Here's an idea I have been mulling...

[Javaman]

(I posted this as it's own thread. It was originally a reply in another thread)

Just like Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, the Texas Dems should launch a 254 county strategy.

And call it "Texas 254".

Just a thought, what do y'all think?

(I sent an email to the Texas Democratic Party with this suggestion.)

[northoftheborder]

1. I just don't know .... I live in a 90% Repub. county.....we have an active county Dem. chair....

who beats the bushes every election to find people to work in the election precincts, has a calling group that makes tons of calls.....we have an active women's group....and another Dem. club. Nothing changes here. Still Repubs elected statewide and local. How a state can elect for attorney general, (a very powerful office in Texas,) a demagogic radio talk-show host with extreme views and little elected experience, over a Latina woman with years of experience in the leg., a pharmacist, smart and personable, just depresses the heck out of me. Of course I'm equally astonished that Rick Scott and Scott Walker were reelected in their states.

I'm sure there are plenty of counties in Texas who have little Dem. activism, but with such a large majority of Republican voters who apparently care nothing about the qualities of their candidates, or positions on issues.....I just don't see how it's going to work, (turning Texas Blue.)

Sorry to be such a downer, I'm just tired. Revolution will come when I'm gone.

[Javaman]

2. I know, it's hard.

But we have to start somewhere to defeat gerrymandering.

[rock]

5. Imagine the republicants are morans and completely ignorant...

Hey... wait a minute!

[LostOne4Ever]

3. I think that working at increasing democratic bases throughout the state

[font style="font-family:papyrus,'Brush Script MT','comic sans MS',fantasy;" size=3 color=teal]is a [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]great idea[/font]. We shouldn't completely give up on red counties and should work to start chipping away at those strongholds.

Of course, conversely, I think that [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]during an election[/font] that investing large or similar amounts of resources and capital into trying to win county's like Midland Country at the expense of more balanced counties is [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]a bad idea.[/font] I just think giving up on the red counties all together is a [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]worse idea.[/font]

We do have liberals out here in West Texas and it would have been nice to have seen [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]at least one[/font] Wendy Davis ad. But I didn't even see that...

It will take time and effort to break the GOP's chokehold on Texas. We shouldn't give up on the red counties, but we shouldn't be unrealistic in our expectations either. I think the key is to find the right [font style="font-family:'Brush Script MT',''Lucida handwriting','forte',cursive;" size=5 color=crimson]balance[/font] between building inroads and utilizing our resource in the most efficient way to win elections.[/font]

[Javaman]

4. I think what you say is the best avenue...

We put money were it will work but still put our toes into the reddest of red areas to test the waters and let those who are closet liberals (I'm sure there are many) that the party is aware of them.

In some counties we can make huge strides, in others it takes the wisdom of water wearing down a stone: many years. It's that tactic that needs to be employed in the tough areas.

[Downwinder]

6. Give me a little time to recuperate.

We have no Dems left in office here. Nor did we have candidates for all positions.

[Javaman]

7. True, but that's right now.

I'm looking toward 2016.

we have to start organizing now.

[CoolOnion]

8. YES! Great idea.

Don't hold your breath waiting for the party to do it, we can do it ourselves.

If you're a precinct chair, work your precincts and get together with chairs of neighboring precincts to do voter registrations, informational meetings, social events and things like that.

If you're in a Republican area, use the party's Voter Activation Network to find the few Democrats in your precinct. Meet with them, work on "soft Republicans," and see if you can flip that precinct. In Dallas County, one of our precinct chairs flipped 2 precincts from Republican to Democratic, which means those two precincts get Democratic election judges next time.

It's a slow process, but it's easier to do precinct by precinct than waiting for some miracle from the Texas Democratic Party.