Remarks by David Beattie
Sarasota Democrats
June 11, 2005

I HAVE A BASIC PREMISE AND A BIAS: IF DEMOCRATS CANNOT BE COMPETITIVE IN RURAL AREAS IN THE WEST, SOUTH AND MIDWEST, WE FACE A LONG WINTER IN THE COLD AS A MINORITY PARTY THAT WILL HOLD DECREASING MARGINS OF SUPPORT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE MUST LEARN FROM THE LESSONS OF VIETNAM THAT WE CANNOT HOLD THE CITIES, WHILE LOSING THE COUNTRYSIDE, AND EXPECT TO WIN THE WAR. DEMOCRATS MUST LEARN TO COMPETE IN PLACES LIKE NASSAU, HARDEE, AND DESOTO COUNTIES.

JUST DAYS BEFORE THE ELECTION THIS PAST YEAR WE SPOKE WITH VOTERS STATE WIDE IN FLORIDA– THEY WERE NEGATIVE ABOUT THE DIRECTION OF THE COUNTRY, EVENLY SPLIT IN THE PRESIDENTIAL AND SENATE RACE, CONCERNED ABOUT THE ECONOMY, CONCERNED ABOUT BUDGET DEFICITS. IN SHORT DEMOCRATS CAN WIN HERE WITH THE RIGHT CANDIDATES AND THE RIGHT MESSAGE, IT IS NOT TIME TO SHUT THE DOORS ON THE PARTY AND WALK AWAY. BUT WE NEED TO RETURN TO THE LANGUAGE OF JOHN F KENNEDY AND MARTIN LUTHER KING, LEADERS WHO SPOKE ABOUT THEIR CONVICTIONS OF EQUALITY, OPPORTUNITY, SACRIFICE AND RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR FELLOW MAN. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE FAIL TO ARTICULATE OUR BROADER BELIEF? WE LOSE.

WE, AS A PARTY, SEEM TO HAVE LOST OUR ABILITY TO ARTICULATE THE PRINCIPLES AT STAKE, AND THE DEBATE ABOUT FAITH BECAME PARTIAL BIRTH ABORTION AND GAY MARRIAGE. THAT IS A NARROW CONCEPT OF RIGHT AND WRONG, AND AMERICANS BELIEVE IN SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, KINDNESS TO STRANGERS, TREATING OTHERS AS WE WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED, REPAYING OUR DEBTS, STANDING UP TO BULLIES WHO PREY ON THE WEAK—THESE ARE THE VALUES OF DEMOCRATS. AND AMERICANS AGREE WITH OUR IDEALS WHEN WE ARTICULATE THEM.

WE MUST MOVE AWAY FROM THE APPEARANCE THAT WE PANDER TO AN INTELLECTUAL ELITE AND OVERCOME OUR FEAR OF TAKING STANDS THAT MAY OFFEND SOME INTEREST GROUP OR DONOR GROUP IN OUR OWN PARTY. WE, AS A PARTY, OFTEN PORTRAY AN ELITIST ATTITUDE THAT TAKES BLACKS FOR GRANTED, HISPANICS FOR GRANTED AND RURAL POOR WHITES FOR GRANTED, AND THEY KNOW IT. MANY DEMOCRATS, ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON, SEEM UNABLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE OF FAITH, SO FAIL TO TALK ABOUT THEM WITH RESPECT. IF WE TALKED ABOUT BLACKS WITH THE SAME DERISIVE TONE WE USE TO TALK ABOUT PEOPLE OF FAITH WE WOULD BE CALLED RACIST.

PART OF THE REPUBLICANS’ SUCCESS HAS BEEN THE CONSISTENT MYTHOLOGY OF A GREAT AMERICA OF SMALL GOVERNMENT AND PERSONAL WEALTH. THEY HAVE AN ICON IN RONALD REAGAN WHO THEY ATTRIBUTE THEIR IDEALS TO – AND PEOPLE LIKE THEIR VISION EVEN IF IT IS NOT THEIR PERSONAL REALITY. THEY HAVE A ONE WORD DESCRIPTION TO DESCRIBE A DEMOCRAT IN EVERY RACE FROM THE STATE HOUSE TO THE WHITE HOUSE – LIBERAL. OF COURSE, WE PLAY INTO THEIR HANDS. WE ARE A PARTY THAT TALKS ABOUT POLICY, BUT FAILS TO CONNECT POLICY TO IDEALS. SADLY, TO MANY VOTERS, WE HAVE BECOME THE PARTY OF AN OUT-OF-TOUCH ELITE, AND REPUBLICANS HAVE BECOME THE PARTY OF THE COMMON PERSON.

TO REMAIN RELEVANT NATIONALLY THERE ARE TWO PARALLEL PATHS WE MUST TAKE. THE FIRST PATH INCLUDES STRUCTURAL, TARGETING AND TACTICAL CHANGES THAT CAN BE UNDERTAKEN BY US AS A PARTY. THE SECOND, MORE DIFFICULT, PROFOUND AND PERSONAL, IS AN EFFORT BY INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES TO EXPRESS THEIR IDEALS AND BELIEFS ABOUT SOCIETY. NEITHER THE PARTY’S PATH NOR THE CANDIDATE’S PATH ALONE CAN ASSURE US OF VICTORY.

AND WHILE STRUCTURAL, TARGETING AND TACTICAL CHANGES COMBINED WITH CANDIDATE INTROSPECTION MUST OCCUR NATIONALLY, WE FACE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AS DEMOCRATS IN THE SOUTH. JOHN KERRY DID NOT WIN A SINGLE STATE HERE IN THE SOUTH, DESPITE THE FACT THAT DEMOCRATS CAN AND DO WIN HERE. IN FACT, GEORGE W. BUSH CARRIED 90% OF THE COUNTIES IN THE SOUTH WHERE WHITES MAKE UP THE MAJORITY OF VOTERS. IN FLORIDA JOHN KERRY WON ONLY 4 COUNTIES WITH OVER 60% OF THE VOTE, BUSH WON 31 COUNTIES WITH OVER 60% OF THE VOTE.

OVER THE PAST 30 YEARS, THE SOUTH AND FLORIDA HAVE TRANSFORMED FROM A BASTION OF DEMOCRATIC STRENGTH TO RACIALLY DIVIDED ENEMY TERRITORY. THE CHANGE IN FLORIDA HAS ONLY TAKEN ONE DECADE. IT IS TOO SIMPLE AND FRANKLY UNPRODUCTIVE TO SAY THE PROBLEM IS IGNORANT, RACIST, SOUTHERN WHITES WHO SIMPLY REFUSE TO VOTE THEIR ECONOMIC SELF-INTEREST. OUR RHETORICAL DISCONNECT GOES MUCH DEEPER THAN THAT – AND THE RHETORIC OF BELIEF AND IDEALS, THE COMMITMENT TO A HIGHER PURPOSE AND A HIGHER POWER CANNOT BE TAUGHT, BUT MUST BE FOUND WITHIN EACH CANDIDATE, ONE AT A TIME. A PARTY CAN NOT DEFINE A BELIEF IN THE DIVINE AND A PARTY CANNOT SHOW CONVICTION, ONLY CANDIDATES CAN.

A PARTY OF DIVERSE BELIEFS AND DIVERSE RACES WILL NEVER HAVE, NOR ACCEPT, TOP DOWN CONTROL THAT DEFINES REPUBLICANS – NOR WOULD WE WANT THAT EMPTY LEADERSHIP BY FORCE. BUT WE NEED TO BE UNIFIED BY A BELIEF IN THE COMMON GOOD AND USE A COMMON LANGUAGE TO DESCRIBE WHAT THESE REPUBLICANS ARE DOING TO OUR FUTURE. THEY ARE RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE. FROM THEIR WAR ON PRIVACY, OR THEIR PANDERING TO CORPORATE INTERESTS OVER OUR COMMON INTERESTS OR THEIR COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY WHEN IT COMES TO TAXES, THE BUDGET OR SOCIAL SECURITY, THEY ARE RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE. I ASK EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM FOR A FAVOR – FOR THE NEXT MONTH EVERY TIME YOU TALK ABOUT HOW REPUBLICANS ARE RUINING OUR ECONOMY, DESTROYING THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND MAKING IT EASIER FOR COMPANIES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CONSUMERS POINT OUT HOW THEY ARE RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE.

AS INDIVIDUALS WE CAN SEARCH TO ARTICULATE OUR OWN BELIEFS AND HOLD REPUBLICANS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR IRRESPONSIBLE PLANS. BUT, TOGETHER WE HERE TODAY CAN ALSO WORK TO CHANGE THE PARTY’S PATH AND DIRECTION. THERE ARE THREE AREAS OF CHANGE TO BE HIGHLIGHTED: STRUCTURAL CHANGES, TARGETING CHANGES AND TACTICAL CHANGES.

THERE ARE TWO CHANGES TO THE STRUCTURE OF POLITICS WE CAN UNDERTAKE: 1) CHANGE THE NOMINATION TIMELINE; AND 2) ACTIVELY PLACE SYMBOLIC BALLOT INITIATIVES ON STATE BALLOTS.

FIRST, CHANGING THE NOMINATION TIMELINE -- ANY EARLY, TIGHTLY BUNCHED PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION VIRTUALLY GUARANTEES ONLY AN ALREADY KNOWN ELECTED OFFICIAL, NOT NECESSARILY THE STRONGEST IN THE GENERAL ELECTION, WILL WIN THE PRIMARY. WHATEVER PLAN IS ADOPTED MUST START LATER AND ENSURE THERE ARE FEWER STATES AT ONE TIME EARLY AND BUILD TO THE LARGER NUMBER OF STATES AT ONE TIME. THE TIMING SHOULD BE MORE LIKE A PLAYOFF – BUILDING TO A CRESCENDO, RATHER THAN SHOTGUN START GOLF, WHERE NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION TO WHAT IS GOING ON ELSEWHERE. THE VANISHING VOTER BY THOMAS E. PATTERSON IS A VERY THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF ELECTORAL BEHAVIOR AND A JUSTIFICATION ABOUT WHY THIS WILL WORK. IN ADDITION, WE NEED TO ADOPT THE STRATEGY THAT EVERY PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUE ADOPTS TO STRENGTHEN PLAY – THE WEAKEST TEAM GOES FIRST. SO THE STATE KERRY LOST BY THE WIDEST MARGIN IN 2004 SHOULD BE IN THE FIRST WEEK OF PRIMARIES – THAT WAS UTAH.

SECOND, WE NEED TO PLACE INITIATIVES ON THE BALLOT TO HIGHLIGHT OUR DIFFERENCES WITH REPUBLICANS. THE MINIMUM WAGE WORKED AS A PERSUASIVE ISSUE IN FLORIDA AND I BELIEVE KERRY COULD HAVE WON THE STATE BY CAMPAIGNING ON THAT ISSUE, PROTECTING PRIVACY WORKS IN OTHER AREAS, REQUIRING AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE, CAPPING CREDIT CARD RATES IN OTHER AREAS – THESE MUST TAKE PLACE AT THE STATE LEVEL AND BE STATE-SPECIFIC.

THERE ARE ALSO TWO TARGETING CHANGES WE MUST MAKE, AS WELL: 1) TARGETING CATHOLICS; AND 2) TARGETING SMALL BUSINESS.

FIRST, CATHOLICS BELIEVE IN DOING “GOOD WORKS” AND TEND TO ACCEPT THE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONS. CATHOLICISM OVERALL ESPOUSES A MORE COMMUNAL ETHIC THAN THE INDIVIDUALISTIC BELIEFS OF BAPTISTS, FOR EXAMPLE. STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY AND HELPING OTHERS, VERY NATURAL DEMOCRATIC IDEALS, CONNECT WITH CATHOLICS. ADDITIONALLY, TARGETING CATHOLICS HELPS US REACH OUT TO HISPANIC VOTERS. UNLIKE WITH EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS, WE CAN WIN CATHOLIC VOTERS.

THE SECOND TARGETING CHANGE IS A COMMITMENT TO BEING THE PARTY OF SMALL BUSINESS, THE PARTY OF MAIN STREET, NOT WALL STREET. VOTERS ALREADY BELIEVE WE ARE THE PARTY OF SMALL BUSINESS; WE NEED TO BRING THAT MESSAGE TO THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. FROM AN ELECTORAL STANDPOINT, A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE WHO HAS A SMALL BUSINESS BACKGROUND CHALLENGES SOME OF THE STEREOTYPES OF DEMOCRATS. WE NEED A LONG-TERM PLAN TO NURTURE DEMOCRATIC BUSINESS LEADERS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND TO DEVELOP A PLATFORM FOCUSED ON LOWERING THE COST OF HEALTH CARE, SIMPLIFYING THE TAX CODE FOR SMALL BUSINESS AND ENCOURAGING THEM TO TRAIN EMPLOYEES. MUCH AS REPUBLICANS USED SCHOOL BOARDS TO TRAIN AND RECRUIT ACTIVISTS IN THE 1980S AND 1990S, WE MUST DO THE SAME WITH LOCAL CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE.

FINALLY, THERE ARE TWO TACTICAL CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE IN HOW WE RUN CAMPAIGNS: 1) ORGANIZING AROUND EVENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS; AND 2) SUPPORTING BLACKS AND HISPANICS WHO RUN FOR NON-MINORITY MAJORITY SEATS OR WHO RUN STATEWIDE.

REPUBLICAN JOE SCARBOROUGH, A FORMER MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM PENSACOLA, ONCE SAID THAT YOU SHOULD ORGANIZE AROUND ORGANIZATIONS – GO WHERE THE PEOPLE ALREADY ARE. IN MANY RURAL AND EXURBAN AREAS, THIS INCLUDES HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES, COMMUNITY FESTIVALS AND BEAUTY SALONS. THE PEOPLE WE NEED TO WIN BACK IN EXURBAN AREAS YEARN FOR COMMUNITY, AND WE MUST RECOGNIZE THEIR DESIRE TO BE IDENTIFIED WITH A GROUP, NOT TARGETED NECESSARILY AS INDIVIDUALS.

FINALLY, WE NEED TO SUPPORT BLACK AND HISPANIC CANDIDATES WHO RUN IN NON-MINORITY MAJORITY DISTRICTS. RACE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR UNSPOKEN TABOOS IN OUR SOCIETY, AND WHEN WE SUPPORT CANDIDATES WHO RUN STATEWIDE IN THE SOUTH, WE CHALLENGE THOSE RACIAL ATTITUDES AND CHANGE THEM. ALSO, WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE SUPPORT AMONG YOUNGER BLACKS AND HISPANICS IF OUR PARTY IS SEEN AS THE ONE PERPETUATING THE RACIAL BALKANIZATION OF POLITICS, WHILE REPUBLICANS ACTIVELY RECRUIT AND SUPPORT MINORITY CANDIDATES FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE.

WHILE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM MAY NOT AGREE WITH ALL OF THE SPECIFIC STEPS I HAVE OUTLINED, THERE IS A CONSENSUS THAT WE MUST CHANGE. I KNOW WE ARE ALL COMMITTED TO MOVING OUR PARTY FORWARD—FOR THE STAKES ARE HIGH AND OUR PRINCIPLES ARE RIGHT. I CONCLUDE WITH THE CLOSING WORDS FROM JOHN F. KENNEDY’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. THIS IS THE LANGUAGE OF IDEALS AND PURPOSE WE MUST NEVER FORGET.

"AND SO MY FELLOW AMERICANS: ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU -ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY. MY FELLOW CITIZENS OF THE WORLD: ASK NOT WHAT AMERICA WILL DO FOR YOU, BUT WHAT TOGETHER WE CAN DO FOR THE FREEDOM OF MAN. FINALLY, WHETHER YOU ARE CITIZENS OF AMERICA OR CITIZENS OF THE WORLD, ASK OF US HERE THE SAME STANDARDS OF STRENGTH AND SACRIFICE WHICH WE ASK OF YOU. WITH A GOOD CONSCIENCE OUR ONLY SURE REWARD, WITH HISTORY THE FINAL JUDGE OF OUR DEEDS, LET US GO FORTH TO LEAD THE LAND WE LOVE, ASKING HIS BLESSING AND HIS HELP, BUT KNOWING THAT HERE ON EARTH GOD'S WORK MUST TRULY BE OUR OWN."