Last night, several bloggers (some party activists, some independents such as myself) had an informal meet-and-greet with Matt Weyandt, the new executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia over beers at Manuel’s.

I had planned to ask him questions about the state of the party apparatus. Randy Lewis has said a couple of times in the GA Politics Podcast, for example, that the GOP has the state organized down to the zip code and that the Democratic Party has nothing comparable. When I found out he’d only been on the job a few days, I realized that I probably need to wait a month or so before I asked him those questions so he can have to time to assess that situation.

Luckily, considering the DPG has said they will have open gaggles every couple of weeks or so with bloggers and anyone else who wants to show up, I should have the chance to ask later. Matt said he’d be happy to give a podcast interview in a month or so. Martin Matheny, the new communications director, has an open door policy and makes himself available constantly over email and GTalk. And if you’re wondering just how on top of the new technologies the new staff is, check Martin’s Twitter account or read the DPG blog.

What I did ask Matt about last night was another topic that’s near-and-dear to a lot of people’s hearts: the best approach to fielding candidates. The netroots, as it were, mostly believes that fielding a candidate in every election, regardless of how abysmal the chances for victory are, is the best approach because it’s good for brand recognition and leads to long-term growth. Some other party activists I’ve spoken with think that’s a crazy waste of resources and that all effort should be focused on competitive districts.

Matt’s answer to which approach he favors was diplomatic, something along the lines of “we’d like to field candidates in every district and hope to in the future, but right now that’s not realistic with the resources we have to work with.” I’m paraphrasing there, so don’t hold him to that quote.

Some of the time was spent brainstorming ways to get volunteers out in those less-than-competitive districts. Read Shelby’s post for more info on this topic.

A couple of people who were there said that things already feel different. The old director would attend mixers with the unwashed masses, but would stand in the corner and not speak to anyone, one commented. Long-term, we’ll see how things pan out, but the new DPG appears willing to listen to ideas from all corners.