This is a brief diary, but still carries a powerful message: The old consultant mindset is still going strong.
Last night, I went to the San Francisco fundraiser for Governor Brian Schweitzer. Having just arrived from work, I was plenty hungry and congregated at one the obligatory tables when I met a political consultant who just moved from the Midwest. Having come from the same general third of the country, we started talking about politics in and around the prairie states, when the topic turned to Kansas and Newly-elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. "I think she'll hang on", I said, "Because I heard she's done a great job so far working the district". "Yeah" answered the consultant, "she's raised a lot of money there".
I stood silent for a few seconds, surprised, a little disappointed and biding my time with my mouth full from stuffed grape leave. I reflected on the lessons Howard Dean taught us and whether they have set in into the minds of Democrats across the country. I finally snapped out of my funk and answered, "No, no" (more sternly than I intended), "I mean she's been keeping touch with her constituents".
I don't remember the rest of the conversation because my mind was fixated and troubled by the above dialogue. I thought the lessons of 2002 and 2004 taught us that winning and keeping office is as much about developing a bond with voters who don't have a checkbook in hand as it is with those who do. Don't get me wrong, money is still vital in this current system. However, it appears that we have a long way to go before our party totally gets it.