational outlet
instead.
Chris will ask PJ Purlear to chair the Fundraising committee and
David will serve as a consultant with all board members on deck to help.
Chris suggests: Outreach
Committee needs to have specific goals
Membership chair will keep up
with dues, county chairs, etc.
Susan would like to find ways to
span the distance in NC and reach across the state. Creating dual identity chapters to work along
side PDA.
How we think about and form
committees? Whose committees will be
focused on forming chapters? What are
our specific goals for immediate future?
Susan: Streamlining
communications…starting an e-newsletter which will
be updated on a monthly basis. Work with Mike on website.
Chris wants
to look at timetable put as many progressives on SEC in April. General Assembly needs to be lobbied.
Delmas wants to identify names of people on the SEC
Goals: need to build membership of progs on the
SEC. Become influential in the party and
connect between counties and states. Identify nonprofit progressive groups. NAACP rally on Jones Street…stopping the resegregation, stop global
warming, anti bribery and corruption board, focus on black youth, public health
issues, violence in prisons, etc.
Chris
makes a motion to join the NAACP effort…no one is opposed (also, all PDNC ExComm members should all become members of NAACP.
Main Objectives: 1.
Control of SEC 2. Lobbying general assembly 3. Getting progressives into
office.
Discussion of Speaker of the
House candidates
Compile
names of progressive legislators to be on internal Progressive Executive
Committee List.
Compile
names of associates who can influence these legislators. (Get them to talk with Blue and Hackney)
Start
moving important information thru media and thru Democracy Now, etc. regarding
exposure of those legislators whom we need to keep OUT of leadership roles.
Exit poll was about Iraq War and Corruption. Corruption can be a key issue in speaker’s
race.
Democracy NC, Common Cause can be
counted on to get press out. Our role is
to help influence them.
Growing progressive candidates is
tough. Progressive
candidate training needs to continue as it is very effective. Formulate the agenda on a brochure
Calendar
November: Reconnect with our base
December: Democratic Caucus need a unifying agenda, influence
speaker election
January 20th: NCGA convenes
Jan 28: State Executive Committee meeting in Raleigh:
election of officers
Feb 10: NAACP 10K rally on J Street (anyone who can
attend needs to!)
March: precinct elections
April: County conventions: elect SEC members
May: District conventions
Early May: training
for progressive candidates in West and East (Charlotte and Greensboro)
(possibly do one in Goldsboro)
July 12:
deadline for filing for municipal elections
August: Annual Meeting
Lt Gov and Labor races
Communicate in brochure and on
web: Why join PDNC? We’re the progressive issue base. Help select the progressive agenda for the
state. Make the Dem party move the progressive agenda in the legislator Recreate politics: take the big money out of politics, bring
democracy back
One of our biggest tasks is to
break up the system.
Delmas talks about strings that
run in Southern Politics: fear of govt
and fear to stand up against the big guys. Us vs them. “We found the problem
and it’s those bastards”
Advocating working class values
that Howard Dean espouses.
Elect
Progressives. Make the progressive ideal real.
Bill Fletcher strategy: be anti racist, anti sexist, work to organize
a group that neighbors can join. Education is essential. Identification of key organizations
Vision of success instead of
vision of power: relying on Jackson’s Rainbow Coalition idea
Isaac proposes dividing State
into Regions to focus on specific areas
Pete: Look
at where progressives already are, look at where we can get people of color
involved (like Goldsboro) Recruit
African-Americans, Latinos to run for office.
Focus on first 12 chapters
Representatives from each county
should belong to the Progressive. Dem chapter or be on a committee.
Pete: Need to have a dinner to pull together people
from various progressive causes to meet with legislators and lobby for the
agenda.
If we can create our agenda and
get it passed at SEC meeting. Same items
will be brought up at NAACP meeting. Put on a lobbying dinner in late Feb or week after Feb 10
with progressive leaders.
Immediate Goals
Chris: broadcasting to
the PDNC list, getting the real “trouble makers” involved. Figure out which items we need to focus on in
time to propose for January meeting.
Pete says that the people from Democracy NC,
Environmental Group, etc. should be involved in Issues committee. Chris thinks this should be generated
internally rather than externally. People who are highly motivated will work. Create buy-ins.
Susan: Work on brochure and get message out to public. Encourage SEC membership
Mike: get email list out. Push the Progressive pins to get our
name out. Website list, etc.
Membership
meeting needs to occur before SEC meeting.
Isaac: Look at areas
where training for Progressive candidates need to take place
Delmas: reorganization of
state party. Reorganize
thru revising Plan of Organization.. Paying the State Chair a salary. If Cynthia goes into labor race, use VAN to organize progressives in the
key areas to help elect them. Pete will
send out draft on rewriting the POO.
Nothing
succeeds like success.
Helen: Help Susan with brochure. Receive suggested bylaws revisions and get
ready by Jan. for proposal.
David: Getting together
materials from 2 organizations and trying to reconcile it.
What to put on brochure; flat
membership fee to cover PAC and Caucus
Membership
needs to be cleared up. Treasury
report: $1000 in each account. Process with Attorney will cost about $1000.
Pete proposes a monthly board call for updates starting with
Nov 30 at 8PM.
Bylaws on website and need to be sent out to everyone on board by Helen
