For the first time in nearly a decade, I'm missing the California Democratic Party State Convention, which convenes this weekend in Sacramento. Little comes before politics in my life - but the opportunity at extended travel, to really live in and of the world - had to win this time. Anyone who has set foot outside the U.S. (for longer than it takes to party on a Wednesday night in a Mexican or Canadian border town) knows what our President really doesn't: you can't really
get being American until you leave America. This has been a exceedingly educational experience for me, and I'll serve my party better for it.
That sort of eases my guilt.
The guilt that remains stems from my impending absence from the CYD elections - which are gearing up to be just as ugly and petty as you could ever want them to be. Considering the wealth of talent, drive, and imagination in the group, it's unfortunate that a few bad pennies keep turning up. For a few more precious hours, I'm the Parliamentarian of the group - and it's a job I've loved and taken quite seriously (despite my many bar-induced absences over the last few months). I know this group, it's rules, customs, and history. I'm one of the few on the board who's really been around for a long time. No really, kids, a LONG time.
Which is why when people try to poo on the family, I get a little upset.
Regular readers will note that I don't often discuss CYD here. But on the eve of a contentious election, I gotta speak up.
Vote for Crystal.
It's funny how the same complaints about a leadership post - not the person in it, but any person in it - stay the same, even as the officeholders come and go. Have things run perfectly in the past year? No. Will they magically gel in the next two months if Crystal is re-elected, as she should be? Probably not. But we'll never get much done if we keep fight personal battles instead of political ones. If we get so worried about people stepping on our toes or stepping on the toes of others that we don't do the work we were elected to do.
There are those in the organization who feel slighted by . . .well, any number of things. Those people need to get over it, grow up, get up, and move on. Seriously.
If you're scratching your head at this post right now, don't worry. A few will know exactly what I'm talking about.
So I won't be in Sacramento to referee the celebrity death match. I won't be there to vote against the full credentialing of the few chapters that lied, cheated, and stole their way to pretend-legitimacy. I won't be there to point out how the same people are involved in the suspect charters and gee, ain't that interesting. Others will be, and they will speak out, and I trust them to do so. I just wish there were 50%+1 of them. I doubt there will be.
So, CYD member, if you're reading this: Stop the Madness, Vote for Crystal, and please,
read and respect the bylaws.