An off-the-record chat for people who wear the blue jersey
What is the state of the New York and federal Democratic Party?
This is the first in a series of off-the-record chats about where the party is, why it is there, where it might go, and how it might go there. Those in attendance will include people from across the political, civic, and private spheres, who have a record of doing. The evening will be moderated by Daniel Golliher, the founder of the civics school Maximum New York (feel free to get a coffee with him before, or come to office hours).
Evening schedule:
7:00-7:25pm: arrival, snacks, socializing
7:30-8:30pm: formal programming and discussion
8:30-9:00pm: snacks, socializing, departures
The goal of these chats will be to make everyone legible to each other: who thinks what, why do they think it, and where are there opportunities to move forward together? What are the points of disagreement that can be mutually set aside to pursue larger goals? The evening has an explicit "big tent" orientation.
Bring your object level opinions, but only if you also bring a superseding willingness to part with them if someone raises a good point.
Finally: the focus of the evening is to discuss the Democratic Party specifically. We will be deliberately ignoring any discussion of the Republican party directly, only as it is incidentally relevant. Why? Because, when discussing how to improve their party, too many Democrats are in the habit of phrasing their desires in the negative (e.g. "Fighting the Republicans on xyz"), rather than the positive (e.g. "The Democratic party can change in XYZ ways that are a good idea."). We will keep the focus on the Democratic Party, what we can do about it internally, and what we personally take responsibility for.
How to prepare for the evening:
Come prepared with answers to the following questions:
In which ways do you feel out of step with the Democratic Party? (No softball answers here)
In which ways would you like the Democratic Party, and the social sphere of Democrats, to change?
If you could wave a magic wand, which "Grand Compromise" between different factions in the Democratic Party would you enact?
To what extent do you think New York City and State Democrats engaged in "nationalized politics," and is this good or bad?
If you are comfortable sharing any answers to these questions with Daniel beforehand to help with planning, email him anything you think is relevant: daniel@maximumnewyork.com. Answers will be kept confidential.
Standard Maximum New York etiquette will apply:
>> off the record for any journalistic purposes; Chatham House rules otherwise
>> be concrete, no anti-concrete assertion
>> do not have a bad time on purpose
>> extend grace
>> no walking on eggshells, embrace productive discomfort
>> appreciate that government and law are complicated and complex
>> have a record of, or a willingness to, put skin in the game