I've seen a lot of discussion online about Howard Dean's discussion to eliminate the position of 'GLBT Outreach Director' at the DNC. One of the more disturbing posts was Mike Roger's post at www.blogactive.com.

Here are a few points I would like to make about the recent decision, in Q & A form.

Question: Shouldn't we give the new plan time to work?

Answer: We have given the new plan time to work. Almost a year, in fact. I've been blogging about this issue ever since the Spring of 2005. There has only been one Pride at the Polls e-mail in the past year, virtually none of the outreach at GLBT conferences and events that we've had in the past, and no hard strategy for getting out the GLBT Vote in 2006.

Question: Isn't this just about a guy in DC losing his job?

Answer: No, not at all. This is not about any particular person. In
fact, the old Director of GLBT Outreach, Eric Stern, resigned to take another job. This is about the fact that with Eric Stern at the DNC and a more concentrated eye on GLBT Outreach, there were 400,000 more GLBT votes for Kerry in 2004 than there were for Gore four years earlier. This is about the fact that GLBT folks are the second most loyal voter base for Democrats (second only to African Americans), and the second highest donor base for Democrats (second only to Labor) in 2004. The DNC has a lot to lose by ignoring GLBT Voters.

Question: Do we really need to focus on GLBT-specific Voter Messages and outreach?

Answer: Yes. The 'one size fits all' political message strategy is a
thing of the past. In order to maximize our voter base, we have to find specific messages that resonate with our voters. That means finding what messages appeal most to different communities. In the last presidential election, more than 4.6 million self-identified GLBT voters cast ballots in the presidential race. Is it worth crafting messages that will resonate with 4.6 million voters? Of course.

Question: What about the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council?

Answer: The Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council is primarily a fundraising tool for the DNC. Most of these members have given thousands of dollars to the DNC in the past year. The GLCC is NOT designed for GLBT Voter outreach. In fact, it was the members of the GLCC who formerly requested a Director of GLBT Outreach almost one year ago.

Hope this helps clarify things... DM

Posted by David at February 7, 2006 09:10 PM