Money, people, and politics in Tennessee

I have recently started a new job as part of a grassroots effort with the Tennessee Democratic Party. Myself and the people I work with go out each day and talk to voters, we tell them about new demographic information the Democratic party has obtained that makes it easy to see how the Democrats in Tennessee, if we get the ball rolling now, can make the 2012 and 2014 elections turn out very differently from the 2008 and 2010 elections. We work to get the Democrats we talk to excited about this information and the new path the party is on. We speak with as many people as we can each day in order to make the Democrats of Tennessee understand that we need their help. We need volunteers and we need contributions to utilize the new information and tools we have at our disposal. We do everything in our power to make it clear that Democrats can win in this state, but only if we have the help of the people who will most benefit from the election of more Democrats.

The problem is that each and every day I have people tell me that I am wasting my time. They believe that Tennessee has become a Republican controlled state and that there is nothing that I or any one else can do to change that. The sad thing is that, if we think this way, they are right. Luckily if we decide that this state is worth fighting for, and it is, if we decide that things like public schools and Medicare are worth fighting for, and they are, if we decide that we can take this state and our nation back from the wealthy, self appointed elite that now control it, and we can, then we can make all of these things happen. But only we can make all of these things happen, no one else is going to do it for us.

The Democratic Party in Tennessee is going through a period of change as we speak. For years the party operated as a "good ol' boys" network with the control of the party resting outside of the hands of the average Democrat. Well the old network has moved on. A state House, Senate, and Governor's Office in Republican hands has made the good ol' boys look for greener pastures and this has put a dent in the Democratic Party's finances. At the same time it has created a great opportunity for the rest of us. Someone has to fill the vacuum left behind and if we act now we, the average, everyday, less than wealthy, Democrats in Tennessee can step in and have our voices heard in a greater way than they ever have before.

The way we do this is easy. We get involved. The party needs your contributions of time and money. You don't have to spend 40 hours a week at party HQ and you don't have to write out a check for $5,000.00. But the time that you can spare, you know that time you normally fill playing games on facebook, and the money that you can spare, think of how much you spend each month on eating out or on going to the movies or on drinks after work, will not only be of great help, it will also get noticed. Trust me, the party knows which areas donate the most and the most regularly. The party knows the average income levels and racial make up of the areas where volunteers and donations come from. The party knows this and will take notice, but if we don't contribute there will be nothing to notice.

A great opportunity has been laid at the feet of the voters of this state. Especially those voters who may rightfully feel that the Democratic party has not paid close enough attention to the issues that effect them the most. We have the opportunity to make the Tennessee Democratic Party our party. Will we make the most of this opportunity or let it slip away?

If you would like to make a contribution to the Democratic Party of your time or money you can contact me through this blog and I will be happy to make that happen. Because together we can make it happen, we can become the change we want to see in the world.