Dean uses the power

Once again Dean shows that he understands the power of the grassroots. He hasn't yet made it official whether he will try for the DNC chair. But his organization, Dean for America, is laying the groundwork for such an effort. This morning, the DfA blog contained a post (link) that describes the procedures that grassroots organizers can use to put themselves on local Democratic committees. This is important because it is those committees who select the members of statewide delegations who ultimately cast the votes for who will become the head of the DNC.

If Dean should decide to go for it, having some of his own people in on the ground floor will make the effort more likely to succeed. Not only will it help him get the position, it will also help him by giving him the power to use that position for real change in the party.

And, even if Dean ultimately decides not to run, having more grassroots organizers in at the ground floor of the party organization can't be anything but a good thing.

Right now, DFA is compiling a scheduling database of local Democratic meetings around the country to help you get involved over the next few months. You can help by calling your state, county, and local committee chairs and adding your next meeting to the DFA database at http://www.democracyforamerica.com/localdems.

Incredibly enough—no one has ever compiled all of the local Democratic meetings across the country in one place. There is no equivalent of Meetup.com or DFA's Project Commons for the Democratic Party. No wonder many people find it hard to find their local meetings times! Over the next few months, DFA is taking the lead on growing our Party and ensuring that the grassroots have a big voice in determining the Party's future.

At the December Meetup, DFA groups around the country will lay out specific plans to get involved in their local parties. What are your plans to take an active role in determining the future of the Democratic Party?

It is pretty amazing that no one has ever compiled a database like this before. Republicans have been doing this kind of basic organizing of their national groups for years.