The Democratic Leader - The Official Newsletter of The Bexar County Democratic Party - Information - http://maxpages.com/bexarcodemos/The_Democratic

Newsletter of the Bexar County Democratic Party Vol. 1 Issue 1 May 8, 2000

New Party Offices Secured
Bexar County Democratic Chairman Gabe Quintanilla announced that the Democratic Party has moved to 301 S. Frio, Suite 164. The telephone number at the new facility is 220-1212. The Democratic Party occupies a five-room suite on the first floor.
The new location offers several advantages over the Broadway office. For one thing it is more centrally located across from Downtown UTSA. Parking will never be a problem and security will be provided.
Several Democrats have occupied space in the facility, such as Dan Morales and Christine Hernandez. Former Democratic Chair Walter Martinez is also in the building.
Although the new location will not be large enough to have meetings of the precinct chairs, the Radisson Hotel is down the street and remains a viable option for large meetings. To accommodate our Democratic organizations, a conference room is available for a nominal charge.
In addition, Quintanilla has obtained the use of a conference hall from a nearby business. The hall will be available 24 hours a day, can easily accommodate a group of approximately 100 persons, is equipped with easels, VCR’s, and a bar area for soft drinks. All that is required to use the facility is seven days notification.

The Chair will call a meeting with the heads of all Democratic organizations in the next few days to show them the hall, meet the owner and become acquainted with the convenience of this facility.
The new party office has a completely new look and a new name. Telephones will be answered “Bexar County Democratic Party,” as opposed to “Democratic Headquarters.”
Although it may be subtle, there is a difference. People associate the Democratic Headquarters with the previous location on Broadway.
The primary function of the office is to provide an environment that promotes a quality work product. Our candidates are counting on us to help them, and we can’t do that if we’re hampered by leaking ceilings, inadequate restroom facilities, unsafe evening work sessions--everything that was associated with the old headquarters on Broadway.
In considering whether to move, Quintanilla consulted with the Transition Committee that he assembled shortly after the results of the March 14 election. Committee members included representatives from every Democratic organization, as well as several precinct chairs and activists. The group unanimously supported the move.
The new Democratic Party Office will soon be fully staffed. The office is functioning now with volunteers. If you would like to help, there is much that needs to be done. Your assistance would be most appreciated.
The next step will be to create an environment that will inspire those who visit the office concerning the important work being done there. Elected officials are encouraged to submit quality photographs to be hung on the wall. The new office will contain images of people who have made a difference in the lives of the American people, including John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King.
There is much for Democrats to do before the November elections, and it will take all of us to get it done.

Quintanilla’s Corner
“If Lincoln Lived Now, He Would Be A Democrat”
Several years ago, President Ronald Reagan made a habit of quoting Democratic Presidents to illustrate a point. Speech writer Peggy Noonan carefully crafted his messages to give the illusion of reasonableness. One literary device she adopted was to drop in a line or two from President Kennedy or Franklin Roosevelt.
Two can play that game. Although there are few Republican Presidents who ever said anything particularly noteworthy or memorable, President Abraham Lincoln is an exception. By all accounts Lincoln is more easily associated with the concepts of charity, humility, dignity, and fundamental fairness.
With this in mind, I want to share one of my favorite quotes from Lincoln. He once said that if you have eight hours to chop down a tree, you should spend six hours sharpening your ax. I stumbled upon that quote several weeks ago and included it in a recent column in theNorthwest Democrat’s newsletter.
We are engaged in a noble cause. The Democratic Party is the greatest party on this planet because it encompasses the need to promote decency and fundamental fairness for the weakest, most frail most vulnerable in our society. We see the relevancy of our party every day we pick up the newspaper. Every time George W. Bush fails to curtail the right-wing reactionary machine to which he sold his soul in order to win the South Carolina primary, we are reminded of the need to safeguard our precious party.
We are engaged in a race against time. Soon we will be subjected to an onslaught of images of a man who wants to be President because that’s the job that his father once held. Since he has the same name that he father has, and can raise $21 million in a single evening by catering to the tobacco lobby, NRA, and insurance industry--why not?
At a recent political gathering in honor of Congressional candidate Isidro Garza, State Education Commissioner Joe Bernal suggested that Bush’s “compassionate conservatism” lacked one more “c.” Corporate. “Corporate Compassionate Conservatism.” Bernal is right--Bush stands ready to take us back to the time when tax cuts for the wealthy were the order of the day regardless of the disastrous effects they had on the economy. It took eight years to clean up the mess caused by Reagan/Bush. Now W. comes along and promises America to return to voodoo economics.
To counteract this dismal portrait of things to come, we are taking a few words from Lincoln at heart. We are sharpening our ax. Success this fall will require a sacrifice from each of you like never before. I am calling on all Democratic Organizations to participate in the most ambitious block walking GOTV effort in the history of Bexar County. I will request the clubs to suspend their usual coffee meetings in October and hold block walking sessions in its place. In October we will need action, not words.
I encourage all Democratic candidates to use their time on Saturdays to meet voters. In other words - don’t feel guilty if they are absent from Democratic clubs on Saturdays. You have our votes. Put your walking shoes on, and go meet other voters.
Let us take our cue from Lincoln. We must work smarter--not just harder. We must sharpen our ax.
--Gabe Quintanilla

UNITY 2000
A major key to success in 2000 will be Unity. A lack of unity is undermining our Party's ability to mobilize our base vote.
Ordinary citizens have become isolated from their leaders. Similarly, within our Party structure, the various factions, from our governing elites to grassroots activists, have become isolated from each other. This isolation occurs along racial, ethnic and geographic lines. The result is a breakdown of a meaningful democracy and the rise of a permissive culture of false appearences. To change this, we must be willing to gather regularly to engage in meaningful conversation that will draw us together and allow us to discover our mutuality.
************************************************************
SUSTAINING MEMBERS
The Democratic Party depends on the generous contributions of our sustaining members. The contributions are used to pay rentand utilities as well as for mailings.
Many of our activists and Precinct Chairs contribute as little as $10 a month. Others, contribute as much as $100 a month. These contributions can be made through automatic bank drafts or a friendly reminder can be sent to your home or office. Please, consider becomming a sustaining member. Your support will help us accomplish the important work of improving our community by electing Democrats to public office. Please contact the party office at 220-1212 to become a sustaining member.
************************************************************

Bexar County Democratic Party Office
301 S. Frio, Suite 164
San Antonio,	Texas	78207
M-F, 9-5
210-220-1212
Fax 210-220-1215
bexarcodemocrats@aol.com

Visitors: 03028

Page Updated Wed Sep 6, 2000 9:04am EDT