For once, I disagree with Michael Moore

Dear Michael Moore:

Today you called local Democratic organizations "an apparatus of numskulls, hacks and former high school council rejects," and encouraged progressives who would like to see Trump defeated to ignore us and take matters into their own hands.

First of all, that really personally hurts me. I work as an organizer in local county Democratic Party headquarters during elections. Between elections, I volunteer with my local county Party. I work my ass off for no pay, or not enough pay, because I believe there is nothing more important to do between birth and death than to make the world a better place by furthering the progressive vision. I think you and I agree on that. It makes me feel so frustrated I could cry, to come home after a day of hard work at the campaign headquarters with great volunteers giving their free time to elect progressives and defeat dangerous right wingers, including Trump,  and read those words from someone I thought was on our side.

Second, you are wrong. Really wrong. Dead wrong. And if you want to see Trump defeated, you need to be using your formidable megaphone to give the exact opposite advice. You are hurting that cause and the only people and organizations capable of achieving it.

The local Democratic Party organizations are simply progressives who are willing to work hard to get other progressives elected. In our County, most of us are Bernie supporters. Most of our candidates too. We are made up entirely of unpaid volunteers.

Between election cycles we have a lot of meetings. We fundraise. We throw events for our local members and the public to inform people about progressive issues. We cultivate, identify and recruit local progressive candidates. During election cycles we rent a headquarters and recruit volunteers to help our candidates from the most local level all the way up through the national level get elected. And we're pretty damn good at it. If anyone has the capacity and ability to elect Clinton and defeat Trump it's us. We have the structure, the knowledge, the work ethic and the volunteers.

It's not some sleeper cell of cool farmer hipster types, as you seem to suggest. Cool, hipster farmer types who care and are willing to work are already with us. Those who don't, and aren't, are not going to spontaneously organize themselves into a structure capable of achieving electoral results.

It's not the Greens, who barely exist and don't work hard and don't get anyone elected. You want to go to fun rallies and protests? You want to express yourself, and your leftist ideals and vote your feelings without thought for consequences? Would you rather craft a puppet than look at a spreadsheet? Join the Green Party. Or just go to a party, it's basically the same thing.

You want to get shit done? Join the boring old County Democrats. I'm sorry. That's the truth.  And yeah, we probably are nerds. You know why? Nerds work hard. We do our homework. We show up on time and put our assignment - electing progressives - before self-indulgence. It's boring, but it's how things get done.

There are a lot of people who are discouraged and confused, and could use a push in the right direction. The right direction is their local Democratic Party Headquarters. We are already doing what you claim needs to be done, and we need their help. I spend my entire life asking for their help. So why are you working against us?