Show The Dems How To Win

THE NEWSLETTER FOR INTELLIGENT WOMEN & MEN

I feel as if I’m living under the "Alice in Wonderland" Mad Hatter Tea Party. This particular party has no conservatives nor liberals, just Americans. And we are all being jerked around a crooked table only to find ourselves drinking from yet another dirty cup.

Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter Tea Party

About a month ago, I was so frustrated with the Democrats' lack of leadership—let’s call it what it is, a severe lack of spine—that I decided to send a message to those whom I respect in my party. I wrote six senators a brief, well-considered letter. This was about the time my Kansas senator got chased out of his town hall by a group of retired veterans and mothers and made national TV. People think Kansans are purely red state. We aren’t. We come from people who crossed the state in covered wagons, waged war against the crop-eating weather, and maintain that fighting spirit. The letter I wrote said something like:

“You need me. People are calling you cowards, because you are in a fight but don’t act like you know it. Going out there to demonstrate is like throwing spit balls at a monster. I am the rapid response communications expert you need. Call me.”

Then I called each of them and six representatives (you can’t write to representatives other than your own) at night to leave that same message on their voice mail. I didn’t want to be cut off mid-sentence by an aide.

I’m a trained legislative advocate for people with disabilities. I worked with Senator Ted Kennedy and his physicians to help bring affordable, accessible, quality health care to my people. The Partners in Policymaking training taught me how important it is to know your representatives. I had a good reception from most of my representatives and developed relationships with Representative Dennis Moore and Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

So I went to then Senator Pat Roberts’ town hall and listened. As he scurried out of the room, I put out my hand to introduce myself to him. He looked at me like I was pond scum. It was no surprise to learn he hadn’t lived in Kansas in ages. He owned a rental house and kept a lounge chair in a friend’s home. I wrote a letter to the old senator noting that in all of his votes, without exception, he always voted against Kansans’ interests. But I thought he was supposed to represent us. It ended the form letters, much to my relief. Then I wrote to the Kansas City Star’s letter to the editor about Roberts, a takeoff on “Where’s Waldo.”

My then state Senator David Adtkins told me something invaluable. He said:

“Politicians think that the people they represent aren’t smart enough to understand politics. And even if they did, citizens are too apathetic to care.”

Well, politicians are wrong.

I gave the 2025 members of Congress a couple of weeks to take me up on my invitation to help out. But the response to my written and verbal messages was an underwhelming zero. I was disappointed. But not surprised.

My next tactic was to look for the leader who is missing from the Democratic Party or the Independents. I don’t interact with the GOP, even though half of my closest friends are real Republicans. This political group has long since gone from a once proud party over to the dark side. And they have their co-leaders. Wasting efforts on them would be like spitting in the wind.

While there are many individual senators who take a stand now, this is a battle, which cannot be won by individual soldiers. A woman could lead, but unfortunately, after all these years, too many American men will not follow a strong woman. And we are seriously bereft in that syncope.

People need a leader to inspire them, to provide strategic planning, and to lead them into the future.. So I picked a senator I respected, one who was thoughtful, managed a whole city’s worth of kids, and could get angry at injustice. He ignored me, too. But “Persistence” is my middle name. I intend to send the same letter to another senator, who just might be willing to take up the mantle.

Last night, it occurred to me that I was playing too small. People are the answer to our political catastrophe. That is why I am writing this newsletter to you. This is truly a fight for our future and that of our children and grandchildren. Each of us needs to do something, and some of you will be happy to tell your people in Congress how to do their job.

Most of these people are afraid of the Mad Hatter. Or they, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, live in a bygone century. And the new non-government is mowing them down. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Schumer for his acquiescence without bargaining. It is time to get with this century.

So what must we communicate to the legislators?

1. They are not doing the jobs we hired them to do.

2. They need to have a unified strategy.

3. And they must get into the fight.

We can get the message out for those who are less able by going to town halls and talking to an empty chair. Or we can protest anything cut from our government that we value. And we can make calls. We can write brief, powerful letters to Dems, our own legislators, and to our newspapers or blogs or newsletters. For those of us who are writers and journalists, right now is our clarion call.

The Dems may not know how to join the fight and win. But we do.