Reply #4: I can assure you MI didn't go blue cause of Fowler [View All]

[JNelson6563]

and wouldn't it be grand if he could be judged only on that? ;-)

I was involved heavily and I can tell you that the improvements on the ground were not due to Coordinated Campaign, it was in spite of CC. They took it upon themselves to call the shots for local concerns to the local parties. That was irritating enough but there was also lots of promised monies that weren't delivered without much time elapsing and then many calls made. In fact, nothing was forthcoming unti threats were issued to go directly to the MDP chair. Then HOO-BOY did we see some action! Many of the folks we dealt with were pretty arrogant, many clueless. There was no organization and the staffing was really terrible! A large pecentage were very young, they had no idea.

If it had been a business it would have failed.

As for your triumphant claims that we "won" MI, for your information many of us worked long and hard before Fowler ever set foot in MI. Building memberhsip, raising money and all the other grunt work this most recent crop of transients known among us as "UNCoordinated" swooped in & exploited to the -inth degree. They pissed off and alienated volunteers, they sucked up major resources and were utterly useless at "helping" to coordinate events.

Here's an example for you. Elizabeth Edwards came to town. I met with the advance team cause my Co. Chair is out of town. I was at my second meeting with AT and our CC contact calls and is breathlessly telling me that E. Edwards is coming to town so expect a call. Yeah, thanks I'm with them now, for the second time. So I spend a whole week of my life, 12 or so hours a day, setting up this event. I am a volunteer BTW. Not a soul from CC shows up or does any heavy lifting. All the "local" CC person does is finagle his entire in-law family into the event, otherwise, MIA. So, all this work is done, my family is very upset they haven't seen me for days, the big event comes and who shows up? Why it's the CC people just in time for lights! Camera! Action!! Thanks for nothing.

But wait there's more. In case you were going to take the "sounds like the trouble was localized and you just had bad luck with CC" defense, I must warn you I am connected throughout the state. I can tell you of at least 3 County parties who kicked their CC person out. Right out of the Dem HQ!! That's how bad it was! We were tempted many times, even threatened to when having trouble collecting our promised monies.....they were lucky we didn't.

We didn't get any swag until a couple of days before election day and, at the state convention in Aug. we were granted 70 lawn signs by the state. Wow! Thanks! Of course fortunately we operate very independently and have healthy coffers. We went through 7,000 lawn signs. We paid for the bulk of them. 1,500 from UAW, 70 from CC and the rest we bought. We paid about $2 each and were giving them to neighboring counties who were depending (and disappointed) on the CC to help them. We'd give 'em signs for only $1 donation each. How come my little county party was able to be of more help to these others than the state org. designed to do it????

Yeah, Fowler really did a great job. Ugh. I never saw such a lack of organization and leadership in all my life and you would tell all these good people here at DU that Fowler is the man to lead our party on a national level???? Shame on you.

Julie