To error is human, to forgive is divine...

Well, even I, Silence Dogood, make rush to judgements that may or may not be warranted. It seems that I offended Mr. Daniel Sauder, in comments left on http://www.kurtspeak.blogspot.com/. Mr. Sauder has responded to me wondering why I referred to him in less than cordial fashion on a blog written by Kurt Bellman, former Elections Director of Berks County.

I have only met Mr. Sauder on a few occasions and while his dedication to get Democrats elected in admirable: the way and people he has associated with are not. I will not impugn Mr. Sauder, but I do direct my comments to what I have seen of his actions and his associations. Mr. Sauder seems to be a decent man with a lot of drive in his belly and that is to be commended. If we had more people with his spirit, the Democrats would have had some real victories in this past election.

Mr. Sauder works as a paralegal, so I have been told, for Merv Heller's law firm, which is one of the most conservative law firms in Berks County. Mr. Sauder has been involved in a couple of campaigns since arriving on the scene, but I will give you an example of how this man has been warped by those he associates within the Party structure. Mr. Sauder is a liberal Democrat and there is nothing wrong with that, unless he lets others lead him to a point where he becomes irrelevant.

Mr. Sauder, with his energy, should concentrate on electing Democrats to office whether they are liberal or moderate, but unfortunately due to his closeness to Mike Morrill, John Morgan and others, he is quickly becoming known as their "go-to-boy" to do their bidding. Here is what I recommend to Mr. Sauder: start thinking for your self and put that energy in building the Party and our candidates, versus looking at ways to tear it apart. Just because I do not agree with you on every issue does not make you wrong and me right, or vice versa. We may not agree 100% on every issue, but we certainly do agree on more issues then our Republican colleagues. Stop complaining about Tom Caltagirone, as we have seen in the last few weeks, he was right about Bill DeWeese. And for God's sake, the Democrats do own the majority!

Your attitude, which is surprising considering who you work for professionally, has damaged your credibility with those of us who would be more than willing to work with you for the good of our Party. We need new blood, but not at the cost of civility, teamwork and striving towards our goal, which is electing Democrats over Republicans. And Mr. Sauder, please learn that just because Democrats "work" with Republicans and vice versa, does not mean that they are placating or being subservient: it may just be that they are working together to accomplish a goal that may be better then nothing at all!

With that said Mr. Sauder, I would work with you if you learned some key concepts, like teamwork and civility. Go and speak to Bill Evans or Tim Smith or Darlington Hoopes or Leroy Gensemer and learn from them! They were fighting for the Democratic Party for along time and while you may not agree with them on the issues, you will find that you can not help but respect their abilities and devotion to our Party. Mr. Sauder, I will apologize for using a derogatory term to describe you, for that makes me no better than the behavior of another blogger.

However, I stand firm on my analysis of your behavior since arriving in our Party. While I will credit you for helping Fred Sheeler win his campaign (with $40,000 of his own money), I know of a young man in our Party who has consistently won campaigns for the Democratic Party, while working to build the Party and not focusing on the political leanings. While he has exacerbated some because of his blunt words and demeanor, this man has won campaigns. And at times, it may have been candidates that he would have rather not worked for, but did so for the good of our Party. I also have seen him take campaigns, knowing they could not be won and worked them as if they were salvageable victories and won. In the end, he knew it was about the Party and keeping people organized and spirited.

Mr. Sauder, the people you have been associating with, are about tearing things apart and attempting to look like a knight on a white horse coming to save our Party. It is called political opportunism. I can not help but illustrate this point by pointing out your "managing" of Mike Morrill's campaign against Rep. Caltagirone. I offer that Mr. Sauder, if you called and met with Rep. Caltagirone or Bill Evans or even, Tim Smith: you would find that they would be willing to have you involved and work with you quite freely. But, alas, I have a feeling my words will fall on deaf ears and you will continue to be a part of the destruction of our Party by a few, instead of a building of our Party by a majority.

And, it is a quite simple behavioral attitude you have, that as a younger man you believe you can make a name for yourself by attacking the perceived "old guard" instead of working with them. Many have made that mistake and I respectfully ask that you reach out to one of the gentlemen above. People like you, Mr. Sauder, and want to work with you: you need to make the calls. You may be surprised at the response you receive.

I can only hope to be in error, but only time will tell. I hope the gentleman will replace the revolutionary, for while this Country was found on the winds of revolution, it has survived by civility and compromise which you have demonstrated little respect for, or knowledge of, in your actions to this point in time.

Respectfully, I am...

S. Dogood