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Patsy Woods Martin: “I don’t think it’s important what I think. I think it’s important to know what you think.” Shares that she has been speaking with SDEC members.

Steve Miller: Someone who can be a visionary and leader. He shares his experience of working to help uplift and support marginalized communities when he lived in Bastrop.

Meri Gomez: Executive Leadership. TDP needs someone who knows how to be a boss who has executive experience.

Aaron Argujio: Caring. Talks about his experience traveling stat wise when running for office.

Alright, after some brief intros, 1st Q) What do you consider the most important qualification and how do you fit that?

Clint Smith @clintsmithiii.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Reposted by Jen Ramos

Black Lives Matter fundamentally broke these people’s brains. They couldn’t bear the idea that they might have to tell a different story about this country and thus tell a different story about themselves. They hated it, and now they are using everything they have to never feel that way again.

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Jen Ramos @itsjenramos.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Two financial advisors just tried adding me on LinkedIn and I need these folks to realize I’m but a mere lowly government employee. Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t make nearly enough to need a financial advisor. 😅

media.tenor.com

patrick star from spongebob is holding a bunch of money in his hand and says i have $ 3.00

ALT: patrick star from spongebob is holding a bunch of money in his hand and says i have $ 3.00

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Takeaway: The winner of this forum is @oliviamesser.bsky.social, the moderator.

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O’Malley: All that we need depends on on change. We need “a new South.”

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Closing statements: Martin: This DNC can do so much more, if only we reimagine it. Wilker: People don’t trust our political system right now. If we can rebuild our trust, we can get things done.

Wilker: talks about ensuring commitment to build a fundamental coalition. Wants to focus on a system bigger than himself, says DNC chair should check and recognize their privilege.

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Martin: “We’re all white guys. I can’t change that.” Cites that all staffing and decisions should be reflective of the diversity of our party. Recognizes his privilege and commitment to have a party that looks and is representative of our party.

Q: How are you the right person to lead our coalition when you’re all older affluent white men? (Editor’s note: I love this question. O’Malley: when I became Mayor of Baltimore, I beat two candidates of color and the media focused on that upset. Our diversity is our strength. Judge me by my heart.

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Wilker: Cites the fact that many reporters haven’t been to the RGV (Editor’s note DAMN RIGHT!) Cites that rural voters are not exclusively white and we need to recognize the intricacies of communities to organize from The bottom up.

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O’Malley: I created my own leadership PAC to travel to red states and bring attention to state lege candidates. If we want a rural strategy, we need to recruit candidates to run in rural areas.

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Q: How will the DNC invest in rural voters? Martin: Cites work on Red State Fund and 57 state strategy, wants to have real convos with rural voters

O’Malley: Tells how when he ran for re-elect of Maryland, post recession that he acknowledged people’s pain. We need to build a narrative arc.

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Martin: As the only card carrying union member, I can tell you we lost working class people because they feel like we’re not fighting for them. We must focus on a working class agenda.

Q: For the first time since Reagan, we lost voters. How do you plan to fix it? Wilker: We gaslit people and told them what they were feeling was wrong instead of recognizing what they were feeling. We need to show people we’re on their side and actually fighting for them to earn their trust.

Martin: the landscape is constant and ever changing. We need to go where the voters are. Wants to do an info consumption survey. Cites the GOP incessant and consistent digital efforts immediately after 2020.

Wilker: it’s important to see where people get their info. Cites how he grew with the digital boom, citing current work with micro and mega digital influencers in WI. WI has built a pipeline of content creators that have gone onto work on national campaigns.

Q: How do we engage with a changing media universe of influencers and digital content creators? O’Malley: Create a digital hub/war room. Cites current poor job communicating digital messaging, says we should hire experts and stay unified to meet people where they’re at.

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a crowd of people with the word jerry in white

Editor’s note: the name dropped Henry Cuellar and it took me EVERYTHING to not start a standing ovation.

media.tenor.com

ALT: a crowd of people with the word jerry in white

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Martin: We have a lot of people who try to hold the opposing party accountable but look the other way on our own party. We have to live our values.

O’Malley: We need to be careful with how we hold people accountable and need to move expeditiously but with due process.

Q: How do you hold members of your own party accountable in the DNC? Wilker: Doing the right thing is good politics. Cites that we can’t be holier than though and need to stand on good principles.

Martin: States he was told in 2016 “The Republicans are Shameless and the Democrats are spineless.” If we don’t fight back now, who’s going to believe that we’ll fight for the people when we’re in power?” Editor’s note: MMMHMMMM

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Wilker: Our job isn’t to hug Trump, it is our job to take the things our country hates about Trump and make them the main points.

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Q: Should Democrats look for opportunities to work with Trump and across the aisle? O’Malley: We need to fight every opportunity for the Trump admin to do bad.

Wilker: In WI, we’ve raised money in creative ways, and that’s an opportunity for us now.

O’malley’s response? “All of America is a battleground right now.”

Martin: Hits O’Malley as the candidate who has raised the least (90 mil to his 230 mil and Wilker’s 290 mil respectively) We will only take money from people who really stand by our values in order to rebuild the people’s trust.

O’Malley: We have to do both [appeal to small and large dollar donors] but we need to stop scare tactics. The more we can scale up small dollar donors and digital communications the better. Cites his experience as chair of the Dem Gov. Association.

Q: How do you plan to raise money for the DNC? Wilker: we need to establish the trust of working people, even if it means a corporate special interest makes millions less. We work with folks on the ground to earn and establish trust, which helps us build our assets. Cites this as a success in WI.

O’Malley: “I created a first 100 day plan. Day 10 focuses on a plan of openness and transparency.” O’Mallet mentions his book and section on transparency.

Wilker: affirms Martin’s statement, no one has seen the DNC budget. Wants to change how we communicate with donors both large and small. We need to listen to each state to create financial plans that are suitable for each place.

Q: what financial oversight would you instill as chair? Martin: “the current process is atrocious”, states that ASDC chair he’s never seen the budget or financial contracts. Wants more transparency because people deserve to see where their money goes. “Budgets are indicative of our values.”

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O’Malley: “Clearly we have not invested enough.” States he’s never been on the DNC so he’s the freshest pair of eyes. States the DNC needs to stop dictating the electorate and states need to be the ones to make that call.

Q: has the DNC adequately invested in Texas? Martin: No, and the DNC has made poor excuses about it. We need to invest where the voters are. Wikler: The DNC has not and the country has not. Cites the worst kept secret that Texas is a national ATM.

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