Delegates to the Convention

Democratic Convention

usaforpeace — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:47:06 -0400

I recently spoke to a friend of mine who is going to the convention as a Clinton delegate. She said that the Obama campaign is trying to keep her name(Hillary Clinton) off of the nomination list on the opening day of the Convention. As a Hillary supporter, there are 18 million of us out here, it is wrong to break with the tradition of our Democratic Convention by not allowing her name to be on the nomination list. She fought the good fight and won a substantial number of delegates. I realize that Obama will get the nomination but it does nothing to unify the party if you slight the person who came the closest. It serves no pupose and threatens to fracture our party at a time when we can ill afford to be fractured. We have a long and hard road to the White House and the DNC will need Hillary supporters to be as passionate about supporting Obama as we were in our support for her. I never spoke ill of Obama while those two fought for the nomination. Since he has won enough delegates to get the nomination I have defended him on blogs, political boards, newspapers and in person. I want a democrat in the WH in 2009. I have a son who is serving his third tour in Iraq so I know firsthand the hard ships that military families and our troops have experienced for the last six years.

Solving this Superdelegate Mess

Dem in SD — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 23:39:00 -0500

No matter what happens, after the Primaries and Caucuses are done (the last one is the Puerto Rico Primary on June 7th), neither Clinton or Obama are going to be anywhere near the magic number of 2,025 delegates to wrap up the Democratic nomination. For the 79 days (over 11 weeks!) after that, the campaigns will have to switch to a Superdelegate-wooing period, and having to put up with the constant news stories about smoke-filled rooms is something that the Democrats can't afford to go through. Plus McCain will have all this time to organize, fund raise, and otherwise sit back and enjoy the Strum und Drang.

This whole Superdelegate thing should not be the deciding factor. I have started an online petition to ask that Governor Dean lead an effort to amend the Convention rules to guarantee that the winner of a majority of Pledged Delegates (the ones awarded through Primaries and Caucuses) will have sufficient bound Superdelegate votes to guarantee the nomination.

Here is the link -

Awarding Superdelegates to the Winner of a Majority of Pledged Delegates at the 2008 Democratic Party Convention Petition

Please, forward this to your Democratic friends and ask them to help in this grassroots effort to keep this nomination in the hands of the people voting and not with the Superdelegates.

I'm Going to Make a Prediction Here: Hillary's Toast

dlindorff — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 15:36:52 -0500

By Dave Lindorff

For two years now, I have been telling people who insisted that Hillary Clinton would be the next Democratic candidate for president that they were wrong. I even put it in writing a few times.

Now I'm going to really put it out there: Hillary Clinton is Toast. She is not going to be the Democratic nominee.

The reason I always figured she wouldn't make it across the primary finish line was that she was too calculatingly conservative for primary voters.

For years, it has been the case that Democratic primary voters have been more liberal than the broader spectrum of registered Democratic voters. That is because progressive voters have generally been better educated and also more motivated to try to have an impact on the decisions of "their" party than other voters who just mechanically, or out of habit, checked the Democratic box when they registered to vote. Then you have to add to the mix the reality that independents, who vote in the primaries of many of the 50 states, are often, contrary to conventional wisdom, way more "liberal," or better, anti-Establishment, on many issues than are Democrats.

Clinton, meanwhile, is the quintessential Establishment candidate. She has honed her resume, she has cautiously calculated the impact of every critical vote in the Senate. Even as Mr. Bill's unofficial adviser, she played the role of making sure that White House decisions hewed to the center-right, as for example when she pressed him to defund welfare, or to gut habeas rights for death penalty prisoners. Her craven authorship in the Senate more recently for a flag-burning law (it narrowly failed to pass), and her vote in support of the mortally dangerous Kyle-Lieberman bill last year (which would, if passed in its original form, have declared Iran's main armed force, the Revolutionary Guard, to be a "global terrorist organization," thus giving President Bush all the authorization he thinks he needs to attack that country), epitomize her politics.

Moreover, while it does sometimes appear that the Democratic Party has a death wish, I've never subscribed to that theory. I think that party leaders do want to win the White House and to keep control of Congress, not because they want to reform the system, but because they want all the perks, patronage and payola that go to the winner. And I think they all are acutely aware that Hillary cannot win in November against a candidate like John McCain. Indeed, she probably could not win against any of the main Republican hopefuls for president.

My guess is that they'll watch what happens over the next month, and if Barack Obama doesn't keep advancing in the polls and the delegate count, they'll do something to sink her candidacy, which we'll see happen when the so-called Super Delegates--the party "ins" and big-wigs--jump to Obama. The talk at the Democratic National Committee about holding caucuses in Michigan and Florida (the two states that held early primaries against party rules and had their delegations ruled unseatable at the Convention), instead of letting them ultimately be seated, is a direct indication that the Party doesn't want the contest going to Clinton. Clinton won both those primaries, which were held before the Obama surge really got going. If the delegations as voted in the primaries were allowed to be seated at the convention, Clinton would be way out front right now.

I predict they won't be. Those delegates will be reallocated at caucuses at which Obama's people will be dominant.

So for my money, it looks like Obama v. McCain in November.

And a good thing that is, because Clinton v. McCain would have resulted in President McCain.

Obama's "change" rhetoric may be ludicrously empty, but it sounds more real coming from his mouth than from his imitators, including Clinton, and that's enough to bring primary voters, who sure enough do want change, over to his column.

You read it here.
____________________
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based journalist and columnist. His latest book is "The Case for Impeachment" (St. Martin's Press, 2006 and now available in paperback). His work is available at www.thiscantbehappening.net

Did Hillary or Obama Win Nevada?

Bob Fertik — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:21:43 -0500

Chris Bowers makes the indisputable case that Barack Obama actually won Nevada by 13-12.

If the media was covering the Democratic presidential nomination campaign, then they would have projected Barack Obama as the winner of the Nevada caucuses, projected New Hampshire as a tie between Clinton and Obama, and declared that Clinton finished second in Iowa. That is, after all, what actually happened in the Democratic presidential nomination campaign, which is based on delegates, not popular votes from states. Instead of covering the Democratic presidential nomination campaign, the media is instead covering who wins the popular vote of individual states. While what the media is covering is interesting and closer to the concept of one person, one vote, it isn't the Democratic presidential nomination campaign.

Here are the delegate tallies so far according to CNN, looking only at delegates awarded in caucuses and primaries:

	Clinton	Obama	Edwards	Kucinich
IA	18	18	17	0
NH	11	12	4	0
NV	14	14	0	0
Total	43	44	21	0

(Don't ask me how Obama's 13-12 win in Nevada results in a 14-14 tie - I'm just a blogger.)

But if all of the coverage given to primaries and caucuses matters, then Obama is actually ahead at this point. And Obama's lead will grow next Saturday if he wins South Carolina as expected.

Of course there is another category of delegates who are not awarded in primaries and caucuses - superdelegates (members of Congress, governors, and other Democratic bigwigs). According to CNN's count of superdelegates, Hillary currently leads Obama 174-85, with Edwards getting 34 and Kucinich 1.

I don't view superdelegate pledges as written in stone. If Democratic voters award more delegates to Obama than to Clinton, there would be enormous pressure on the superdelegates to reflect the will of Democratic voters. But who knows what would actually happen under those circumstances.

The Nevada caucus was a blow to Edwards. Entrance polls gave him 10% before the caucuses began, but the 15% threshhold left him with only 4% of the delegate-choosers. Edwards needs a stronger showing in his birth state of South Carolina to get back into the race.

How to Vote in Primaries and Not Be an Idiot

davidswanson — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 14:27:26 -0500

A Short Instructions Manual
By David Swanson

1. Virtually nobody votes in primaries (or caucuses) compared to general elections. Therefore, each individual primary vote is worth many times what it is in the general election. And, it's more likely to be counted, since there's typically less fraud and abuse of the system in primaries. So, if you vote in general elections, you pretty much have to vote in primaries in order to not be an idiot. Bring a few friends to vote too, and you're practically a genius.

2. If you have to join a party that you don't support in order to vote in a primary, you can always unjoin again immediately after the primary. In the meantime, maybe you'll have helped to create a party you can support. You can even vote in a primary without planning to vote in the general election. If the 50% of Americans who don't vote at all (or even a small fraction of them) voted in primaries, they would determine the candidates in the general elections, in which they might then choose to vote as well.

3. If there's no candidate you like in a primary, you can write one in. A relatively very small amount of organizing can even lead to a victory for that candidate. (Or some signature gathering could place your candidate's name on the ballot.) *

4. If there is a good candidate on the ballot, then an extremely small amount of organizing can lead to a victory for that candidate. And something short of a victory can still mean some number of delegates for your candidate going to the party's convention from your state, or momentum for your candidate in future states. Primaries, unlike general elections, are not winner-take-all. (You can even become a delegate for your candidate and get a trip to a convention out of this.)

5. In most presidential elections, the party's nominee is decided before many states hold their primaries. So, for most people, the point of voting is not to choose the nominee. (And therefore almost nobody votes, opening the door to effective action by non-idiots.) The point is also not to "show support and loyalty" for a nominee already chosen (democracies have no need for such displays, which are best suited to another type of regime). Rather, the point is to elect as many delegates as possible for the candidate whose positions you most favor, so that those delegates can influence the party's platform and the nominee's positions at the convention, or even make your candidate the vice presidential nominee.

6. In early states, surprise underdog candidates can build momentum, and voting for such a candidate does not entail spoiling the primary for a mediocre candidate who you believe has a better chance of defeating the worst candidate. This is because it takes several states over a period of days or weeks for one candidate to lock down a victory. A surprising showing for an underdog candidate with dramatically distinct positions can put that candidate into the running in the minds of future voters, and can very quickly move the mediocre candidates to become better than mediocre, and therefore better able to compete in future states.

7. Swing voters almost do not exist. Fewer than 4% of voters in 2004 ever planned to vote for Kerry and switched to Bush or vice versa. So, appealing to one's own base and turning those people out to vote is key to winning the general election. Therefore, Democrats who want to win the general election, for example, should nominate the most Democratic, not the most Republican, candidate in the primaries. (Republicans already know this.)

8. Pre-primary corporate polls that purport to tell us who is most "viable" and "electable" are primarily a product of corporate media coverage and spin, much of which is "coverage" of the previous polls. The way to determine which candidate is most viable begins by canceling your newspaper subscriptions and recycling your television.

9. In a democracy, the most electable candidate is the candidate whom the most people actually like. The most reliable gauge available to any of us of whom people will like is whom we ourselves personally and honestly most like. Therefore, there can be no distinction between whom you like and whom you consider "viable." The candidate you most like, honestly, in your own considered private opinion, is the most viable candidate. And you can make that even more so if you lead by example. Don't just vote, but campaign, promote, and contribute, as much and as early as you can. "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men [and women], -- that is genius." - Ralph Waldo Emerson.

10. The following are majority positions among Americans, and overwhelmingly majority positions among Democrats: end the occupation of Iraq, impeach the vice president, create single-payer not-for-profit universal health coverage, withdraw from corporate trade agreements like NAFTA, and slash the Pentagon budget in order to invest in diplomacy, foreign aid, education, jobs, and green energy. Only one candidate supports this platform. He came in third in MoveOn.org's poll, and then second in Democrats.com's, then first in Democracy for America's, and most recently first in Progressive Democrats of America's poll. These are polls done outside the corporate media, polls of progressive activists. His campaign is where the energy is, but it is energy that must resist the influence of the corporate media. Our country and our planet are in peril, and we have no viable alternative. Nobody else comes close. His name is Dennis Kucinich.

_______

* Write-in candidates are not permitted in some states.

How to Get On the Ballot as a Kucinich Delegate

Trainer12 — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:58:07 -0500

How to Get on the Ballot as a Kucinich Delegate in PA

Get a permission form from PADEMS.com fill it out and send to Dennis Kucinich’s Campaign Headquarters in Cleveland to get his permission to run. The State Committee in Harrisburg, PA needs to have this by Jan. 8, 2008 in order for you to run.
Obtain the Nomination Petition and start gathering the minimum of 250 registered Democratic Party voters in your Congressional District starting Jan. 24, 2008 and ending on Feb. 12, 2008. Each nomination petition contains 50 signatures. You must print on both sides of the 8 ½ by 14 sheet of paper. This will be available at the Bureau of Elections (Department of State) Website. http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/site/default.asp. You may also request a hard copy via snail mail from them. The State Dem Organizer at the meeting on Sept. 7th told us to gather 500 to survive any challenges. Be sure you have a voter file list to be sure that the person signing puts in their voter precinct address and not their postal address, that they are a registered Democrat and that they sign it the way they signed it when they registered to vote. Voter files are available from the Party, the County and the State. I learned this the hard way when circulating nomination petitions for Chuck Pennacchio to get him on the ballot.
Each Nomination Petition must be notarized by Notary Public. This costs anywhere from $8.00 to $15.00 a sheet. I found a notary public at work who does it for $5.00. My insurance agent did my nomination petition for committee person for free. He is a Democrat and it was only one sheet. I needed 15 and I had 50 signatures.
Submit you 250 + notarized petitions in Harrisburg, PA to the Bureau of Elections in the North Office Building at the Capitol Complex Second Floor on Feb. 13, 2008 and pay a $25.00 fee to get on the ballot. This fee can be waived if you get special permission from the PA Dems in Harrisburg, PA http://www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/site/default.asp
On April 22, 2008 the tentative date for the Primary, you must receive at least 15% of registered Democratic voters, voting in the Democratic Primary voting for you for the candidate that you are pledged to in order to go to Denver, CO August 24-28, 2008.
If you win, don’t make your own reservations for hotel or airfare. The DNC does that. They get a group rate and want all the Delegates herded and their whereabouts known at all times.

2008 DNC Convention Delegate Selection is here!PA DEMOCRATIC PARTY ANNOUNCES DELEGATE SELECTION TRAININGS IN ANTICIPATION OF 2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

DISTRICT	DATE/TIME	LOCATION	ADDRESS
6	12/1, 10 a.m.	IBEW Local 743	20 Morgan Dr., Reading
17	12/5, 7 p.m.	AFSCME Council 13	4031 Executive Park Dr., Harrisburg
12	12/8, 10 a.m.	Blair/Bedford Central Labor	302 Wopsononick Ave., Altoona
9	12/8, 1:30 p.m.	USWA Local 2635	422 Main St., Johnstown
8	12/8, 2 p.m.	Bucks County Free Library	150 S. Pine St., Doylestown
3	12/10, 6:30 p.m.	Meadville City Hall	984 Water St., Meadville
10	12/11, 6:30 p.m.	Holiday Inn	100 Pine St., Williamsport
15	12/11, 7 p.m.	Van A. Bittner Hall	53 E. Lehigh St., Bethlehem
13	12/12, 6:30 p.m.	AFSCME Council 88	3031 Walton Rd., Plymouth Meeting
18	12/12, 6:30 p.m.	Canonsburg Boro Building	68 East Pike St., Canonsburg
4	12/13, 6:30 p.m.	IBEW Local 712	217 Sassafras Lane, Beaver
5	12/13, 6:30 p.m.	Schlow Centre Region Library	211 S. Allen St., State College
1	12/14, 5 p.m.	Philadelphia City Committee	1421 Walnut St., Philadelphia
16	12/16, 7 p.m.	Lancaster Democratic Committee	53 N. Duke St., Lancaster
14	12/17, 6:30 p.m.	IBEW Local 5	5 Hot Metal St., Pittsubrgh
11	12/20, 7 p.m.	McEntee Keller Labor Center	1258 O'Neill Highway, Dunmore

Florida democrats being disenfranchised by our own party ! what does party think we will do in gen election ?

Don Schneider — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:00:02 -0400

So my party is planning on disenfranchising all florida democrats eliminating us from the primary process. You think this is logical and justified? The florida legislature (republican dominated) set agenda for primaries. Local party bosses went along with date changes.... and for this the Democratic party is telling all individual democratic voters that we cannot participate in the primary process and our florida delegates will not be allowed to participate thus disenfranchising me and my neighbors vote.... We are being told that we will have no voice in the selection of our partys nominee for president in 08. Do you expect us to accept this slap in the face and allow you to ram your choice down our throats?

. I'll be damned if I'll sit quietly by while the democratic leadership steals my voting rights. Some changes had better be made pretty soon or a whole state load of democratic voters will sit back and let you take florida and the rest of the nation down the toilet with a republican victory in florida and the nation in 08' .... the republicans won't have to steal florida to win the presidency again. The Democratic party is willing to just give it to them...

I can't believe our national party bosses are as ignorant as our state party bosses. Democratic voters like me are caught in the middle and are going to lose our right to vote and the rest of our party doesn't give a damn ! Why ? I want to hear your justification for stealing our votes!