President’s Note from February 2020 Newsletter
Over the past week, as I’ve been thinking about what to write here, I’ve stopped myself several times and said to myself, “No, I’m just preaching to the choir and don’t need to bring that up.” I certainly don’t need to tell the Lake Highlands White Rock Democrats the importance of holding the newly gained Democrat seats in the Texas State House while flipping enough seats to win the Texas State House. Or the importance of electing a Democratic Railroad Commissioner to protect the environment in one of the largest gas-producing economies on Earth. Or the importance of beating Donald J. Trump in 2020 and reversing the damage he has done to our leadership status in the world, the environment, and the moral fiber of our country.
As Democrats, we have shared values, so I often wonder how much sense it makes for me or others to be lecturing the base on issues. We don’t need more talk about the issues we care about; we need to elect leaders that have workable solutions to the challenges that we face and a proven record of getting stuff done.
After thinking about the choir analogy a little more, I came to a few conclusions. The first being that we need a larger choir to communicate our Democratic views and values more effectively. Our political system has deteriorated into an “us” against “them” contest, and we need to make sure that “our side” can be inclusive of moderates and independents. Moving too far to the left may exclude this enormous number of potential independent and moderate voters.
Secondly, we need to make sure the choir is singing the right song and has the proper equipment to get the message across to a diverse audience effectively. The Democratic Party needs to be crafting a message moving toward the general election not just to target the Democratic base but also to target undecided and independent voters. Also, using new media such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, and other ways to get out the vote and connect with voters is more crucial than ever.
At the LHWR Democrats, we are going through some of this ourselves while we reevaluate the effectiveness of direct mail pieces and printed newsletters. PS.. make sure to follow us on Instagram at @lhwrdemocrats
Ultimately, I concluded that we don’t need to be preaching to the choir. What we need to be doing is growing and equipping the choir with new tools so that our Democratic messages can be amplified and heard from a distance and with stinging poignancy.
As a club that works to elect Democratic candidates, we are indeed stronger with more volunteers and members that are united and spreading these Democratic values. Please invite your friends to attend one of these meetings to learn more about how they can get involved with the club and the Dallas County Democratic Party. Or simply direct them to our website to become a member. https://www.lhwrdemocrats.org/membership
We certainly have our work cut out for us, and every vote counts and we can only do this with your support. So let’s get out the vote, Turn Texas Blue, and BEAT DONALD J. TRUMP!
Sincerely, BH
Brian Hasenbauer 2020 President, Lake Highlands White Rock Democrats