After the convention, an eye-opening chat with Gary Page

[derby378]

For now, let me just say that he's inspired me to seek out a more active role in the drafting of the next TDP platform in 2008. The future Congressman gave me some serious food for thought as we left the convention center.

[jobycom]

1. I saw this place to eat. Suffice it to say, I'll eat there again.

ARRGGHHHH! Specifics! What did he say? What's the point of leading us on and then hanging us? :P

[derby378]

2. Visualize a shorter, more concise, and more definitive TDP platform

Cut out a lot of the wordiness and just declare "We believe..." with a list of bulleted items. Something real easy that anyone can grasp without having to wade too deep into the text.

[redqueen]

3. That is a FANTASTIC idea...

I was discussing our FORTY PAGE platform with some of my fellow SD delegates, and they mostly agreed that it'd be really helpful to have a platform we could expect people to actually familiarize themselves with.

[derby378]

4. Heck, I might start working on that idea today

Guess I'd better check the TDP website and see if the 2006 Platform is on-line yet.

[TXDem24]

5. Simple and direct

is the best form of communication. While the Texas Republican platform is considered hateful and mean-spirited (by me), it also spells out their perspective in concrete terms.

Our platform seems to try to justify its opinions and positions over-and-over-and-over-and .... yeesh. "The Republicans believe <blah>" ... "Rick Perry did <something>" ... "the Republican House <yada-yada>". Yes, the Texas Republican Party does nasty things. But a platform that caters to the notion that we are not them does not convey a very strong sense of who "we" are. Pull all of the references to the Republican Party and Republican officials and promote the true values of the Democratic Party ... jobs, justice, education, individual freedom, community, etc.. Enough of this nonsense of defining ourselves as "non-Republicans". We're better than that.

Fight the "Right". They only think they are.

[McBlogger]

6. I gotta agree with you...

and let's try condensing some of the language, especially on some of the SIG resolutions. Part of the problem with them (and with resolutions in general) is that people tend to get VERY pissy when THEIR resolution is left out. Seriously, I talked with someone who was nine kinds of pissed and the only issue was that the language had been modified from his original. I told him he was stupid and should be happy the meaning had been unchanged.

[derby378]

7. Welcome to DU!

And - dare I say it - THE ARISTOCRATS!

:rofl:

Have you recovered from Ft. Worth yet?

[McBlogger]

8. My voice is still a little f'ed up from screaming

ya basta but other than that I'm great. Thanks for asking, btw, and thanks for the welcome!

[newyawker99]

9. Hi McBlogger!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: