In Defense of Process

First off I should premise the essay with the revelation that I consider myself one of Subodh Chandra's many friends and take great pride in being what I believe is the first person to blog about his run for Attorney General back in 06. I have not talked to him at all since the recent events unfolded.

The morning of Marc Dann's press conference last Friday I put up a bad joke as my status on Facebook: Chris thinks that Marc Dann has a bright career ahead of him directing porn. OK, it was in poor taste, but when has that ever stopped me?

Marc Dann is certainly one of the most interesting figures on the Ohio political scene. I laugh when I read people say he rode on Ted Strickland's coattails. Would there even be any "coattails" for Dann to ride upon if it wasn't for Dann's work involving coingate? He was an early adopter to using the blogosphere to promote his political agenda and quickly became a hero within the young medium. That was until Subodh Chandra stole his online thunder by being a better candidate in just about every way.

I consider the day I met Marc Dann one of the seminal crossroads of my life. It was at the 2006 Warren County Democratic Party dinner. As I was talking to then Congressman Sherrod Brown, at the time high from his reconciliation with Paul Hackett, when he suddenly grabbed the arm of Marc Dann and said to him, "Marc, let me introduce you to Chris Baker. He's got some really great ideas and I think you should listen to him." Maybe Sherrod was just trying to blow me off and dumped me on Dann. Being as insecure as I am, I can't help but keep that as an option. Still, my better, more self assured self hopes that it was something more.

In person Marc Dann is the living embodiment of David Byrne's guy in the big suit from the Talking Head's Stop Making Sense tour. A child caught dressed up in their parent's clothes. (Not that I should be criticizing anyone over their dress, but hey, how interesting would an essay be if one didn't express one's stupid opinion?)

He was working on an idea involving voting integrity. He pulled out a rolled up stack of papers from his jacket. It was like music to my ears. I have long been a champion of improving the process of voting and was delighted to hear that this was an issue of importance to him. He was looking for something that would get people excited about his candidacy online. Excited again as they once were about coingate, a voice went off in my head. He handed me his card and asked me to read them over. I thanked him and assured him I would.

My head quickly started doing the math. Voting integrity was one of the big hot spots online. It would be a great way to get some online buzz, and maybe even attract some of that elusive coastal Act Blue cash. The buzz had died down from the primaries, and this would be just the thing. Another crack at playing the great machine. Ever since I caught the blogging bug during the 2^nd special election in 05 I'd had this dream of being swept away from my hum drum life as a computer programmer into the ultra exciting world of politics. This could be the opportunity that I'd been dreaming of. After all, I was a master of this sort of game, right? (Yes, the self assured portion of my brain is also the stupid and naive portion of my brain.)

For weeks I stared at the pile of papers on my dinning room table. Each time I reached for them I heard Subodh's frustrated, angry warning about Dann's abilities as a lawyer and more importantly as a manager of other lawyers that he made to the Ohio Democratic Party's nominating committee back during the primary. Didn't they understand? This is completely unacceptable. It became THE focus of his campaign, so much so that instead of running for himself, Subodh ran entirely against Marc Dann. The trap of the game, as I like to call it. Too bad being right has nothing to do with winning elections.

I couldn't do it. I would vote for him, but I couldn't help him get into office. It was obvious that everything about his nomination involved the sort of insider politics I detested. Instead of feeding my delusions I would focus on such adulthood pleasures as being a good father and husband and let one of my sillier dreams die the quiet lonely death it deserved.

With his press conference confession of infidelity and incredibly poor management skills the call has risen up from the Progressive Ohio blogosphere and local newspapers for Marc Dann to resign. One would think that I agree. I don't.

I am a process man. I think that the actual process of doing something is more important than what you do. The value of "liberal" and "conservative" philosophies are meaningless without the actual process. When we talk about "conservative" are we talking about George Bush's Alice in Wonderland incompetence, or Paul O'Neill's creativity? Bush can talk all he wants about what he believes in, but when you examine the processes of his administration his ideology disappears. George Bush isn't a conservative, he's Nero in a Stetson.

American politics in the 21^st century is the age of Rove. We are trapped in it even as we rail against it. Every decision, every opinion, every law, every action is now political. If you are a politician you don't utter a sentence without thinking about the political impact of what you are saying. Even as we "progressives" condemn him we honor him by playing by his rules. Our reaction to Marc Dann is a case in point.

The Rovian logic is clear. This scandal will have an impact upon the Ohio races in the fall. Since we are such a pivotal swing state we can't afford any scandal to be used against us. Marc Dann must resign so that we don't jeopardize our chances of winning the White House in the fall. Cool, calculated; heck, I thought of them myself as the story unfolded. Also entirely Rovian.

I can feel all of my blogging colleagues singing the body electric as their vindication over the incompetent ODP makes manifest. This is their chance to be on top. It's our turn now. We told you so, and look what happened. Appoint our boy and accept your fate.

But I don't care about vindication. I want the process. I want done to us what we wanted to be done to them. I want the system to do its job.

For almost eight years we've ranted about how the Bush administration has flaunted Congress, ignored the rule of law, basically pissed on the Constitution. They've taken every governmental process and turned it into a political weapon. Now it's our turn. We wanted this from them, so we've got to let them give it to us. Be intellectually honest. We elected them to represent us. They've been chosen to do a job, and if they fuck up we have systems in place to correct it, and I'm afraid that doesn't include an online petition.

Shit happens. Men are scum. They fuck up, and when they do we have laws and processes in place to take care of it. That's why our Government was created. That's what being American is all about. We aren't a mob; we are a nation of laws. Enforce them.

Dann fucked up. He sucks as a manager. He's a very poor judge of character. But as I like to say, it is never too late to do the right thing. He got the job fair and square.  We may not like it, but instead of being perpetual victims, we need to see the processes for what they are and work harder to change them.

The Republicans are going to have fun with this. Get used to it. Let them have their day in the sun, and respect them for it.

Dann needs to stand up to the shit storm he's created and eat it. Cooperate with everyone and do everything he can to learn from his mistakes. Don't hide. Don't turn this into a political battle. You wanted this job, now you've got it. You are the protector of our laws chosen by the people of the great state of Ohio. Do your damn job.

The people, including Republicans in the state houses, have earned their right to look over what Attorney General Dann has done in this matter and demand accountability. I want to see them do it. I want to see them show the American people how much they respect the process, and I want to see Democrats demonstrate the same grace under fire, and love of the process that is our great nation of laws.

If laws were broken then enforce them. If crimes were committed then arrest people. That's what Marc Dann demanded when he was on the outside, and it's what he deserves now that he's on the inside.

Government, despite what Mr Rove might think, isn't just about winning elections. It's also about governing. Now is the chance to take our great machine out for a test ride and see how it runs.

We may please ourselves with the prospect of free and popular governments. But there is great danger that those governments will not make us happy. God grant that they may. But I fear that in every assembly, members will obtain an influence by noise not sense. By meanness, not greatness. By ignorance, not learning. By contracted hearts, not large souls…

There is one thing … that must be attempted and most sacredly observed or we are all undone. There must be decency and respect, and veneration introduced for persons of authority of every rank, or we are undone. In a popular government, this is our only way.
- John Adams

-- Chris Baker once ran the Ohio 2nd Blog.