(Lots of people have asked questions such as "What is the state party doing?" or "What changes are being made?". Kirk's post answers these questions in a positive manner, and is worth a read. - promoted by Byron LaMasters)
During the recent neighbor to neighbor networking event organized by the DNC, I had the pleasure of walking a part of a precinct with Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie and his wife. This was just days after he had been elected to complete the term of Charles Soechting, and Boyd was already putting his commitment to rebuilding and reforming the Texas Democratic Party into action. It was not the first time I’d had the chance to meet Boyd, as he’d spoken to a meeting of the Dallas County Young Democrats just a few weeks before. It wouldn’t be the last, as his tireless schedule would bring him through Dallas several more times in recent weeks, mostly to raise funds for the state party’s operations. On every occasion, Boyd Richie’s commitment to the Democratic Party, to our progressive values and to building a better future for Texas was plainly evident.
Over the past several weeks, Boyd has been campaigning for election to a full term as chair of the Texas Democratic Party, outlining his vision to provide our candidates and organizations with the tools and support they will need to win this Fall and in the future. Knowing this candidate, knowing what he has done already for our party and his goals for the future, I am compelled to support him, not only with my vote on the convention floor, but with my voice as well. |
| Dealing with the Texas Democratic Party hasn’t always been easy. But since Rueben and his staff members have taken over the office, things have changed dramatically for the better. We now have a responsive, professional staff running the day to day operations of the Texas Democratic Party, a situation which has allowed Boyd Richie, who came in as chair just a couple months ago, to focus on what a chair should be doing: raising money, promoting the party, communicating with the grassroots and setting the vision to modernize the party’s infrastructure. In all of these capacities, Boyd has excelled. In just two months on the job, he’s done six months worth of work towards improving the financial situation and technological infrastructure of the TDP.
Boyd has criss-crossed the state successfully raising funds to keep the Texas Democratic Party moving. Over the past two months, he’s secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in new contributions and commitments .... just imagine what he could accomplish given two full years to put our party on a sustainable financial footing.
We’ve all seen the new website, which is not only very professional, it’s much easier to navigate. What only a few of us have seen is the Texas VAN, the new voter file that is one of the best in the nation. As state chair, Boyd secured the funding needed to pay for this powerful voter identification tool. As a volunteer, he joined us in Dallas as we took the new system for a very successful test run.
Many of us in redder parts of the state have watched again and again as campaigns we’ve worked hard for have failed to reach victory in part because political strategies that work well in blue-leaning areas have been imported unsuccessfully. The future of the Texas Democratic Party rests upon building a stronger base of support in areas like Dallas County, Harris County, and even our more rural counties like Young County. The fight we face in the areas where we’re not already winning is different than the fights we’ve won in areas that now support us. A candidate like Boyd Richie, who has fought hard battles in a Republican-leaning region of our state, recognizes what we need to make progress towards a Democratic future. That’s why he’s expanded the party’s email base, brought aboard a staffer to work directly with Hispanic media and has forged strong ties with grassroots leaders and organizations around the state.
After languishing for so long, the Texas Democratic Party has finally found a voice, has finally brought its communications and web technologies into the modern era, and has finally begun sowing the seeds of future victory. We may not make it to the promised land in November 2006, but by putting in place a leadership that understands the needs of Democrats in marginal and Republican-heavy counties and an infrastructure that provides these Democrats and their candidates the tools needed to identify, motivate and turnout voters on election day, the efforts Boyd Richie is making today will bear fruit for years to come.
Because I’ve seen first hand what a difference he’s made in such a short time, because he has shown that he recognizes what is needed to turn red counties blue, because it would just be senseless to throw aside the momentum of clear progress he’s established in just a few weeks on the job, I will be voting for Boyd Richie on Saturday.
I hope that the delegates at the Texas State Convention will look at how far our party has come since Boyd became chair, consider where we will need to win in order to return Texas to the Democratic fold and make the right choice, and give Boyd Richie a full term in which to enact his agenda for reform. |
