Indiana Democratic Party 12-30-17 Weekly Radio Address Podcast

Chairman John Zody and the Indiana Democratic Party Weekly Radio address:

And that brings us to the one of the many issues that came to the forefront this year – the need to end gerrymandering and enact real redistricting reform in our state. No matter where are you, people believe our politics need to be better – and one of the ways to do that is to have voters start choosing their representatives – instead of the other way around.

Transcript:

This is Chairman John Zody, bringing you the weekly podcast for the Indiana Democratic Party.

As 2017 comes to a close, I want Democrats across the state to have pride in their Party and what was done this year. Most of all, I want to thank all the volunteers and activists. Whether you’ve been working to advance the cause of our issues and candidates for years – or whether you just got involved this year: thank you for all you have done. Together, it is making a difference.

The Wednesday morning after the 2016 election, we started receiving e-mails from folks around the state who wanted to get involved. They wanted to help change what had just happened. Most of the reaction was in response to the election of President Trump – but the challenges our state faced didn’t change just because there was an election. The challenges in Indiana were – and are – many.

The Indiana Democratic Party, in partnership with our district and county parties, began working to engage voters to work toward action.

The State Party also went through a reorganization, and an analysis of what we do well, and what we can do better. I conducted 15 forums this year to hear from Democrats around the state to get input on our strengths and weaknesses – and also what opportunities were out there for us to grow.

What we found is that people were engaged in ways we haven’t seen for a long time. They wanted to register voters, go door-to-door, run for office in their local party, gain more skills – and many who wanted to run for office in 2018. In fact, recruitment for legislative offices started late in 2016 – almost two full years before the 2018 election. Those candidates starting running and working hard – and they’re still doing it – even in challenging legislative districts where the numbers show the road is tough for a Democrat.

And that brings us to the one of the many issues that came to the forefront this year – the need to end gerrymandering and enact real redistricting reform in our state. No matter where are you, people believe our politics need to be better – and one of the ways to do that is to have voters start choosing their representatives – instead of the other way around. We are hopeful – and we will push – for this reform when the General Assembly reconvenes for the 2018 session next week.

In addition to redistricting, it is important that Hoosiers know that Democrats firmly believe we must have a winning message to win in November 2018. We have to talk about what we believe, and what we are FOR. Rest assured, we will fight against the things we oppose – but voters want to know candidates have a vision for what they would do in office. So what is our message? Democrats care about a lot of issues – but expect to hear chief among them the fact that Indiana has a wage problem – and that Democrats believe we must have a plan to grow wages in Indiana. In addition, we must provide more opportunities for early childhood education, keep fighting to expand infrastructure and access to affordable healthcare and treatment during the opioid crisis. And we must continue to push for every single Hoosier to be treated equally under Indiana law. These issues are among those you will hear us talking about throughout 2018. We cannot truly succeed as state until Statehouse Republicans and those in Washington understand the bigger picture, and that success comes with opportunity.

During 2017 – we’ve trained nearly 2,000 people, we’ve recruited more than 1,200 volunteers, had more than a dozen Days of Action, visited nearly two thirds of Indiana counties as a State Democratic Party – and we’re not stopping even as 2018 begins. Those are not things just “I” did – but “we” did them – and if we keep doing them together, we will have success in 2018. Please consider joining us January 6 in Indianapolis as we conduct a training in partnership with the National Democratic Training Committee.

And please follow the IDP on Facebook and Twitter. Simply search INDems – that’s I-N-D-E-M-S on Facebook and Twitter, and follow us to get the latest news about our candidates and what we’re doing to hold our counterparts at the Statehouse and in Washington accountable.

Only together can we fight for fairness, the future and work toward a brighter and better state for Hoosiers of all walks of life to succeed in working and raising a family.

Thank you for listening, thank you for everything you have done in 2017, and onward to victory in 2018. Happy New Year.