Punching above our weight

Most of us learned early the cruel reality that life is not fair. Circumstances and boundaries not of our making or choosing often dictate an arbitrary ceiling regarding our expected professional, social and political achievements. Be it tradition, privilege of birth or plain dumb luck, the bar to clear in order to succeed is not placed at the same height for everyone. Some get over it with relative ease and a minimum of effort because it is not placed very far above where they start while most others have a much higher distance to leap in order to clear it successfully.

It is virtually impossible to overstate, at least in Oklahoma, that Democrats have a far more difficult task in selling their message. Over the past decade, with a decidedly conservative shift in the electorate, Sooner State Republicans have been able to write their own ticket and will be able to do so ongoing for the foreseeable future. Much of this has been due to local backlash against the perception that the Democratic Party at the national level had taken a radical turn to the left with the election of President Obama. Locally, this made GOP messaging much easier such that for multiple election cycles up until last year the Democrats did not even field candidates for some thirty-plus state legislative and senate seats. The teacher walkout and occupation of the State Capitol a year ago inspired and motivated many educators and public education proponents to file and run for legislative office. Most were political novices who had to learn the business of running a campaign on the fly. Even though the anti-public education incumbents were replaced by more moderate GOP candidates, the actual numbers in the Democratic House caucus dropped slightly in spite of the Democrats running more seats unopposed than the Republicans for the first time in several years. All state offices in 2018 were pretty much a cakewalk for the OKGOP despite the Democrats running some seemingly strong candidates. That is not to say that there were not some Democratic successes in certain competitive House districts and a few upsets such as the election of Kendra Horn to the 5th Congressional District seat, but overall the party’s performance was remarkably underwhelming. The results left many Dem operatives scratching their heads analyzing what they could have done to improve their chances on Election Night.

Having been directly involved in candidate recruitment as a mid-level Democratic Party officer and having been a campaign advisor and volunteer doing a fair share of door-knocking and carrying water for all Democrats down-ballot, I have come to understand a few fundamental facts of that aforementioned unfair life with regard to Oklahoma politics. These items include but are not limited to:

– Funding. OKGOP candidates always seem to have a bottomless pocket compared to OK Dems who seem to campaign hand to mouth. Being outspent by exorbitant ratios has become the rule, not the exception for the state’s minority party.

– Time dedication. Republicans have the luxury of, by virtue of their superior funding, to work a full time job and campaign for a House or Senate seat more on a part time basis which often nets them success by exerting a mere modest effort. Democrats usually must work a full time job and try to run their campaign along side of it and too often the campaign gets the short end of the stick. Compared to the results of the opposition, this arrangement has proven to be wholly inadequate. It is especially frustrating that this was the limiting factor for so many otherwise outstanding candidates with whom I worked the past two election cycles. The slant on this section of the playing field is only getting worse.

– Bench strength. The depth of the OKGOP’s pool of candidates always appears gushing with specimens who look to have just been assembled to order by Central Casting. From Navy fighter pilots who are weapons experts and can speak three languages to captains of industry with impressively impeccable business resumes to religious clerics whose charisma precedes them, Oklahoma Republicans always seem to win the candidate polishing contest when marketed next to their Democratic counterparts.

– Message crafting. There are few things more frustrating than watching a GOP opponent hijack any or all of the traditional Democratic populist message which appeals to a broad spectrum of the electorate, especially when they are opposing a strong Democrat. Preserving Social Security, Medicare, expanding Medicaid, safeguarding the environment and sustaining improvement of public education and public infrastructure, fiscal responsibility and social inclusion are the red meat of the Democratic populist message going into the next election cycle. The opposition does not have the strength of track record to lay claim to any of these.

So, how does an enthusiastic Democratic candidate of modest means, honorable record and above average motivation prevail in a numbers contest against these increasingly difficult odds? That is a reasonable question with a straight forward answer: by learning to punch above their weight! This is more than just a good idea. This is now a real life imperative if Oklahoma Democrats are going to begin to win back any of their legislative influence which has been steadily waning over a decade.

On the campaign trail last year I came face to face with a certain municipal office incumbent running for reelection and I told him to put this message out to all in his GOP caucus: “We know we are never going to be able to match y’all dollar for dollar. We are going to make y’all match us step for step and drop of sweat for drop of sweat.” I’m not sure if he ever carried that message back to where I hoped he would take it, but I was totally serious about what I told him. Indeed, it is going to take exactly that sort of dedication along with a full time commitment to run a campaign in every single precinct of whatever House or Senate district or office is being challenged. Given that we can plan on being outspent by what may be double digit ratios, we must be able to rise to the challenge of running a better and more dedicated campaign with a refined populist message that exudes a broad appeal. I do believe Mark Twain may have said it best:

American politics has been a dirty business ever since the founding of the Republic. Oklahoma politics has always sported its own brand of red dirt. To be true agents of change we must involve ourselves in the legislative process. To do this, we must immerse ourselves in the political process. Those of us who dedicate ourselves to the quest for such a goal understand that we have just got to get better than the opposition at buffing and sharing our message and reaching more voters. This is the work we have chosen and we will not complain about its arduous nature. To become winners and have a greater say in policy effecting us and our communities we must rededicate ourselves to what needs to be done to get us there: punching above our weight!