Democrats better organized going into 08 race

At least here in Union County, the Democrats will be much better organized going into the 08 presidential election.

This is true on many levels, but one that you probably haven't heard much about is the Dems' new voter database, known as VAN.

In 04 we relied on a system called PREVAIL, which we were given only limited access to and then only very late in the campaign season. In 06, the Dems were using a new system known as SAGE, which was more user-friendly. Still, we couldn't start using stage until the summer before the general election.

While VAN is a new system, it is close enough to the SAGE system in the way it functions that the learning curve should be fairly short and easy. And the training has already begun. Our new DNC field organizer for this region, Missy Stehr-Wood has already held training sessions in Union and surrounding counties. Missy tells me that VAN has just been upgraded, and she's going to be providing more training for us in early September.

That is very good news. My brief time on the VAN system indicates that is will be a very valuable asset. And by introducing it now, 16 months before the presidential election, the party is giving us plenty of time to get used to it and to work the bugs out.

We've come a long way since 04 in many ways. For 08 we should be second to none in terms of information technology.