Eric Massa goes to Vegas:

[trillian]

Eric Massa’s Weekly Diary: Preview of YearlyKos Appearance

Cross posted from kos. Eric is live blogging over there right now


I am honored today to officially announce that I will be a part of a Saturday, June 10 panel of “progressive superstars” that will address netroots issues at YearlyKos this coming week.

With just five months until the election, any travel outside the 29th District has to be carefully considered, but I believe the netroots have become such an essential part of our civic engagement efforts – both inside and outside my home district – that I decided to attend this important event. Although many of you will not be able to attend the convention, I hope you will visit my announcement on YearlyKos (link) to let me know what issues are important to you and to provide your input to the panel discussion even if you can’t join us in Las Vegas. By participating today you’re sure to have a chance to ask your questions ahead of time. So please speak up!!!!

As I prepare to sit on this panel in front of so many of you who have played the role of Sunday opinion page, sounding board and support group for our grassroots effort here in NY-29, I am looking forward to discussing the issues important to our nation face-to-face just as we do every day in the blogosphere.

But as I sit here today thinking about the contributions you have made to my campaign, a strategy began to form in my mind about how to leverage your heroic efforts as an essential part of a strategy for success. So, today I’d like to touch on these themes:
teamwork, discipline and action. I want to apply these themes to five different topics that are important to the netroots: strategy, talking points, infrastructure, money, and net neutrality.


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Teamwork, Discipline and Action

We all have to get on the same page and stay on the same page. (Staying together on the same page is where the discipline will come in. Republicans have been much better at this than we have and we need to learn from them on this one theme.) This includes the DSCC, the DCCC, the DNC, the netroots, the grassroots and all the Democratic talking heads. This brings up the first point I want to talk about at YearlyKos: How do we work together to win this fall?

One example where I think we have had some success in teamwork and discipline and some necessary action is discussion of Medicare Part D. The DCCC coordinated with us - and we built a series of events here in NY-29 - in response to a visit by President Bush that he and Rubber Stamp Randy Kuhl had intended to use to play up the prescription drug plan; as usual, only Republicans were invited to the Bush event. We worked with local supporters and press to draw attention to our opposition to President Bush’s message. Rahm Emmanuel talked with me on the phone to help coordinate talking points and actions and the DCCC sent one of their blog staff to join with the Massa for Congress bloggers that week; together, we wrote a diary on the topic, published it on about seven blogs (dKos, MyDD, TPM Café, CCN, DU and a couple of others), and sent it out to e-mail lists. Our main point was that the prescription drug plan prevented negotiation of volume discounts from the pharmaceutical industry – and thus was yet another law written by the lobbyists, for the lobbyists and of the lobbyists.

The next weekend, Congressman Marion Berry of Arkansas made the same point in his weekly radio address. Now former President Clinton seems to be including this as his major talking point on the issue as well. (link) I have seen lots of other examples as well. Democrats can use this issue as a template of how we can work together. We need more of this teamwork and discipline on other issues, more and more as we near Election Day.

Strategy
The second point I want to talk about is our overall strategy. This strategy is not just about 2006 but about 2008, 2010 and the long-term future of the Democratic Party. Like Markos and Jerome, I thoroughly believe in Governor Dean’s 50 State Strategy that focuses on building from the ground up and running candidates in every race in every state. We have recently elected Democratic mayors and other office holders in the 29th district--Democratic Party is being revitalized here already! In fact we teamed with local Party activists and elected the first Democrat to the Office Mayor in Corning in over 40 years and this in the most Republican City in the District. And … you had better believe that I caught major grief from many national Party Officials for dedicating so many of my very limited resources to that race last year. But, it has paid off in huge returns as we demonstrated to the National Party that by building from the ground up we can create the infrastructure needed to win this year. With a similar theme, Markos recently wrote about Democratic resurgence in Pennsylvania The bottom line is that our Party Chair is right – the hard work of building our Party from the bottom up, with its focus on the local basis, is what gets voters to the polls on election day.

Teamwork, discipline and action are key components of this strategy. As Markos and Jerome have pointed out in Crashing the Gate, we have issue groups blind to everything but their own issue; a DC-based consultant culture that rewards failure; a threadbare, poorly-paid progressive infrastructure; and a troubling reliance on network TV in the new media universe. While we are fielding good candidates in as many races as possible, we must address these issues. For an example of discipline, we need to get Paul Begala to stop sniping at Governor Dean’s implementation of a 50 State Strategy. As another example, we will have to keep some issue groups from undermining candidates who have already won their Democratic primary. As some examples of action, we will sometimes need for candidates to work as part of a team to coordinate publicity when possible and help each other understand what are the most savvy ad buys. Other examples of actions include education in the use of the available progressive infrastructure and teaching how to provide necessary support to that infrastructure.

As a key part of our strategy, we must define progressive vision in a way that encourages issue groups and reluctant consultants, not to mention undecided voters, to buy what we are offering. Ruy Teixeira and John Halpin have suggested a politics of definition that is largely based on the common good. This is an excellent starting place for developing the progressive vision. Within a common-good based progressive vision, I believe we can first start talking about energy independence. This can be a winning issue for us both nationally and locally. To give you a better idea of the specifics of my position, here is an article from Wellsville, New York covering a recent event I did there.

Most importantly, we need to be talking about health care. Our current health care system benefits the insurance companies more than the insured. That isn’t by accident. And it’s something we must change if we ever hope to have a health care system we all can count on. Everyone knows I am a big supporter of the Fighting Dem Vets running for Congress. We do need to be talking about National Security from the common good perspective. The veterans running for Congress can take a lead role in that discussion, allowing all Democrats to beef up their national security image.

There is no shortage of issues that must be rolled into the common good vision. We must take them in turn, analyze them, and present them in a way we can all agree upon. I think we agree more than we disagree. And by placing our issues within the common good framework, I think we’ll all begin to see that.



Talking Points
As we generate our common good strategy, we must develop talking points related to a progressive vision. These talking points should be shared by candidates and spokespeople for the Democratic Party, just as seems to have inadvertently happened with the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan. We must work together as a team to get these talking points out and then we need to stay disciplined and keep our guns aimed in the right direction. We need to target Republican failures and avoid fighting each other as much as possible. They have failed to properly fight the War on Terror. They have failed to produce a sound economy. They have failed to make us secure. They have had control of both houses of congress and the White House and Republican control has not led to anything that really works toward the common good. Our action item is that we must combine our talk about the common good with well-informed criticism of the Republican failures.

As some other examples of action to go with messaging, my team has reached out to others to help craft messaging that can be shared with other Fighting Democrats, both veterans and non-veterans. One individual that has agreed to help by providing insightful economic analysis is Bonddad. We haven’t made full use of his talents yet but we will soon. Noel Schutz, who is a member of my blog team and publisher of Fighting-Dems.com, has recently combined forces with some members of the WesPAC Vets Team to send out a newsletter that addresses political issues. They are ramping up their efforts to reach out to a broad audience.

Infrastructure
Next we must continue to build a progressive infrastructure that can translate to boots on the ground. I’m not a specialist in this area, but I want to mention The Pacific NW Portal as a starting place for discussion. I do know that there are a lot of supporters in my district that have been reached through my diaries at DailyKos and elsewhere because I met one, interestingly enough, while I was standing in line to buy my copy of Crashing the Gate.

We need to start by identifying the best ways to reach out to netroots supporters and translate that into boots on the ground. We then need to work as a team to share that knowledge and implement the best strategies. And we need to discipline ourselves, to keep working together and fine-tune our methods when necessary.

Money

Unfortunately, we must all also address funding. Let me preface my discussion of this by saying that we will not be electioneering (asking for donations) while on the panel. But I do believe we need to talk about framing this issue as part of a 50 State Strategy. I am grateful beyond words for the financial help that the netroots has given me. But we are still struggling. And there are a lot of other good candidates out there who are working hard and still struggling to raise money. We need to find a way to raise more money from the people and help get it to these good candidates who are really struggling financially. This is true of many of the Veterans who are running for congress and many other good candidates too.

The way I have framed this on the campaign trail is “if you are tired of lobbyists buying your Congress – then buy it back”. If we really want a Congress that represents the interests of the people, then we need to support candidates who are running against Republicans who will be funded by special interest money. While targeting key races is a strategy that we hope will pay off in Congressional seats, we also need to level the playing ground to include those who have been left out in the cold – veteran and non-veteran fighting democrats for whom a single $5,000 contribution from a PAC or several thousand from the netroots would make a huge difference in their campaigns. They are not just sacrificial lambs, they are re-building the Democratic party from the ground up in districts and areas too long forfeited to the Republicans. We cannot have a realistic 50 State Strategy without proper funding – and proper funding will only come from the people of this Nation who feel as we do – that our democracy is under attack from within.


Here’s the bottom line on money – and yes Rahm Emmanuel is right when he stresses – almost above all else – the need to raise money…. My opponent took $20,000 from Tom Delay and is proud of it and refuses to give it back. I’d rather take one dollar from 20,000 honest Americans than 20,000 from an indicted crook. If every Registered Democrat in the United States stepped up and gave 20 dollars to our cause we WOULD CRUSH THE REPUBLICAN special interest machine. So … how do we get EVERY Democrat (and this year quite a few Republicans) to give our cause $20 dollars?

Through you – that’s how.

I ask every adult I meet for 20 dollars. In the grocery line, at the gas station, when I take out the garbage and a jogger goes by, at the gym on the treadmill next to me (that’s a real winner because they can’t run away !!:) . It means that you must relentlessly pursue every person on your email list, every relative, every friend and neighbor. If you hate fundraisers because they are insulting, cold blooded soul suckers, then become one yourself and do it better.

Chairman Dean is right: we need all fifty states. Emmanuel is right: we need the money to make that happen. Quit arguing about how bad it is that we must raise money and lets raise the money ourselves so that we can change the system and put in place a system that levels the playing field. Hell, we all know that we have better ideas, better leaders and a better vision for the future. Now – go out and help candidates raise the money needed. I’ve lost all shyness about this topic. If you are sick of Jack Abramoff buying your democracy – buy it back - $20 at a time.

And, oh, by the way, everyone can do so at massaforcongress.com where we are streamlining the ability to fund our incredible Republican Right Wing Rubber Stamp crushing machine. A contribution of $20.06 will get us to the next three events in our family values campaign mini van!!!! And – take note – we are about to launch a great cardboard boat that will be the highlight of the Seneca Lake annual event – with 10,000 people in attendance!!! Float the Boat and help us get out the message. Everyone can do this and – have fun doing it.

Every indication is that this year there is a political storm brewing that will favor progressive Democrats who articulate a vision for the future. There is a distinct possibility that Democratic candidates will have the wind at their back, that they will be able to win races this year that they would not ordinarily have a chance at winning. If you are wanting to sail as far as possible and you know you will have a favorable wind at your back, then you maximize the amount of sails you put up, using every piece of cloth you can find. We need good messaging and boots on the ground to help maximize our political sails. But we also need to raise as much money as possible to properly fund as many races as possible to take best advantage of the political winds that will be at our backs.

Raising this much money will take teamwork. Everyone on our side will have to work together. It will also take discipline. Even working together it will not be easy to raise as much money as we need to raise. We must discipline ourselves and keep pushing and working and not give up on this difficult task. Yes this will be a very difficult task. But it might be the main political action that could make the difference between taking back control of Congress and watching helplessly as President Bush and other Republican extremists continue their agenda with the approval of the Rubber Stamp Congress. If we fail to achieve a new majority in the House of Representatives the Right Wing Rubber Stamping Republicans will have 24 months of uncontrolled non-accountability to continue their agenda of destroying the middle class of this Nation.

Net Neutrality
Finally, we have to fight for net neutrality. Our traditional media is not doing the job that was envisioned by the founders when they wrote the Bill of Rights. Netroots activism has taken some of the role that the press should have. We cannot allow that to be taken away. We want Internet rules and Internet access rules written to protect the common good, not written specifically to add to the profits of the big telecommunications companies. Perhaps this could have gone under my discussion of progressive vision, but I wanted to point this out as an issue worthy of its own topic.

This is going to be a difficult issue to get “right.” The reasons for this are many, but revolve around the limited number of people who really understand the details of the issue - and - are in a position to articulate them as laws are drafted for the future. It will be very easy for special interests to twist reality and make it sound like they are working for the common good when – in fact they are not. This will take electing candidates who have built a long standing relationship with the net roots community and are willing to listen to those experts – instead of the experts inside the Beltway.

Conclusion

There are plenty of other things we could talk about, but if we can get on the same page and stay on the same page with a good strategy, talking points aimed at the right targets, a good progressive infrastructure, enough money to properly fund enough races, our hard work will have a good chance of paying off at the ballot box. And if we can keep our internet free to do the job of the press as envisioned by the Founding Fathers, that job will be much easier. But unless we work together (teamwork) and keep working together (discipline), all our hard work (actions) will likely lead to yet another disappointing defeat – this time with permanent consequences. We cannot let that happen. There is far too much at stake.

[Donna Zen]

1. A fabulous post

Eric is able to mention the differences between the netroots and the insiders without being divisive. In fact, he is right to point out our common interests. Good for him.

Now, let's get him to Congress.