DEMOCRAT PARTY OFFICIAL WEBSITE PHONE CALL

 

I got the call last night from the Democrat Party, and like a story that goes public after signing non-disclosure statements, I felt a sense of freedom.

 

The phone call on my land line, yes I still have a land line, was a money call. One hundred dollars was the starting point.

 

$100 is a big ask over the phone, then it got better.

 

Would I give fifty one dollars, which represents the gains needed in the House of Representatives to switch from Republican to Democrat? How about forty six dollars to show I’m ready to move past forty five?

 

Finally, would I consider a donation of thirty five dollars? I kept waiting for the Bernie Sanders democrat threshold of twenty seven dollars, but we didn’t get there.

 

Instead I made a promise, and now I’m keeping it. Instead of a phone donation, or online donation, I said I’d review democrats.org. As an honorable blogger in the blogosphere, one who foregoes profanity and sensationalism out of respect for my audience around the world, this is my promise kept.

 

But first a word on content. If you read a few posts here you’ll see my method of engagement. I’m telling, not selling; showing, not blowing. While encouraging baby boomers to get up and go when it’s easier to lay down and stay down, my biggest audience is millennials, the demographic that has out-boomed the baby boomers in numbers.

 

The male voice on the fund raising call sounded like a democrat millennial, or as I like to think, The Future.

 

As a writer who’s seen things from the inside, my opinions are based on that, and what I see and hear on cable news, facebook, twitter, radio, books, and magazines to keep up with the current culture. The inside examples include: all-American athlete, Army vet, college grad history major,  married man, father of two, home owner, the usuals.

 

Striving to be a decent human being I make a conscious effort not to shame others for their weight, education, appearance, gender, sexual orientation, race, or general confusion. Rich people aren’t all devious; poor people not all lazy. It’s not a democrat thing.

 

My current read is Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers where he explains success by reviewing the conditions required for it, like being born at the right time to the right parents. He’s the man pointed to when you hear about the 10,000 hours needed to succeed idea.

 

His idea of what’s needed to be proficient is a sharp lens to reflect democrats.org.

 

The page is a nice example of current website themes with a scroll down view instead of click through like this one. Could be Wix or Foursquare?

 

Instead of a big head shot at the top with a navigation bar side column, democrats.org carries a loaded footer to get around.

 

On the scroll you’ll find a chance to donate to “Hold Republicans Accountable”, “Tune In To Democrats Live”, “What We Believe”, and “The Official Store Of The Democratic Party”, also known as the gift shop in the museum world where traffic exits the building.

 

From general to specific:

 

The history link points to four examples spanning 1920 to 2010.

 

“For more than 200 years, our party has led the fight for civil rights, health care, Social Security, workers’ rights, and women’s rights. We are the party of Barack Obama, John F. Kennedy, FDR, and the countless everyday Americans who work each day to build a more perfect union. Take a look at some of our accomplishments, and you’ll see why we’re proud to be Democrats.“

 

The Seniors and Retirees link goes to,“Seniors should not have to choose between putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads, or buying the medication that they need to stay healthy.”

 

The Small Business Community link points to,“The Democratic Party will make it easier to start and grow a small business in America…by supporting small business and entrepreneurship, we can grow jobs faster in America.”

 

The Education link goes to, “Democrats know that every child, no matter who they are, how much their families earn, or where they live, should have access to a high-quality education, from preschool through high school and beyond.”

 

The Science and Technology link points to, “Democrats value American innovation and believe it is one of our country’s great strengths.”

 

There’s more on democrats.org, but these are the highlights I touch on: the young, the old, the business, and the science. The overriding element for me is the history, given my American history degree and twenty years of history work in the museum trenches.

 

At sixty three years old I’ve learned that cooperation, collaboration, and communication are the fundamentals of American life. It’s a hard lesson when the emphasis is on dynamic individualism. Who you are today is the springboard to who you want to be, what you want to do, and where you want to do it.

 

The choices we make as a nation move the world we live in. Better choices from America make a better world.

 

Who doesn’t want that?