The Newsroom : April 2021

In the last year, I have worked on twenty-one campaigns either directly or indirectly. I have taken it upon myself to learn the inner workings of the machine that we call politics because the Democratic Party in Denton County, Texas can only be described as dysfunctional when it is operating at its very best.

I have stepped away because I am tired of losing and volunteer fatigue is real. I know that I am not alone. Only three of the candidates won: Biden, Warnock, and Ossoff. We all know how narrow they were.

The problem with the Democratic Party is that they claim to be inclusive. In their attempt to encompass everyone, they lack branding and a singular message like their Republican counterparts. All they really agree that they stand for is “Hey, we aren’t Trump”. If you asked two dozen leaders in the Denton County Democratic Party (DCDP) what the party values are, they would all define them differently. They would tell you their values. It is like listening to people attempting to shout over one another instead of the Republicans who are all singing the same song in a choir.

I am not saying that there is no dissension in the Republican Party in Denton. I know they don’t always like one another; however, they are collaborative. They pursue a greater purpose. They work past their egos towards a common goal as a team in a very businesslike manner. Everything is like a calculated game of chess. They are very intentional and always thinking several moves ahead. On the other hand, Democrats aren’t even on the same board, much less playing the same game, or even on the same team.

The Republican Party has a clear path of progression. There are known paths to leadership. There is training. There are preferred vendors. The Republican businesses in the community back the party. Need a mentor? They have those too. There are committees. You do your time and work through the ranks. Everyone works in a synchronous motion like a well-oiled machine toward a common objective. There is no overlap and there is very little waste. This is business for them - the business of winning elections. There is not room for feelings, egos, and people competing to take recognition. When the candidate wins, they all win. They work together, win together, and celebrate together. No one is left behind except the Democrats.

What are the Democrats doing? The first time that I walked into the Denton County Democratic Party office there was a table with four volunteers working from a paper list on one municipal campaign. They were using their personal cell phones to text thousands of people on a printed list from VAN (Voter Access Network). I could have done the exact same thing by myself in an hour with the proper technology and coordination, but that did not occur. What do you think the likelihood of those individuals volunteering again is? Let that sink in. I could have done in one hour what four people spent eight hours doing. That is thirty-one hours that are lost that could have been used doing canvassing, block walking, registering voters, making phone calls, placing signs, poll greeting, and dozens of other details volunteers can assist with on a grassroots level on any campaign. Aside from the fact that it would have been a more efficient use of their time, they would have felt less fatigued, more valued, and productive, so they would be more likely to come back and volunteer for other campaigns.

If they can’t run an effective campaign, what does that say? The DCDP would rather cut out anyone that gives constructive criticism, innovates, or has a different way of thinking like a cancer. They don’t want to change. They like being flawed and do not see the forest for the trees.

What about the ultimate customer that they are supposed to be servicing? Would it surprise you if I said that I have worked on one campaign that has had to terminate four Campaign Managers that were all endorsed by DCDP? The county party is supposed to be here to work in a collaborative effort with all of the candidates. After people are referred to them by the Texas Democratic Party, they tell the potential candidates what offices are open, when, and where to sign up. After that, they literally never hear from them again. If you want an endorsement, you have to solicit it. There aren’t any ethics guidelines or a “How To Manuals”. You are not given a mentor or point of contact.

Think about this from the perspective of people that have never run for office before. That is the vast majority of the campaigns I have worked on and with. They are beyond frustrated by the lack of responsiveness, professionalism, and assistance from the DCDP. That is what the new County Chair, Jennifer Skidonenko, claimed she was going to tackle as her first initiative; however, there has not been any improvement. A $7,500 expenditure I spearheaded for a Coordinated Campaign effort targeting Little Elm, Denton, and Lewisville municipal elections was approved by the County Executive Committee; however, they have failed to do anything to support the candidates to date. Early voting begins April 19th.

The Democratic Party is fractured into cliques in Denton because no one can get along and work together. There are no less than a dozen Facebook groups, all full of the same people, talking about the same things. It is like an echo chamber. If we are on one team, why can’t we at least have one major Facebook group? Is this junior high? Why are we sitting at different electronic tables in the lunchroom? And, most are sponsored or endorsed by Denton County Democratic Party. They are literally endorsing and sponsoring the problem. They are electronically fracturing us.

People have asked me, “why don’t you do your own thing”? I have seen my peers do it. They are ostracized, labeled, and their character is defamed. They immediately fall into one or more of the following categories:

Secret Republican
Severely mentally ill and refuse to seek treatment
Racist or not anti-racist
Angry Black woman
Dripping in White Privilege

There is a time when enough is enough and they push you so far and say so many inflammatory things about so many people, tear apart so many relationships, and leave you alone in the cold, that it is better to walk away, but there is nowhere to go. There are no ethics. There is no accountability. There is no authentic chain of command. There are no defined roles. It is not even organized chaos. It is just discord, lawlessness, and monkeys running the circus.

Oh, sure. They demand action. They place Jennifer Bitecofer, Stacey Abrams, and Beto on pedestals, but words without actions are meaningless.

Einstein is credited with saying, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.” We can complain about what we don’t like or we can attempt to initiate positive change. The Denton County Democtratic Party is not ready or willing to change. You can not get Democrats into higher offices and flip seats without winning the municipal elections. The fact is that name recognition and experience carry a lot of weight with voters. As long as they continue to work harder instead of smarter, they will continue this losing streak. They will continue to lose because they have alienated the very base that wanted to help them.

Just One Frustrated Democrat In Denton, Texas In A Sea Of Many.

Shelby Chiles