Kudos, DFA!

Written by: Tom Asbill on Jul 31, 2008 11:42 PM EDT

I am so happy with DFA and the members that make up this wonderful organization!  I kind of meandered through politics much of my life, and never got really involved.  I did a little volunteering here and there, when an issue or candidate moved me.  I generally never sought out political activities, but I would kind of stumble upon them from time to time.  Aside from the Democratic Party, there has never really been a coherent and cohesive political action group that was made for regular people to get involved.  It always seemed like there were many stray voices wandering in the wilderness with no particular direction other than to wave our disconnected fists in the air when we felt strongly about something our government was doing...or not doing.

Since I got involved with DFA a few years ago, all of that changed.  First, I went to my local group meetings in Miami, and they were full of activities.  Sure, we were waving our fists in the air...but collectively instead of disconnectedly.  But that was not all.  We took action!  We spearheaded citizen lobby efforts, took part in canvasses for issues as well as candidates, organized demonstrations, organized letter writing and phone calling campaigns, and even got our local leader picked to be the Political Director of DFA!  Charles Chamberlain deserved it because he was an energetic and charasmatic leader that provided a true direction for all of our collective frustrations. 

We were able to stop the County Commission from encroaching on the Everglades and harming the community water supply and ecosystem.  We led efforts in the State legislature that resulted in our State mandating paper ballots, we helped organize union workers to fight for their right to unionize, we gave inertia to a national trend of honoring our troops with mock Arlington cemeteries, we got true grass roots candidates elected to local offices, and occupy half of our DEC with DFA memebers...now, even the Chairman of the Miami DEC is a loyal DFA member!  And now, after 2 decades of South Florida GOP rule, we have finally given rise to 3 viable and exciting Democrats to help take back our country in the US Congress.

We don't just wave our fists in the air, we get things done! Every single thing that DFA espouses and Howard Dean spoke about is coming to fruition.  Grass roots politics from the bottom up, creating a deep bench of potential political leaders that stand for Progressive principles, creating a 50 state strategy, and joining (and even leading) local and state Party apparati.  We are doing it, and there are DFA groups all around the country that are doing it.  There is no other grassroots organization that I am aware of that is as prominent and active as DFA.  We may not be getting all the headlines like a MoveOn organization, but our people are taking all the actions that are making the difference.

I thank DFA for all that we do.  It is amazing that an organization that is so young has risen so quickly out of a loosely organized group of citizens across the country.  It is amazing to me that in just 4 short years, we have become a respected and sometimes feared group of activists that mean business.  We are truly people powered, and I am truly thankful for the existence of DFA--especially during a time of such political catastrophe.

By the way...I haven't even mentioned what the national group has done...there are just so many things!  The grass roots trainings identifies and creates leaders all over the country, while training ordinary citizens like me how to make a difference on a local, state, and national level.  The letter writing and phone call campaigns help us communicate with our elected leaders and let them know how we feel...and sometimes even succeeding in our goals, or at least applying appropriate political pressure.  The DFA-List identifies strong Progressive candidates that are slowly blending into our government, just as we do on the local level.  There are just too many things to list.

I have loved watching this blog evolve through every generation and upgrade.  It used to be disorganized, like a bunch of people in the wilderness waving our fists in the air, but now it is starting to become more coherent and providing some guidance as to things that are happening around the country.  It gives us ideas for action, and the links provide great instructions on how to be effective in our actions. It is a central gathering place to see what issues and candidates around the country are making a difference.

DFA even created a cool 'water cooler' for the people that have been the most common commenters on the blog---how cool is that?  I notice that now many of the discussions on the blogs are slowly coming around to be based on the main posts, and the regular commenters have their very own place to hang out--I like going to see what they are talking about every now and then, and I also like seeing comments that are related to the main post.  I think more of us should start commenting to share our opinions on what is on the front page...we can finally start collectively waving our fists in the air!  As I have read the regular commenters posts and objections to the water cooler, I can understand their frustration since many of them have been here from the beginning of DFA...but we should all be proud of the direction that DFA is going in, and celebrate it...collectively! 

Kudos, DFA!!!  Keep up the great work.

Peace

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