[Marxism] the Techno-Dems

[Les Schaffer <schaffer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

you know the Democratic Party is headed for lala land when you read
about its leadership struggle's in MIT's Technology Review:

http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/01/ap/ap_011305.asp

here's a snippet:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
'Silicon Valley' Sensibilities at Play in Race for Democrats' Chairman
By Beth Fouhy January 13, 2005

[snip]

While Dean announced his candidacy on Tuesday, two younger political
operatives with strong connections to Silicon Valley -- the U.S.
computer industry's nexus in Northern California -- also have joined the
race: Simon Rosenberg of the New Democratic Network and Donnie Fowler,
who recently headed political outreach for the high-tech lobby TechNet.

[snip]

Despite their similar backgrounds in the high-tech world, Fowler and
Rosenberg offer different visions for transforming the beleaguered
party. Rosenberg largely focuses on "modernizing" the party through
technical improvements, while Fowler is stressing a return to more state
control and changes in how the party communicates its message.

Rosenberg, 41, was one of a handful of Democratic activists who saw the
political potential of Silicon Valley in the 1990s, during former
President Bill Clinton's years. He worked with industry leaders,
including venture capitalist John Doerr, to nurture the then money-rich
community into a Democratic Party stronghold.

In an interview and on his Web site, Rosenberg speaks repeatedly of a
21st century Democratic Party that reclaims traditional voters using the
Internet and new media.

"The Internet has enabled us to have a more intimate, direct
relationship with people than ever before," he said. "I want those
people to be partners, not just donors. I don't want the DNC to be just
a building. I want it to be a community of millions of people."
<<<<<<<<<<

"more intimate, direct relationship with people" ... uh huh ...



>>>>
The 37-year-old Fowler is a lifelong Democratic strategist who
specialized in technology issues at the Federal Communications
Commission before heading to Silicon Valley in 2001.

He shares his South Carolina roots and drawl with his father, former DNC
chairman Don Fowler, but disdains many of the more fossilized party
traditions. Fowler holds particular animus for Washington-based party
consultants, who, in his words, "only care what's on Tim Russert and in
The Washington Post."

Last year, Fowler served as Michigan state director for John Kerry's
presidential campaign and has largely built his career on the
low-profile but essential work of identifying voters and getting them to
the polls.

Despite his years in the crucible of Silicon Valley technology and love
of mostly liberal California, he is pursuing the DNC chairmanship with a
decidedly more conservative mission: wooing back rural and religious
voters in states the party has recently written off.

"We've conceded the South, we've conceded the Rocky Mountain states,
we've conceded religious voters, and we've conceded rural voters,"
Fowler said. "Republicans do the George Patton theory, which is always
attack, never stop pushing the line forward. We need to be able to do
that, too."

[snip]

>>>>>>


les schaffer

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