Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Party-building: Make It More Than a Zero-sum Game

As we build the grass-roots strength of the Democratic Party during 2005 and 2006, one of the things I think we ought to stress is that, as activists, choosing how to spend our time is not a zero-sum game. We should strive to create Democratic activist infrastructure that sponsors activites that are (1) politically productive (2) so enjoyable that we're happy replacing other things we do with them.

This, I think, is part of the success of blogs. Perhaps just a small part. But blogging is more fun and productive than some of the things it replaces. It's more productive than reading the newspaper. For those of us who at times enjoy emailing a friend more than calling him, or who often have insomnia and spend the time doing a little computer work after everyone else has gone to bed, blogging is a happy outlet, it makes our lives feel better and more full.

This is also a hidden benefit of bringing friends to political meetings. Sure, the main point is to recruit more people -- but it's a fine side-benefit that it lets you do productive political work while hanging out with people you like.

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