Annapolis Democrats Platform for the 2017 City Elections Click Here for PDF File |
The Annapolis Democratic Central Committee (ADCC) supports a strong and viable Democratic Party in the City of Annapolis through voter registration campaigns, promoting the election of the Democratic nominees, fund raising, and encouraging broad participation in the Democratic Party.
We are visible, active, and effective. You can make a difference by getting involved too!
Annapolis Democrats travel to the 2016 Philadelphia Convention
Insights: How the ADCC Helps Candidates, and More
As I thought through it I came to a better understanding of the purpose of both the central committee and party affiliation in general. For example, what is the purpose of parties? Candidates for office in our system run with a party affiliation because they believe in the general values espoused by the party. The party, in turn, supports all of its candidates. Voters choose parties and candidates for the same reasons.
Speaker Bush addresses Democratic values very well when he describes the difference between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats believe the the government can play a productive and supportive role in peoples lives. Republicans don't. Candidates affiliate with the Democratic party because they support that belief AND they want to support other Democrats.
At the city, county, and state level, central committees and political clubs will broadly support candidates not just as individuals, but as members of the party. This usually happens through party centered, multiple candidate advertising or through GOTV efforts, but there are many other forms that broad support can take.
A symptom of a breakdown of party contiguity is a candidate that says they will run with a particular party affiliation, but will not support the party in general. This suggests that that candidate doesn't support the party's positions, is running on a single issue and party affiliation is incidental, or they are simply taking advantage of the broader efforts of the party and the other affiliated candidates that ARE supporting the party's positions and outreach efforts. Such a candidate will invariably fail to broadcast the party's message along with their own.
As this breakdown spreads it infects the electorate in the form of a distortion or usurpation of the party's message. The electorate begins to focus on specific issues that can be easily manipulated by the opposition in individual races. The result is a voter that has lost touch with the reason they became a Democrat in the first place. The inevitable next step is a change in party affiliation. This is happening now in Annapolis and all across Maryland as voters chose to become independents or cross party lines.
A breakdown in party contiguity on the part of both candidates and the electorate is part of the reason that both Josh Cohen and Anthony Brown lost their respective elections.
The 2017 election will not be a normal city election; quite possibly in a significantly more contentious way than in 2013. We are expecting the Republican party to give record breaking support to candidates in Annapolis. They consider Mike Pantaledes' win a foot in the door that they will not give up without a bitter fight. Council candidates who ran unopposed should not expect the same luxury in 2017.
We need to coalesce as a party - as Democrats - and begin preparing for that fight. A key component of this is abandoning the idea that only individuals are running in a particular ward or district and recognizing that we are members of a team. In this election, that may be the difference between winning and losing in the big picture.
Sunday, October 18 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Home of Bob Gallagher & Cate Greene
4th of July Parade, 2015
ADCC Regular Monthly Meeting
Third Wednesday of each month, 7 pm at the Mt. Olive AME Church, 2 Hicks Ave Annapolis, MD 21401 (map). Open to all who wish to come and support the efforts of our local party.
