On The Record: Dian Cuellar Ruud

For today's edition of On The Record, we speak with Dian Cuellar Ruud, SDEC Committeewoman for Senate District 24.

How did you get started in politics? Did you come to it in your youth or later on?

To put it simply, social activist involvement in the 1970’s predicated my awareness of the role of politics in my life and the larger society. My mother gave birth to 7 children before birth control became legal for married women in l965. And it became legal for single women in 1972, the year I turned 18. It’s amazing to me that after all these years, birth control and the reproductive destiny of a woman are still being dictated by politics. Whether the issue concerns a woman’s reproductive rights,minority discrimination, or a child’s right to health, the personal is very much political.

What was your personal progression from the role of activist to the role of SDEC Committeewoman?

Many facets of my personal and professional life have led me to serve the TDP in this capacity. As a social worker, I have a professional and ethical responsibility to advance social justice in our society, and the Democratic Party platform resonates with these social work values. I have long-standing involvement in Democratic Party activities in the Texas cities I’ve lived in (Temple, Abilene, and Amarillo). Active involvement in the Texas Democratic Women has also nudged me toward increased TDP involvement.

The more my professional work and family responsibilities have lessened over the years, the more time I’ve had to devote to community and political service. My 3 children are grown; my youngest daughter, Cecilia, will be a senior at Boston College this fall semester. Most importantly, the financial and emotional support of my husband, Chris, has provided me the opportunity to be more actively involved in service to others.

What would you say are the primary issues concerning your area of Temple?

Temple resides in Bell County, where the Fort Hood Army base is located. The military soldiers, personnel, and military families maintain a strong presence in our community. Even though some of these individuals have spoken out against the war, Temple and the surrounding communities are politically conservative and do not engage in anti-war sentiment, even though the futility of the war in Iraq is becoming evident every day.

While we are few, the Democrats in Bell County are fiercely dedicated to doing what we can to turn our county blue. I suppose, like many rural Texas counties, we could improve on building party membership and participation. Our GOTV strategy could use revamping, particularly in the cultivation of Mexican-American voters.

Do you have any ambition for higher office? Do you have plans to run for any other party office, or possibly even public office?

Absolutely not. At times I think that striving for political office requires the ability to sustain long periods of delusion in the face of reality. Don’t get me wrong; everyone admires and supports people with integrity who are driven to believe that their leadership can make a positive difference, like Victor Morales. Although Morales was an unknown in 1996, this former school teacher defeated two congressmen to win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator, and he did it with nothing more than his pickup truck and his family savings. He was eventually beaten by Senator Phil Gramm, a Washington veteran of 18 years, but he garnered an astounding 2.4 million votes without PAC money.

Who are some of your political heroes?

The people I strive to emulate are not well-known political leaders or elected officials. Meeting and working alongside “hardcore” Democrats who are passionate about advancing the party leave me humbled and motivated to work harder. These folks are the real backbone of the Democratic Party. Guy Stuart, President of the Burnet County Democrats, for example, has organized a Young Democrats group that’s designing a bumper sticker that can be used throughout SD 24 to minimize printing costs and maximize fund-raising profits.

What are you looking forward to in the coming cycle?

Bringing much needed competency and integrity to our government by electing Democrats to all levels of office throughout Texas.

What advice would you give to young people just getting into politics?

Regardless of age, I would say to anyone just getting into politics: Read! Stay current on social and political issues and think critically and think for yourself.

John Pettit, the Taylor County Chair, is a maniac about this. If you’re on his e-mail list, you know he relentlessly forwards politically charged articles on timely events from every conceivable news source. I don’t know if he still does this, but he used to regularly lead literary discussions to talk about books, such as Crashing the Gate by Markos Moulitsas Zuniga and co-author, Jerome Armstrong.

What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in politics?

I’m not sure, really. Politics is such a strange force in life. As soon as we think we’ve learned a lesson, the next day, everything relating to that lesson can change.

Tell us a little bit about the SDEC, and what roles you feel like you fulfill in that group, official or otherwise.

Theoretically, the SDEC is comprised of statewide representatives that generates an agenda that guides Party activities. In reality, it seems to me that in large part, the agenda is not dictated by the people of the Texas Democratic Party. In my opinion, at these meetings, the SDEC ends up functioning like a giant rubber stamp. After one hour of committee meetings, all the members assemble. The SDEC Committee Chairs stand before the group and give a committee meeting report that everyone typically says yes to. Once in a while, a gutsy maverick like Lloyd Chris from Houston stands up and questions certain actions. Maybe the huge size of the SDEC interferes with its limited effectiveness as a whole. Maybe the structure of the SDEC decision-making process needs closer examination.

All SDEC members know that we must strive to enhance communication and political involvement within our senatorial districts. As members we must also support Boyd Richie in his commitment to build a strong Democratic Party. At April’s SDEC meeting, for example, it was stressed to us that commitment to the TDP included financially supporting the party. Lists were distributed with the names of every SDEC member who was not contributing to the Party as a sustaining member. Turning Texas blue is going to take money, and lots of it. If you’re not contributing at least $10.00 a month to the TDP, please consider doing so. We can’t create needed change on passion alone.