The Record
November 26, 2008
By Paul Aronsohn
It is past time for the Bergen Democratic Party to end its single-minded focus on fund raising.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY in Bergen County is in crisis. Hampered by debts and indictments, the party organization is running rudderless and running scared. With some key elections on the horizon, the party is trying to repair itself – in a hurry.
Not surprisingly, the race for the chairmanship has therefore begun in earnest – even among the current chairman's fiercest supporters. Everyone involved seems to agree: It is time to move on.
Unfortunately, however, the race has focused on only one qualification: fund-raising ability. Potential candidates quietly – and not so quietly – vying for the position are talking about their ability to raise money. After all, many people attribute the electoral success of the organization to its fund-raising prowess.
This concerns me, and it should concern all other members of our party.
Notwithstanding a string of victories in recent years, the Bergen Democratic Party's image has been tarnished and its credibility has been called into question – something that is bad for all involved, including those elected Democrats trying to do the right thing.
Some claim that the organization has become a corrupt fund-raising machine – one that exchanges public contracts for private money. Some claim that the organization has misplaced priorities – emphasizing the transactional (money) at the expense of the philosophical (policy). Some claim that the organization seems more like an ATM for ambitious politicians than a think tank for progressive ideas or a community center for grassroots activists. And some just claim that the organization has lost its way.
Fund raising
Regardless of the claim, one thing has become increasingly clear: It is past time for the Bergen Democratic Party to end its single-minded focus on fund raising.
To be sure, money is important. Everyone in politics recognizes that. But money means little without a vision, a set of values, and a leader who can give voice to both.
In fact, more than money in the bank, the Bergen Democratic Party needs a leader who can provide the organization with moral, ethical and intellectual currency – someone who personifies the membership's sense of purpose, sense of priority and sense of right and wrong.
To this end, it is incumbent upon us Bergen Democrats to take great care when deciding on a new chairman. After all, the party of Barack Obama must stand for something larger than itself, and must be about affecting people's lives in a profoundly meaningful way.
* It must be about promoting economic security, particularly for the 27,500 New Jerseyans who lost their job over the past year.
* It must be about guaranteeing health care coverage for the 1.3 million New Jerseyans who do not have insurance.
* It must be about enhancing the quality of life for the millions of New Jersey children, seniors and persons with disabilities whose fates are often tied to government decisions.
* It must be about securing our streets and ports for the 8.7 million people who call New Jersey home.
* And it must be about providing a moral compass for an organization that has too often veered off of its purported path.
Good policies
Again, money is important. It allows the party to promote its ideas, communicate its message and generate enthusiasm among a sometimes dispirited citizenry. But money is no substitute for good policy, good candidates and a good standing in our community. And fund raising is no substitute for good leadership.
Picking a new chairman provides the Bergen Democratic Party with both an opportunity and an obligation — an opportunity to renew its commitment to core Democratic principles (community, responsibility and opportunity) and an obligation to get it right.
Paul Aronsohn, a Ridgewood councilman, is a member of the Bergen County Democratic Committee.
