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April 2, 2004
Dear (Candidate Running for Office/Democratic
Leader):
On December 14, 2003, a snowy and wet Sunday
afternoon, more than two dozen citizens of Lower Merion Township and
Narberth borough met to discuss the future of the Democratic Party.
This meeting, called “Summit III,” was the third of a series of public
meetings held in Narberth focusing on the challenges faced by the
Democratic Party in winning elections, and most important, building
consensus around policies that will steer the United States in a more
democratic, humane and secure direction.
By coming together in this way, these citizens
were disproving a number of stereotypes about the American electorate:
that voters are apathetic, respond more to personality than issues and
generally view politics as a spectator sport. And, most importantly, at
the end of the afternoon, the participants came away refreshed and
invigorated. They found that American politics could actually be fun in
the Twenty-first century.
What made the process enjoyable is that is was
a constructive and social way to address the anxieties the participants
expressed about the direction of the country. The participants were
energized by the prospect that their ideas would be communicated to
party leaders, locally and at the state and national levels.
Attached for your review are the results of
our meeting as well as the previous public meeting, Summit II, held in
April, 2003, one that utilized the same format and had about the same
number of participants. We, the co-facilitators, have drafted summaries
of both meetings, but the lion’s share of the report is the written
results of small and large group work. As you will see, the
participants comprise a well-informed, passionate cross-section of the
Democratic electorate. They do not represent the “grass-roots” in the
usual sense; by coming out on a snowy afternoon, they are, admittedly, a
self-selected group. As the most motivated by what we set out to
accomplish at Summit III and the summit in April, they represent a
potential pool of effective party activists—the missing middle in the
party structure. As people who are not afraid to discuss difficult
topics and share their passionate ideas with others, they are exactly
the type of people who can be effective ambassadors for Democratic Party
policies and candidates. Their ideas for the party should be listened
to and, we believe, acted upon.
We have not tried to turn the summaries into
polished policy documents as there was insufficient time on the two
afternoons to develop sufficient consensus to do so. However, a number
of themes ran through the discussions pointing to important changes
national and local Democrats should make in their electoral strategies:
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Need to boil Democratic ideas and values
to simple messages that can be remembered; something that can
counter the Republicans spread of “fear” and simple-minded mistrust
of government and taxes.
-
Concern about not falling into a trap by
opposing Bush on the federal budget deficit; Many participants
voiced a concern that Democrats need to do more to formulate an
alternative optimistic vision around themes of investment in the
future and growth of opportunities for all Americans, not just
reversing Bush’s policies and repealing his tax cuts
-
Need to avoid being trapped by the
Republicans on the wrong side of the “culture wars” and post 9-11
concerns about national security; Democrats should try to unite
Americans across these divides and create a new mandate for
progressive policies, both here and abroad.
The summary of Summit II contains more
specific recommendations for policy action in the areas of economic
Foreign and Domestic Policy. Although Summit II took place a year ago,
its recommendations are still timely except for recommendations geared
to the pre-war situation in Iraq and regarding North Korea (which at the
time had not yet announced its intention to re-start prohibited
fuel-reprocessing programs).
Another theme expressed in both summits was a
desire to see more opportunities to participate such as this,
opportunities that can involve more people in a wider-range of
communities. We believe that the “community summit” is a model for
citizen dialogue that should be replicated across the state and across
the nation. With proper guidance and support, this process has the
ability to reinvigorate the Democratic Party, make it more responsive to
everyday citizens and expand its fundraising and activist base. We in
Lower Merion and Narberth plan to continue to hold meetings of this type
and urge others interested in discussing and affecting political policy
and strategies to do the same. We are willing and welcome the
opportunity to mentor others in replicating our process or adapting it
to their needs.
If you would like to discuss the attached
reports or Summits II and III, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Julie
Levitt
Richard Pasquier
Co-facilitators
Julie.levitt@verizon.net
Richard_Pasquier@fmc.com
Julie Levitt and Rick Pasquier, Chair, Summits
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