Our Democratic Party is at a crossroads. Nationally our party just lost an election against the most politically deceptive and socially destructive Republican administration in our life times.

Here in Connecticut we haven’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years, and the majority of our “Blue State” House Congressional delegation is in Republican hands. Thankfully, we have long had strong majorities in our General Assembly. As former State Party Chairman John Bailey quite correctly used to stress, however, the focus of ability to move a political agenda in Connecticut is found in the “Corner Office”.

The current governor (the formerly enthusiastic partner of the ten year long, grossly corrupt, Rowland/Rell Administration) has already announced her perceived need to cut back on the real estate property tax credit (that is, raise taxes on working families). Simultaneously, she is working to weaken public collective bargaining laws, undermine the state Davis-Bacon Act, and erode the foundation of important environmental, civil justice, and human service principles.

With the opportunity to elect a new Democratic Party Chair, we Democrats have the opportunity to take an important step in setting these wrongs to right.

Some people seem to think that the role of the Party Chair is to be the front person for one State-wide political candidate or another. Some others seem to think that the Party Chair should be the agent of one section of the state, to the disadvantage of the rest of the state.

In contrast, I, and the large majority of our Party, strongly believe that our Party Chair must, simply put, be the organizer of victory for all of our Connecticut Democrats.

Here is what, together, we need to do:

· Go on the offensive: Call the Republicans to account for the corruption and malfeasance of the Rowland/Rell administration, and call the media to account as necessary for its failure to do its job on this issue.

· Go on the offensive: Expand our grass roots network. We must strengthen our party’s ability to mobilize and grow our supporters at every level: local, district, and statewide. The Republicans won the ‘04 election in part because they out organized the Democrats. That is simply unacceptable. As someone who started in public life as a community organizer with the domestic Peace Corp (VISTA), and started my political work organizing successful elections for Democratic candidates for state representative and mayor, I know what it takes to build a truly effective political organization. That work includes active outreach to all of our constituencies, and making sure that our organization’s committees and staff reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of our Party’s membership.

· Go on the offensive: Strengthen our Party infrastructure. Our local Town Chairs and Town Committees are invaluable resources to our Party. They need to be more closely consulted in our Party work, and more closely involved in our Party operations. As the Congressman from the 5th District, I worked with my local Town Committee Chairs closely. Together we transformed a district with only 25% Democratic Mayors and First Selectmen into a District that (before re-districting) had a majority of Democratic Chief Elected Officials, even though the overall District, then as now, had a significant Republican tilt.

· Go on the offensive: Improve our technological capabilities. The new voter database recently created by the State Party is a solid step in the right direction. But it is only a “first generation” version, in comparison to the national Republican voter database that includes a truly sophisticated range of marketing information. The Republican data base, for example, includes: organizational memberships, product preferences (such as which cars people own), magazine subscriber cross references, and issue information, as well as the basics of party registration, address, age and voting history. We can not defeat Karl Rove’s 21st century political machine with 20th century technology.

· Go on the offensive: Raise more money. Like most Democrats I oppose the growing influence of money in politics, and I strongly support campaign finance reform that would fundamentally overhaul the current system. And I am committed to continuing to work vigorously toward that goal. At the same time, however, we must do a better job in our on-going fund-raising. I have personally raised more money than any other Democrat in the state of Connecticut with the exception of our two United States Senators. But I also know that our Party must do more. For example, our Democratic candidates in the 2nd Congressional District in both 2002 and 2004, despite being the better candidates, and despite running the better campaigns, lost because the Republicans were able to drown our candidates in monetary boiling oil. Our party simply did not have the resources to adequately protect them (and counter attack). Until we marshal the necessary resources, no amount of talent and no amount of hard work (or even compelling issues such as the stagnate economy and a callously misguided war) will put us in a position to turn our US House delegation from Republican Red to Connecticut Blue.

· Go on the offensive: confront the Republicans on the issues. Both nationally and here in Connecticut, the Republicans are fundamentally wrong on the important issues of our time. Here are three examples:

1. Economic policy: trickle down economics produces a wealthy few and a diminished middle class; democratic economic policy-- as so effectively practiced by President Clinton-- produces “a rising tide for all boats”, that broadly benefits the middle class, and particularly benefits those, such as disadvantaged minorities, who most deserve an economic lift.

2. Health and Seniors’ Policy: The Republicans seek to use public monies for private HMOs, for private pharmaceutical companies, and now for the privatization of social security. That approach once again puts money into the pockets of the Republican wealthy, and leaves everyone else with inadequate health care and retirement insecurity.

3. Education: The Republicans preen and posture about education, but don’t deliver the needed resources. Democrats want to improve our schools for the benefit of all of our children, and we are willing to make the investments needed. The difference is: Republican talk vs. Democratic results. But that difference needs to be pointed out to the voters time and time again.

If our Democratic State Central Committee goes into 2005 as a puppet for personal political advancement, or as the tool of one section of the state against the rest, then our problems as a party will only fester and deepen. We will, as we have in the past, lose the elections ahead.

If, on the other hand, the Democratic State Central Committee comes together on the basis of the agenda described in this letter, and unites with our Congressional delegation, our State-wide office holders, our General Assembly leaders and caucuses, and our critically important local elected officials (who face tough election challenges ahead this year), then I am confidant we will make solid progress as a State Party, provide real help to our national Party colleagues, and greatly benefit the people of our state and country.

Thank you for your consideration. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss these ideas with me in more depth, please to do not hesitate to be in touch. I look forward to your thoughts and advice.

Yours truly,

Jim Maloney