The Importance of Volunteering

You've seen their political advertisements.  Every Alabama Republican, from county candidates to those running for governor or U.S. Senator, is offering nothing more than blind obedience to the Trump agenda, his MAGA credentials, and a Trump endorsement.

Is the current Trump agenda working for you?  Most Americans say "No."  

Then get up and do something about it!  Volunteer with the Dale County Democratic Party and contribute to your local party and to your favorite Democratic candidates.

Although it may sound like a cliche, the 2026 midterm elections may actually be the most important and consequential in recent history.

Trump will not be on the 2026 ballot, but his influence will be. Republican control of Congress and state governments extends his power. If Democrats break congressional majorities, they can limit Trump's grip on Washington and curb intimidation of public officials and congressional lawmakers. In Alabama state and local elections, if Alabama citizens show that extremist MAGA philosophy and legislation is unpopular (by voting for Democrats), future candidates may distance themselves from that ideology and move state and local government back toward a more civil, bipartisan course.

At the federal level of government, what has the Trump administration given us?  Here are a few examples: 

• Higher, and continuously rising, prices, especially for fuel and food;

• Greater wealth inequality, with billionaires benefiting most from taxation and economic policy;

• Foreign wars of Trump's choosing, along with the associated costs and economic consequences;  

• New tariffs that function as a regressive tax on the middle class; 

• Less democracy and more authoritarianism;

• Politicization and weaponization of the Justice Department and the American judicial system;

• Administration contempt for the rule of law; 

• Disregard for Congress and constitutional checks and balances, enabled by compliant and cowardly GOP lawmakers;

• Corruption, both political and economic; 

• A  disastrous foreign policy that has alienated traditional allies, damaged alliances like NATO, and hurt America's reputation and global standing;

• Incompetent, inexperienced or ethically challenged cabinet officials leading major agencies, with Senate Republicans helping confirm them;

• Replacement of experienced civil servants with political appointees who lack the experience and knowledge to do the job;

• Slashing of government provided services and the federal workforce, with only a tiny fraction of the savings promised by DOGE;

• Erosion of the social safety net; 

• Attacks on civil rights, voting rights, diversity and inclusion, and basic constitutional rights;

• A broad social malaise marked by low consumer confidence, mistrust of government and institutions, cynicism, pessimism, prejudice, and division;  

• Etc., etc., etc.

With regard to Alabama state and local government, some might think that the national Trump agenda would not adversely impact our state legislature and local politics.  However, recent events prove otherwise.  

• Trump appointed Supreme Court justices have helped gut the Voting Rights Act allowing the GOP controlled Alabama legislature to quickly answer Trump's call for Republican gerrymandering efforts to upend our 2026 congressional elections and attempt to deny Alabama minority voters political representation.

• Alabama lawmakers and taxpayers face higher costs as Washington shifts program and administrative burdens, such as new SNAP enforcement requirements, from the federal government to the states, just so Washington can reduce federal taxes for the wealthy.

• Alabama’s Republican-led legislature has introduced and often passed harsh laws that limit personal freedom and choice, just so it can dictate MAGA-aligned cultural and religious doctrine.  

• State and local resources, including law enforcement and jails, have been drawn into federal immigration enforcement against long-time residents who contribute to our economy and to our communities.

• Trump obsessions, such as unfounded allegations of rigged elections, are shaping proposed changes to Alabama election law.

• Following the Trump administration’s lead, Alabama legislators are advancing so-called anti-terrorism laws that could restrict free speech and intimidate citizens from criticizing their government or its foreign policy.

• Corruption and hyper-partisanship in the Trump administration have become a model for some state and local lawmakers, making campaign advantage more important than ethics.

These are just some reasons Trump aligned MAGA candidates must be thwarted in congressional, state, and local races. We need your help in Dale County to do it.

Still, we should be realistic. Alabama and Dale County voters have long been shaped by the Republican brand, even if current Republican policies work against their own economic interests. Many voters here tie their sense of personal identity to their political party affiliation, and that is difficult to change. To protect that personal identity, some choose “willful ignorance” and avoid confronting the country’s problems and their responsibility to help solve them. Unfortunately, that's human nature.  It's much easier to become apathetic and cynical and to bury one's head in the sand.  This sense of denial is exploited by our opponents who lie about our current situation ("everything's great" - "stock market is up" - "a golden age"), downplay our problems, and blame Biden and their Democratic predecessors for every problem they can't conceal.  That being said, there is a lot of citizen dissatisfaction with the current status quo created by Trump, Republican congressional control, and Alabama Republican statehouse dominance.  Gas prices above $4 a gallon and outrageous food price increases are daily reminders that are hard to ignore.

Our primary goal is to win contested races in Alabama. Given current public discontent, that is possible.  But even if we do not win in 2026, we can still achieve important secondary goals: Increase Democratic turnout and shrink Republican margins. Why does that matter?

• It builds confidence for future races, attracts more Democratic candidates for more races, and gives Democratic and independent voters more choices.

• It strengthens future fundraising from local, state, and national sources, because donors give more when victory looks more achievable.

• It sends a message.  It tells Republican leaders that many voters in Dale County and across Alabama reject Trump and MAGA.

• It shows there are political costs for abuses such as racial gerrymandering.

• It may discourage Republicans from choosing radical, right-wing, MAGA candidates in future primaries.  If Republicans see that extreme MAGA candidates cost them votes, they may choose more moderate nominees.

No matter how cynical or discouraged a person may feel about November 2026, these secondary goals are certainly within reach, with a little effort.  Once you see their value, there is every reason to get involved. And with your help, we may even win some races.

With regard to the subject of "willful ignorance," it is important that we use facts to counter the emotional appeals, prejudice, "spin", omissions, and sometimes outright lies employed by our opposition.  Why?  Because the facts are on our side.  As a simple example, how many of you remember Trump's outrageous claim that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were killing people's pets and "eating the dogs"?  The claim was a lie, an emotional appeal, and a prejudicial statement all rolled up into a very short phrase.  But once the facts disproved it, the claim collapsed and, in fact, helped expose Trump for his lack of credibility and prejudice.

However, facts alone are not enough; we must also provide context. Our job is to help citizens see how actions (or inaction) in Washington and Montgomery affect their daily lives, including their cost of living, their personal rights, their economic opportunities, their children's education, their health and well-being, their safety and national security, etc.  Some of these relationships are complex and difficult to explain in the 30 second soundbites favored by our opponents.  However, we need to understand these relationships so we can clearly show how Republican actions (and inaction) adversely affect the lives of our friends and neighbors.

Then we must engage these friends and neighbors in a friendly, respectful, non-confrontational way, and then listen even when we disagree. Given current dissatisfaction with the status quo, we may get a positive response. If not, we may still leave them with something to consider. By the way, any of us, whether an official volunteer or not, can do this.  Just do it.

Engagement has another benefit. By being informed, responsible, and identifying yourself as a Proud Democrat, you give frustrated and discontented Republican voters a chance to rethink their personal political identity, abandon their current party affiliation, and eventually accept a new party affiliation. That change is often slow, but occasionally it does happens. The more our Dale County party grows, the easier the transformation becomes. People are drawn to strong, influential organizations, and success builds upon itself.

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