In a quandry here any advice will be welcome

[gibraltar72]

as many of you know I am hard by Christian Nationalist Hillsdale College. My county is a mix of hard right Trumpers and Christo fascists. I am from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. A Facebook group I belong to is made up of Dem leaning/ progressive people and largely a counterbalance to the hate spewed by the other county groups. Admins. recently held a meeting face to face asked us how we could do more good for community and share ideas. I fully intended to go though it would take a great deal of effort. I had a couple of ideas I thought would work. Chief among those was for members to fund a fellowship program for graduating seniors. I thought that would make a splash and let county know about the group and our goals. I suggested to apply they would submit a research paper on topic of their choice. I suggested Democracy, Womens rights, systemic racism, civil rights for all and voting rights for all. Reasoning that this would be a pushback against the racist intolerant ideas common around these parts. This was scheduled for Sat. in a local park.

Flash back to middle of week get a message that local Dem party has endorsed current Mayor of Hillsdale for reelection. Mayor is a supporter of forced birth, Christian Nationalism, guns for everyone, ending public education and said he didn't care how many died during Covid. Imagine my shock I actually went to our Dem Facebook page and found it was true. Mayors opponent is a joke and will probably get 10% of the vote. I protested that we had just condoned all these behaviors. Got a lot of pushback from current Dem officers saying crap about the alternative candidate was worse. I told them this was an own goal and to reconsider putting our stamp of approval on this. It kind of turned into a pissing contest on both sites. This wasn't my intent. Have since heard from someone much higher in Dem food chain nothing will improve from giving ground.

[blm]

1. I agree with your position.

Coddling them, especially when unnecessary to do so, is a terrible precedent.

[calimary]

22. Exactly. "Nothing will improve from giving ground."

Sorry you have to deal with this, gibraltar72. We’re with you, here, though.

Seems to me the best thing you can do is remain resolved! Stay on message. Give not a millimeter!

And stay in touch here at DU. There are so many great writers, thinkers, analysts, and activists posting here, and they generate tons of ideas, talking points, resource material and links, relevant life-experience perspectives, great on-defense strategies, well-thought-out arguments, and more. And they can be found all over this site.

This isn’t just a website or a chat room. It’s an online think tank!!!

[gibraltar72]

25. Every day this site awes me with it's depth.

My Dem candidate for state Senate has reached out to me on this. She is very linked in with state Dems. I think she'll mention this to higher ups.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. What is your goal?

[gibraltar72]

6. As always promote Dem party and have

done so for many many years. We had no candidate in this contest it is non political. I thought we could do both. FB group has hundreds of more members than party. I have even offered multiple times to pay dues for new members to party.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. But I mean...are you trying to coordinate this Facebook group with the local party unit,

or change party unit leadership, or get more people involved in the local unit? Also...what dues?

[gibraltar72]

15. This particular mission was to do good and promote the FB group

Growing the party in Hillsdale is just not working. Even as National Republican party falls apart local will flourish. A way to get progressive ideas out into community and show our ideals. Just don't see a way to do it with party as everything with Dem tag on it is poison here. The dues for Dem party membership. I thought if people were introduced and participated it could grow. Pretty much met with apathy.

[halfulglas]

3. I heartily agree with you.

Just because the Dem candidate is bad does not mean you have to endorse anyone. Endorsing a candidate says you agree with most of their ideals and if you do not agree with the current mayor you cannot endorse him. He is against everything the Democratic party stands for.

Maybe they think they have to endorse somebody to even be relevant but that is so wrong.

[gibraltar72]

5. Not a Dem it is a "non political" position supposedly.

We had no candidate. That is what pisses me off.

[FakeNoose]

4. This doesn't smell right - my Spidey-sensers are up

The Democratic party officers would never endorse a Repuke, regardless of incumbency. Either some kind of deal was made somewhere or they learned something about their current Dem candidate, and they feel they can no longer support him/her.

However endorsing a Repuke is absolutely wrong, in any case. The locals need to be reported to the state Democratic committee. That's what I would do. Good luck my friend.

[gibraltar72]

7. Should have made clear this is a "non political" contest

Of course it isn't really. But there is no Dem candidate. one incumbent and an independent challenger.

[halfulglas]

12. If a Republican is running as a Republican, it's ALWAYS political.

Yes, it stinks that there isn't a Dem opponent, but that doesn't mean you have to endorse anyone.

[h2ebits]

8. From your comments. . . .

It appears that the local Democratic Party is not following the actual Party line by endorsing this candidate.

We ALL need to be fighting back as hard as we can to elect people that actually represent us.

[Brainfodder]

9. Govt should take over the 3 channels IMHO.

Apologizes on air every day before you speak on your show, for a month, or welcome to life in prison, whose turning down that deal?

K.I.S.S.

[surrealAmerican]

11. Why is it necessary to endorse either candidate?

If both hold positions contrary to your group's values, neither should be endorsed.

[gibraltar72]

16. That is exactly my point. Bastard now calls himself bipartisan problem solver.

And we endorsed his positions.

[mcar]

13. It's a tough issue but here's my experience

I'm in a ruby red rural FL county filled with TFG cultists and religious zealots. On top of that, we've got a branch of the craziest of the crazies here that make the others seem like reasonable people. As an example, they've waged a year long effort to remove members of the library board (volunteer positions appointed by county commission), city council and county commission members because they won't ban books and because a few of the libraries had discrete Gay Pride month displays last year.

At the same time, we have an active Democratic party with several clubs - including my own Democratic Women's Club that I helped to form. We've just started a Young Democrats club and our women's club gave out its first scholarship last year.

Every election cycle, we encourage and support Democrats running for local office. We also encourage people to run in the non-partisan races like school board. Right now, we've got a few electeds in non-partisan positions and 1 in the school board.

So that leaves us with all the other elected positions - only Republicans run for them. Why? Well, this cycle, we had two young people (30s, 40s) begin runs for county commission - only to drop out after a week because they and their families, including small children, were getting death threats.

So we support (not officially, but personally) the Republican candidates who are sanest. It grates, for sure, but last cycle, it worked. With our help, 2 women were elected to the county commission. This cycle, another woman has already been elected because the primary was only Republicans. So, of the 5 county commissioners, 3 will be sensible women, 1 a reasonable man, and one RWNJ woman. This means that instead of the crazy theatrics of the last few years (I can't tell you how many long-time department heads have left), we'll have actual governance. Will I agree with everything they decide on? No. But at least their decisions will be based on reality.

To have a voice, we write a lot of LTEs to our local daily, we do a lot of community/charity stuff that gets our pictures in the paper. We're at every festival and do a lot of canvassing, calling, texting and writing to local Democrats and NPAs.

We may not have elected Democrats here, but our votes could help Charlie Crist and Val Demings win.

[Kaleva]

14. A few are unhappy on the Hillsdale County Dem page but no fighting

[gibraltar72]

17. They actually tried to infer I was disloyal to object.

That was on Dem page. But most has occurred on FB page
of caring group.

[Kaleva]

18. I don't understand why they endorsed him

I agree with your concern.

[gibraltar72]

20. Some of the crap they spout

is to have a seat at the table. They don't and won't. Not in any meaningful way. In a terrible display of optics one of them says he thinks he's going to be appointed to tax appeals board. That is not a seat at the table.

[GreenWave]

19. I wonder if some of them are RWNJ incognito.

[gibraltar72]

21. I don't think that I just think they are terribly misguided.

Add naive to that. The guy can work a room some think he is a friend. IMHO they are being used.

[AverageOldGuy]

23. Why endorse anyone?

If both candidates are repulsive, simply state that you are not endorsing anyone because etc., etc., etc. Lay it out in detail.

[Hortensis]

24. Could your local party leadership be taken over by RWers

posturing as Democrats as needed? It happens.

Whoops, Greenwave wondered that first.

NO way, though, that normal liberal Democrats could ever be naive enough to not care about or endorse Christian Nationalism, guns for everyone, ending public education, etc.

LW IL-liberal extremists might. They occasionally do a lot of strange things to keep Democrats from being elected, like helping elect tRump (you know, "the worse it is, the better it is (for our agenda). Have they taken over your local leadership?

Or, perhaps the mayoral candidate isn't the crackpot extremist portrayed and it's believed he can do the job? Genuinely preferable to the alternatives?