Greetings

[VoicesAcrossAmerica]

So, this isn't a truly new account. I've been on DU since 2000. My old name was Dems2002, but alas and alack it was attached to my old AOL email address and I could never get the passcode.

So here we are. And now I am Voices Across America. (voicesacrossamerica.net)

I am a full-time political consultant. I went into politics after the 2000 election. I got my first paid gig in 2002 and I never looked back. I mostly do local consulting in California, but I did spend a bit of time on Bernie Sanders Campaign in Nevada and North Carolina.

I am scared right now. But I have hope. A friend posted the following and I really liked it:

"hope is vastly more potent than either optimism or pessimism, for it bestows upon us the impetus to act, with agency, from the knowledge that the future state we would be optimistic or pessimistic about, were it preordained, is in fact up to us." attributed to Rebecca Solnit

[AwakeAtLast]

1. Greetings!

I like the new user name. Hope to hear a lot more from you!

[Ligyron]

2. Wellcome back!

Can't wait to hear more from you.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

3. Hi there, welcome back

[volstork]

4. Welcome back!

Rebecca Solnit has given me more comfort in the last two months than I can possibly express. For those who are unfamiliar with her work, I would encourage you to look her up. Her books Hope in the Dark and A Paradise Built in Hell are particularly compelling, and her message in both is most germane to the current political situation.

Thank you for posting, Voices!

[Dustlawyer]

5. Welcome back!!!

I would like to hear your views from the inside about what effect the money in our politics is having. What happens in the these private, big money fundraisers? What are those conversations like when the politician sits down with a big Donor? How much time does a politician who is an incumbent spend raising money?

The effect of the money in our politics is pretty much my only issue and an insiders view expressed here may be helpful, even if it might impact your bottom line. A campaign without money cannot afford to pay someone in your position though you are very necessary to their success. Please let us hear the unvarnished truth.

[VoicesAcrossAmerica]

9. Depends on the candidate

Let's be clear, I don't travel in the super elite circles of the $5,000 - $25,000 a plate functions. These don't appeal to me, which is why Bernie was the first Presidential Campaign I've ever worked on although I flirted with joining Dean's Campaign back when I was a neophyte.

The politicians I have supported on the local level have had a tendency to be the real salt of the liberal earth...and good fundraisers. The thing is, they get their money from folks interested in supporting liberal politicians. One candidate needed to raise around a million or so. She had a history working for Planned Parenthood and was a big environmentalist. So she was funded by Emily's List and Naral and Environmentalists as well as local people who thought she was the best thing ever. (She truly is. I wish she'd run for higher office, but she's happy.)

On the national stage, I think our biggest issue is candidate recruitment. Because fundraising is hard, how does a plumber or teacher connect to networks that are truly tied to an economic elitism? This is something that I think organizations like DU and Daily Kos need to explore. Seed money for regular people to run for office. I personally have no problem paying a candidate from his or her campaign account a small amount if a job is impacted as a result of running. Because we need people from the lower rungs of the economic ladder to run for office. This is a huge personal passion and something I'm looking into proactively supporting.

Since I haven't worked for the big campaigns that are dialing for dollars and having fundraising events throughout the year (members of Congress have it the absolute worst since they are on the two year cycle from hell), my candidates tend to spend a majority of their time...attending local events. Mayors and Supervisors and Council Members attend a lot of events every single month. It sometimes makes me exhausted to even think about.

I believe in campaign finance reform. 100%. I hate the billionaires funneling money so far down the ladder because their funds can have an outside effect in smaller races. But what I am finding is that as we get more partisan, it's a lot harder to change someone's mind. We're voting Democrat or Republican, and the candidate doesn't matter. Where it matters, and where the National Democratic Party failed us, is in turnout. It's all about the base. Clinton's team spent way too much time trying to get Republican Women rather than turning out the Democratic Base.

[AJT]

6. Thank you

I needed a positive thought.
Welcome back.

[blueseas]

7. Welcome Back!

[Phentex]

8. Today I do not have hope...

Welcome to DU.

I am usually a very optimistic person. But for me, personally, this is very different from just surviving W Bush. This is unfathomable.

The only teeny ounce of hope I have seen is my republican friends and neighbors who would normally support anything with an R by its name are equally appalled and disgusted.

I'll get over myself and regroup soon. I am marching in the women's march tomorrow and that will probably bring me hope. Today I am going to hide out in a movie theater and play with my dogs later.

[sakabatou]

10. Welcome back