Will John Boccieri Get Primary Opponent?

There is a rumor going around Medina County political circles that a prominent local Democrat may take out petitions to run against Representative John Boccieri in the 16TH Congressional District primary. Supposedly there was a recent meeting on the west side
of Cleveland with some labor leaders in which he told them of this possibility. Apparently a number of local labor leaders in the Cleveland area aren't happy with Boccieri's vote on health care reform. Stay tuned for further details.

Medina Dems Go After Boccieri on Health Care Vote on Talking Points Memo

Two Medina county Democrats who go by the initials "DB" and "JK" reported to Josh Marshall at www.talkingpointsmemo.com about the recent meeting that Congressman John Boccieri held to discuss his "no" vote on the House health care reform bill. You can read their report here.

What has to be understood is the sense of betrayal that is evident in the article that the two Medina County Dems sent to Marshall. In 2008 then State Senator John Boccieri assured Medina County Dems that he was for health care reform. Yet, when the vote went down, he backed the GOP and voted against the Democratic bill. This vote has cost Boccieri much support in Medina County.

Just to make it clear, we are not talking about casual supporters. These are people who threw fund raisers for him; who canvassed for him; and who helped him take Medina County while the county was voting for John McCain over Obama. There is a very simple way for Boccieri to get this support back and that is to vote for the health care bill when it comes out of conference committee.

Pics from Medina County Dems Holiday Brunch

The Medina County Democratic Party held its annual Holiday Brunch at the Rustic Hills Country Club on Saturday, December 13, 2008. Hosted by Pam Miller, Medina County Democratic Chair, the brunch featured guest speaker Representative-Elect John Boccieri, who will be representing Ohio's 16TH Congressional District. Medina County is actually in two Congressional Districts, the 13TH and the 16TH.

Medina County Democratic elected officials who attended include Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman; Medina County Coronor Dr. Neil Grabenstetter; Medina County Common Pleas Judge James Kimbler; Medina Municipal Court Judge Dale Chase; Brunswick City Councilman Vince Carl; and Brunswick City Councilman Pat McNamera. Judge Clair Dickinson of the Ninth District Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction includes Medina County, also attended.

Below are some pictures from the event taken by Medina County Democratic Executive Committee member Carol Gurney.

The Future of Political Organizing

This past Saturday, November 22, 2008, two Democratic events took place in Medina County. One was a party organized by Obama volunteers in Brunswick, and the other was a party organized by Obama volunteers in Wadsworth. They were held not because the organizers were told to hold them, but because the organizers wanted to hold them. Using email and the telephone, the organizers of the two events, Nick Hanek in Brunswick and Jule Batey in Wadsworth, made sure that Obama volunteers in their parts of Medina County knew of the event, and knew what they had to do to get involved. The result was people getting together, feeling connected, and maintaining the enthusiasm from the successful Obama campaign.

This is how political organization will look in the future. People will get together on their own, using easily available tools to plan and hold political meetings. Successful political organizations will be those that manage to facilitate such meetings, and provide a means of communication to their members. Such means of communication will then be used by the members themselves to organize and spread the organization's message.

This approach comes right out of the Obama campaign. On the wall of the Medina County Democratic Headquarters, the Obama workers put three big words up on the wall: "Include" "Empower" "Respect." This means that you include people, not exclude them; empower them to act on their own; and respect what they are doing.

These concepts are much different than what a lot of political organizations practice. Too many political organizations are exclusive, acting as if they are some sort of private club that only certain people are allowed into. Too often, such political organizations insist on a hierarchical structure, one that is top down and not bottom up. Ideas that are not generated from the leadership are downplayed and ignored.

That style of political leadership is ending. The Internet, like it did in so many areas, has made sure of that. Political organizations that don't recognize that won't be effective, but those that do, will.

Wadsworth Area Obama Volunteers Get Together

Wadsworth area Obama volunteers got together at the Great Oaks Condominium Party Center to talk about their campaign experiences. Organized by Julie Batey, the meeting included food and drink provided by those attending. Patty Haskins, a resident of Great Oaks Condominiums arranged for the use of the Party Center. Here are some pictures of the event:

Obama Supporters Party in Brunswick

On November 22, 2008, Obama volunteers from Brunswick gathered at Louise Melnik's home to celebrate Obama's election and talk about the future. Organized by Louise and Nick Hanek, Obama volunteers ate pizza, had some dessert, and shared ideas about getting more involved in Brunswick politics. We posted some pictures from the event.