Martha Laning is the new chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin

[dragonlady]

After the most intensely fought election for chair in many years, Martha Laning was chosen as their new chair by Democrats looking for a change in the way the party operates. This election brought out many people who had not been active in the official party before but knew it was time to make a stand. She and her first vice-chair, Rep. David Bowen, will now have to bring the party together and get us all to work on revitalizing the party and winning some elections for a change.

Martha Laning, a Plymouth community activist, was handily elected as chair of the state's Democratic Party on Saturday, despite intense competition for the job.

Laning, 52, won 721 votes to 428 for her closest competitor, Jason Rae, a political consultant from Milwaukee.

Joe Wineke, who served as party chair from 2005 to 2009, received 191 votes. Two other candidates, Jeff Smith and Stephen Smith, received three and six votes respectively.

Laning promised to pull the bruised party together after big defeats in the governor's race and both chambers of the State House and rancor associated with the competition for the chairmanship.

"We will work to mend bridges," Laning said.

Former state Rep. Jeff Smith had been the choice of many progressives, especially those from the crucial northern part of the state, but on the day before the convention opened he sent a message to his supporters urging them to instead support Martha Laning, and he gave the nomination speech for her today before voting began. He deserves credit for putting the future of the party ahead of his own aspirations. I hope Laning will consider a role for him in the redirection of the party as we go forward.

[Scuba]

1. Good for two reasons: She'll do a good job and her name is not Jason Rae.

[a kennedy]

2. So where can we get to know her??

Thanks.

[dragonlady]

3. Here is her campaign website

Martha Laning:
http://www.laningforwisconsin.com/

For Martha's running mate, the new 1st vice chair, David Bowen:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowen_Wisconsin

[ewagner]

4. Met Martha and David

at the 7th CD Convention in April....

I was concerned about Martha's ability to rise to the challenge of the fight but I was really impressed with David....

Now?

I'm surprised she won but very impressed....the fact that she didn't take the "bait" of Jeff Smith offering her the Exec Director's job a week before the convention shows some "moxy" and a willingness to fight that I didn't think she had.

Her vote total was impressive...I think that indicates that the rank-and-file was hellbent on taking the party back and they certainly did.

Now the work begins.

[dragonlady]

5. They ran a very effective campaign

And the results show it. Martha did a great job of rounding up support around the state, contrary to the idea that she doesn't have enough experience at politics. I think her instincts in that direction are just fine.

As far as David, he is a wonder. At a very young age, he got elected to the county board and led the fight to get a living wage for county contractors (home health aides and such), overcoming the veto of our DINO county executive. Then he ran against three others for the open Assembly seat and got more votes than all of them combined, despite two of them having support from the aforementioned county executive and a powerful state senator. His success comes from his good political sense and his constant interaction with people in his community. Other candidates would do well to learn from him.

[ewagner]

6. Thanks dragonlady

you're still fighting the good fight!!!!

[tanglefoot]

7. I'm cool with the kumbya stuff.

What I don't get is everyone calling Laning a progressive. She didn't even come close to running that kind of campaign for senate. And it seemed like every plank in her platform came from Jeff Smith. If he was for it, so was she.

I'm not the only one to notice either...

...One peculiar dimension of this escalating battle for the soul of the Democratic Party is that, up to this point anyway, it has been a clash of namesakes. Strangely, both the old guard and the mutineers call themselves the same thing.

Supporters of the establishment favorites for state party chair as well as the change candidates were telling each other before the voting they are all “good progressives.” Defenders of urban interests hoping to commandeer the party’s “rural caucus” took pains to assure everyone they were good progressives. The architects of miserable election strategies from 2010 through 2014 are said to be good progressives.

Consultants who coach Democratic office seekers to avoid being pinned down on issues, to stand for as little as possible and just focus on raising money are considered good progressives by an astonishing number of people in Democratic circles. These are what authors Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson call the “Mark Hanna Democrats” in their book Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer – And Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. Modern-day Hanna Democrats are epitomized by Rahm Emanuel, who once told staffers: “The first third of your campaign is money, money, money. The second third is money, money and press. And the last third is votes, press and money.” As Hacker and Pierson observe: “For those of you keeping score at home, that’s money 6, votes 1.”

Corporate Democrats get the “good progressive” stamp of approval. So do the party’s populists. Hillary Clinton and her supporters are called good progressives. So are Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and theirs.

Strange....

http://www.bluejeannation.com/clash-of-namesakes/