March 26, 2020
Your Weekly News from the Collin County Democratic Party
Who Can Run?
By Maury Marcus
Who can run for the office of President of the United States?

Four years ago, one of the candidates for the other party’s nomination, who was serving as governor of Wisconsin, was a college dropout. Another candidate, an uncouth and vulgar slob, had no experience in the art of governing, less than no experience in foreign policy or national security, and was full of prejudices and phobias . He opposed that party’s longstanding principles and denounced the core values of the nation’s founders as “political correctness” . He won the nomination.

In the current cycle, in our party, one candidate had never run for office, but had written self-help books, and sounded like a refugee from dreamland. Two candidates were billionaires with no experience in governing who tried to buy votes. One candidate had served 12 years as mayor of the nation’s largest metropolis for the other party and had become a Democrat only this year. Another, whom I love as a senator, had 30 years of experience in the Congress as an independent. During the past six years, he has been an independent in senatorial years and a Democrat in presidential years. Several of the candidates had no experience whatsoever in national security and foreign policy.
It behooves the national party to set minimum requirements for those who seek its presidential nomination:

(1) He or she must be a graduate of an accredited American college or university. This is the minimum requirement for serving as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army. The commander-in-chief should have at least as much minimal education.

(2) She or he must have been a registered member of the Democratic Party for at least 10 years. If a candidate wishes to be the top leader of our party, she or he must be a longstanding member of our party.

(3) He or she must have voted in the last three Democratic presidential primaries. A candidate must be someone who cares about the party enough to participate in its processes.

(4) She or he must have held elected office as a Democrat and shown some facility for governing. Note to businessmen: experience in making money does not translate into skill in the art of governmental leadership.

(5) He or she must have served in the armed forces, the diplomatic corps, or the intelligence services of the United States, or in a position of oversight thereof in the Congress or in the Cabinet. In a world where neo-authoritarian bullies are on the march, where the internal turmoil of Muslim nations often spills over into the democracies of the West and the Far East, and where atmospheric carbon has become a planetary existential threat, it is inconceivable that a candidate for president be lacking in this area.

The Democratic National Committee and the Convention should adopt these rules for future presidential cycles.

Comment here
CCDP Office Closure
Due to COVID-19, the CCDP offices will be closed to the general public starting Monday 3/23 and ending April 30. This action is taken out of concern for those who work in our office, as well as visitors to our office. Small group meetings may continue by special arrangements.
Our next issue of Shades of Blue newsletter will be Monday, April 6th as the editors are on Spring Break.
Ann Richards Dinner Postponed
Dear Democrats,
Our Ann Richards Committee has made the difficult decision to postpone this year’s Ann Richards Dinner that was originally scheduled for April 18th.

In doing so, they considered expert guidance by the CDC and WHO regarding coronavirus, similar decisions by local leaders, and the need to protect our community.

We plan to reschedule the 2020 Ann Richards Dinner to a later date in the year and will keep you updated over the weeks to come. We believe doing so is the best choice for our party and the wider community for which we are responsible.

We are also very grateful for all of you who have supported the dinner and sponsored or purchased tickets. We are saving your seats for you and look forward to having you at our rescheduled dinner. Your support helps build our party, our community, and a better Collin County.

All the volunteer members on this year’s Ann Richards team have done a fantastic job planning and preparing for what promised to be a great night. We are very grateful for all the hard work and planning they have put into this event and we will see their hard work later this year.

John Shanks
Executive Director
Collin County Democratic Party
We Can Still Get People Registered to Vote!
by Sharon Stark and Barb Walters, your VDR Co-leads
With COVID-19 throwing challenges in our path to get people registered to vote, Democrats are meeting the challenge in a most creative way.
 
Whether you are a Volunteer Deputy Registrar or an interested civilian, you can put people on the path to voter registration before the next deadline on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020. The next elections are coming soon.
  • City/School Elections are Saturday, May 2, 2020
  • Primary Runoff Elections are Tuesday, May 26, 2020
  • City/School Runoff Elections are Saturday, June 20, 2020
  • The General Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2020
 
Our regular Voter Registration locations are temporarily suspended BUT we have two ways to reach out to the un-registered:
 
1)     MapThe.Vote will assist you in finding un-registered future voters near you. Leave 1 to 2 Mail In forms under their doormat while you are out for a walk(add a note if you want) .
2)    The Apartment Project – we still have apartment complexes that need adoption. Contact Sharon Stark to get the names. Once you have the names of the complexes, contact their office and ask where near the office you can leave the Mail In forms.
3)     txdem.co/register  is another option for Texas. This info could be emailed, posted on Facebook and Nextdoor. They go into  txdem.co/register , fill out the online form and an official voter registration form will be mailed to them. They sign and date it and mail it back in. The postage is prepaid. Easy Peasy!
 
White mail-in cards are available in the CCDP office.
 
Since January 1st, 2020 our VDR (Voter Deputy Registrar) team has registered at least 350 voters which contributed to the 620,000 registered so far in Collin County in 2020. Let's help them keep up the momentum until we are all about to get out and about and our VDRs are back to registering voters at office buildings, high schools, markets, mosques, in our neighborhoods, at the doctor’s office, colleges, and so many other places.
Collin County Upcoming Events
CCDWD Meeting via Zoom Tele/Video Conference-- Monday, April 20, 2020!
Collin County Democrats With Disabilities

You don't have to live in Collin County or have a disability to participate. We welcome allies and advocates!  

WHEN:  Monday April 20, 2020 5:30 p.m.-7:30 pm

WHERE: Zoom tele/video conference.  REGISTER HERE to get instructions on how to join the meeting:   https://www.mobilize.us/collindemocrats/event/263292/  

Questions?  disabilitydemocrats@gmail.com or 307-314-ABLE (2253)
Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally Meetings on Hold
But Yes, We Can Still Talk Politics
A consensus of the Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally leaders have agreed that we will not be meeting for the remainder of March and possibly into April. Like the rest of the nation, the health and well-being of our members are paramount. We invite everyone to reach out to various Democratic groups on Facebook and find camaraderie there until this COVID-19 crisis is over.

Meanwhile, remember to keep a six-foot distance, wash your hands like your mother is watching over your shoulder, stay out of the public if you are feeling unwell, and keep an eye on those around you who might need help with seemingly simple things like grocery shopping or a check-up phone call.

Watch the CCDP online calendar for updates on upcoming events. We want to see you back when it is safe for all of us.

Drinking Liberally and Living Liberally are informal, inclusive progressive social groups. Raise your spirits while you raise your glass, and share ideas while you share a pitcher. Drinking Liberally gives like-minded, left-leaning individuals a place to talk politics. You don't need to be a policy expert and this isn't a book club - just come and learn from peers, trade jokes, vent frustration and hang out in an environment where it's not taboo to talk politics.