Notes From The DTC

DTC stands for Democratic Town Committee and I found out in the last meeting I am a “guest” not a “member” which is really ok because unless I’m dedicated to a full scale hostile takeover (which I could easily achieve because I am without ruth and heart when it comes to local politics, and they sorely need someone like me because they are feckless and ineffectual) I’m just as happy having no real responsibilities because I’ve already spent a lifetime becoming capo di tutti and a decade containing the damage.

Not that I was bad, my regime was the last best hope they had, just that lost causes are a energy suck. As I say, 10 additional years keeping the plates spinning on the ends of sticks, distracting the rubes with juggling. People still love me and not because they have to (though they do have to).

I’ll spare you the petty ways Republican graft and corruption is ruining Stars Hollow since it’s a sad story endlessly repeated wherever they can manage it and instead talk about the positive signs. I’m in the mood for some optimism.

Stars Hollow has roughly 20,000 voters (94% white, don’t forget), Five thousand are Republicans, there are an equal number of Democrats, and 50% are Independents. Since a gerrymandering redistricting in 2010 Republicans have enjoyed super majorities in all the representative bodies that matter and the capo spot. I was talking with a childhood acquaintance at the meeting, a good friend of my sister and sister herself of a good friend of mine (part of the 6% btw) and we spent the whole time discussing how much Stars Hollow sucked compared to the way it was when we were kids. I wrote for the Baltimore Herald, I didn’t grow up there.

Frankly under Democrats it was more of the same, only slower. The rot is now impossible to ignore.

So after (they say, I can not attest since my involvement is recent) several thwarted attempts and 7 years the DTC is pushing once again against disenfranchisement. Did I mention this is 94% White people being disenfranchised because they’re Democrats?

Anyway, that’s the issue of substance. Normal election rules apply and while Democrats consistently lose they do so by slim margins and statistically unlikely events (you can call them miracles if you want) happen all the time- maybe this year is THE year. I’m not holding my breath. I could have declared my candidacy for Town Council and welcome. The problem is I might win. I’m not sure Stars Hollow is ready for an Anarcho-Syndicalist,

But this is a good news piece, let me report on that.

As you may know if you are a regular reader it was clear to me in mid-summer that Democratic national electoral victory was not inevitable. After tiring of my constant carping TMC urged me to put up or shut up and start attending DTC meetings. This is like giving a crack head a rock, not something my therapist encourages. So since September I’ve been attending Democrats Anonymous.

Back then they didn’t have a ton of people just wandering through the door and I actually got vetted- “Are you really sure you want to go to a DTC? They’re as dull as dishwater. And what are your qualifications?”

Uh… capo di tutti… reigning Lorelai?

The first meeting was about 25 people which is not so shabby, .1% of the total electorate which is pretty good for a steering committee and discussion group. The last meeting was triple that. They’ve almost sold out a 200 seat high ticket (well, not by national standards, but a C note for a mediocre meal at the local country club seems like a lot to me since I DJed a dozen of them with my beer brewing Republican partner in crime back in the day) dinner where they’ll give out a few $40 plaques suitable for dart targets or kindling (I doled hundreds of them, but I had a a generous dedicated budget. The ones I was awarded are in a box in my basement) in just a week and practically filled up a sponsors’ program (2 pages of agenda and as many pages of ads as you can sell).

It would be wrong to say I’m not impressed. What this indicates to me (especially since during the “I’m ek hornbeck and I’m a Democrat” phase it was a constant theme) is that a lot of people hate The Donald.

His removal is necessary but not sufficient. Pence and Ryan are even worse on policy and more likely to be legitimized by the Corporatist Legacy Media. They are also more likely to engage us in nuclear war than Trump is. If he is truly Putin’s agent launching missiles against Moscow is a non-starter and you can probably rule out China too (though not North Korea, everybody hates them). There is a greater probability he’ll nuke France or Iran (still bad, don’t get me wrong).

He may very well be insane but he knows which side of the bread substitute the icky wax is on (oh look up Retief. Do you expect me to do everything for you?). The inevitable betrayals on Obamacare and Social Security will fall squarely in the lap of the ‘Movement Conservatives’ and ‘Institutional Republicans’ while The Donald shrugs his shoulders and lets them fail. He owes them nothing.

Even in a good news piece I can’t give you much hope, there’s definitely a very slim chance we’ll survive. We can thwart and obstruct until 2018 to the extent we can with a Party of Quislings. We can mobilize to replace them and achieve Democratic electoral victory.

And we should. Will we succeed?

I love this plan! I’m excited to be a part of it! LET’S DO IT!