How to Win Democratic Campaigns in Collin Co.

The Democratic Party of Collin County has posted an announcement on its website that it is joining with the Democratic Campaign Development Coalition (DCDC) and Texas Democratic Women of Collin County (TDWCC) to put on a series of education seminars they are calling "How to Win Democratic Campaigns in Collin Co." The DCDC group is sponsoring the seminars.

According to a spokesperson for DCDC the group has recruited a number of guest speakers from across North Texas who have experience organizing GOTV activities and running political campaigns as well as some former North Texas Democratic candidates. "We hope to have Precinct Chairs, active Democrats and possibly some potential local candidates from Collin and several surrounding counties attend some or all our training days," said the spokesperson, "Anyone who wants to help Democratic Candidates win in Collin Co. and North Texas is invited to sign up for the training"

The training program will begin Monday evening October 12th and continuing every Monday from 6:30p.m. till 9:00 p.m. until Monday November 30th at Collin College – Frisco Campus, Library Room L245. The guest speakers will cover a variety of topics during the training series including:

• Week 1 – How I Won: It Can Be Done
• Week 2 - The Winning Team
• Week 3 – Organizing to Win
• Week 4 – The Winning Message
• Week 5 – Marketing to Win
• Week 6 – To Win It Takes Money
• *No workshop Thanksgiving week – Nov. 23
• Week 7 –Creating the Winning Plan

The county party organization is charging a nominal registration fee to cover the cost of producing the training program. Registration for the class is now open. For registration information go to the announcement posted on the Democratic Party of Collin County website.

Google Wave - A Future Campaign Support Tool?

At Google's recent "I/O" developer conference in San Francisco, the company unveiled an intriguing new tool called Wave. Wave is a web-based, open-source platform that is designed to seamlessly integrate communication and collaboration. When Wave is available it may make an interesting campaign support tool. Take a look at it in action: video left.

Poll: Public Option Favored By 65% Of Americans

By Jeff Parker, cagle.com

NYTimes.com: A New York Times/CBS poll again finds that 65% of Americans want a public health care option, while only 26% opposed such a plan. Those polled also responded that they feel President Obama has not clearly explained the main points of health care reform. Fifty-five percent said he had not explained his plan clearly, and many felt under-informed about the policies under discussion.

Maybe it's not so much that President Obama hasn't repeatedly and clearly explained the main points of health care reform, and more that Republicans and health insurance industry lobbyists have so widely and loudly sowed fear-based mis-information, that people feel confused and therefore under informed.

After all, the program of mis-information has closely and successfully followed the plan written by right-wing message guru Frank Luntz last May instructing the Republican Party how to frame the health care debate to both alarm and confuse people on the issues. More...

By R.J. Matson, cagle.com

Have You Ever Thought About Running For Elected Office?

Have you ever thought about running for elected office? With the pivotal 2010 elections fast approaching, now is the time to give it some serious thought! One great place to get experience running for and serving in elected office is by serving as a Precinct Chair in your own neighborhood. There are many other elected office positions that you might consider too.

Precinct Chairs, of either party, serve as the most direct link between voters and their respective political party and and the party's candidates. Precinct Chairs help to carry the party's and candidate's message to their neighborhoods and they help Get Out The Vote for their respective party's candidates.

The Chairperson of each county Democratic Party Election Precinct is publicly elected by precinct voters during the Primary Election. The term of office for a Precinct Chair is two years, beginning on the 20th day following Primary Election Day or the following primary runoff election day, if scheduled. (The Party's County Executive Committee can elect interim Precinct Chairs for unfilled Precinct Chair offices and for Precinct Chairs who are unable to serve out their two year term of office.)

The next Precinct Chair election for the March/April 2010 to March/April 2012 term of office occurs on Primary Election Day, March 2, 2010. Qualified candidates can file (form PDF) to have their name placed on the March 2, 2010 Primary Ballot for the position of Precinct Chair from Monday, October 5th, 2009 through 6:00 PM January 4, 2010. Contact your local Democratic County Chair to ask if a Precinct Chair vacancy exists in your election precinct and find out the requirements to run for this, or any other, elected office. To find out more about Democratic Precinct Chairs - click here.

There are many other elected office positions that you might consider too. Of coarse, nearly all the elected office positions that will appear on Collin County ballots in 2010 are currently filled with incumbent Republicans, but perhaps it is time for incumbent Republicans to have a Democratic challenger in 2010, for the first time in many years.

The following elected office positions will first appear on each of the March 2, 2010 Democratic Party and Republican Party Primary Election ballots and then finally on the November 2010 General Election ballot.

Collin County Executive and Judiciary

• County Clerk
• District Clerk
• District Attorney

Collin County Commissioners Court - info

• County Judge - incumbent Keith Self
  
• Place 2 - incumbent Jerry Hoagland
  
• Place 4 - incumbent Kathy Ward
  

Collin County Courts

• 5 District Judges
• 6 County Court at Law Judges
• 1 Probate Court Judge
• 4 Justices f the Peace

State Executive

• Governor
• Lt. Governor
• Attorney General
• Comptroller
• Commissioner of General Land Office
• Agriculture Commissioner
• Railroad Commissioner - info
  
• State Board of Education, place 9 and 12

State Judicial

• Several Justices of the Supreme Court - info
  
• Several Justices of the Court of Criminal Appeals - info
  

Regional Courts

• Several Justices, 5th District Court of Appeals - info
  

State House of Representatives

• State Rep., Dist. 66 (McCall)
• State Rep., Dist. 67 (Madden)
• State Rep., Dist. 70 (Paxton)
• State Rep., Dist. 89 (Laubenberg)

State Senate

• District 8 (Shapiro)

Federal

• US Congress 3rd Congressional Dist. (Johnson) - info
  
• US Congress 4th Congressional Dist. (Hall) - info
  
• US Senate (Hutchison) possible resignation triggering a special election - info
  

Party Offices

• County Chair
• Al1 Precinct Chairs
• And County and State Convention after the primaries.
  • State Chair
  • DNC Reps
  • SDEC Committee members

The filing period to have your name placed on the primary ballot runs from December 2009 to January 2010. The Democratic and Republican primary winners of each elected office position appearing on the primary ballot will then face each other in the November 2010 General Election.

The following "non-partisan" local city and school board trustee elected office positions will appear on election ballot for the May 2010 city and school election.

• CCCCD Trustees( non-partisan)
• City Council races (non-partisan)
• School Board races (non-partisan)