By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - May 31, 2008
Members of the Texas Democratic Party's 2008 Convention Temporary Credentials Committee met in Austin Wednesday, in Grand Prairie Thursday, and Houston on Friday. They heard challenges stemming from procedural irregularities at precinct and senatorial conventions.
The committee is evenly split between Obama and Clinton supporters. In Grand Prairie they heard testimony continuously from 10 a.m. until after 11 p.m. The hearings are open to the public and at least 120 people were in the UAW Hall observing and testifying throughout the day and evening.
The Committee did not hear all of the challenges in each region which were filed by the offical filing deadline. They elected to hear challenges involving specific delegates and alternates. Hesitant to disenfranchise entire delegations based on violations of party rules, they tabled decisions which could impact seating of entire delegations until the committee reconveynes in Austin prior to the convention. Aware that the DNC Rules Committee is meeting Sat. May 31st in Washington, D.C. to decide whether to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan or to refuse them seats because the timing of those state's primaries violated party rules, the committee deferred making similar decisions regarding Texas senatorial district delegations until more evidence can be presented.
Tarrant 10, Tarrant 9, Dallas 23, Collin County and Denton 12 are some of the districts in North Texas which procedural violations of party rules and state election code are reported to be severe enough to have resulted in skewed distribution of delegates between presidential preferences and denial of voting rights to registered voters who attempted to participate in precinct and/or senatorial conventions and have their presidential preference accurately reflected in the distribution of delegates.
Collin County challengers presented evidence of violation of party rules and the Texas Election Code by the convention being held on a date other than that prescribed by law. The county chair and convention chair will be given time to present additional evidence in Austin before the committee rules on this challenge.
A large contingency of Denton County residents presented evidence or supported challenger Ann Franklin in complaints about the conduct of the Denton county conventions by the Democratic Chair. Ms. Franklin also presented the committee with 40 additional pages of affadivits from Denton county demorcrats complaining about the Democratic Chair. Ms. Franklin alledged that the chair refused access to minutes and sign-in sheets. The chair refuted her claim but a large group in the audience verbally affirmed the validity of Ms. Franklin's assertions. Gary Horton, co-chair of the State Temporary Rules Committee urged the county chair to provide the requested documents to Ms. Franklin and others who might request them prior to the committee reconveyning in Austin next week.
Testimony was heard from Senatorial 9 and 10, Tarrant County regarding non-compliance with ADA and discrimination toward elderly, frail and handicapped registered voters in the precinct and senatorial conventions. Jason Smith, Faith Chatham and Harriet Varnum Irby cited instances of specific non-ADA compliance. The committee acknowledged the realities but saw no remedy the committee could offer. Gary Horton, co-chair of the committee, recommended the petitioners to present evidence to the Temporary Rules Committee.
In Tarrant 9 the committee recommended changing four alternates. Eddie and Mercedes Conway, Obama supporters who signed the permanent roll of the Senatorial Convention as Obama were removed from the roll of Clinton at-large Alternates and Lorisa Wheeler and Robert W. Johnson, (Clinton). The committee affirmed that the vacancy in pct. 2190 for alternate should have been filled as an at large position to balance the delegation, to meet affirmative action goals and to enable the delegation to reflect the percentages of delegates/alternates as the percentage of presidential preference registered by the delegates who signed the permanent roll. Therefore, Ms. Cathie Hawkins was removed as an alternate from pct. 2190 and Mr. Raymond Martinez (Clinton) was added as alternate at large.
In Precinct 2488 Tarrant County Sen. District 9, the committee replaced Cynthia Blake (Obama) with Clinton supporter Vivian Dial as alterate. Democratic Party Rules stipulate that ties for delegate or alternate are to be broken by an act of chance (drawing straws or flipping a coin). The Clinton caucus in that precinct wanted to flip a coin but the Obama group insisted that the "rules called for a re-vote". When the Clinton group held firm, the Obama group revoted and selected two alternates. The committee voted to replace the Obama alternate of the same gender as the candidate for alternate from the Clinton caucus because Ms. Dial was prevented from having an opportunity to compete fairly in either a coin toss or by drawing straws, the methods designated in Party Rules for breaking a tie.
Dorrie Crenshaw, former Dallas City Council Member and Democratic precinct chair in Dallas testified that the Obama delegates from her precinct to the State Convention were not lawfully elected because they were not legally elected as delegates to the Senatorial Convention at her precinct convention. At her precinct election night there were many people who Ms. Crenshaw said did not live in her precinct who showed up and attempted to register and vote in the precinct. They did not have the official forms so she had people sign in on spiral ring notebooks. Violence broke out in the caucus, people were injured, several elderly persons were trampled and three ambulances were called to the scene. When Ms. Crenshaw left the voting place, some of the people who Ms. Crenshaw characterized as "the troublemakers, ringleaders" followed her. Instead of going home, she led them to the police station. The police detained her for over two hours until Darlene Ewing, Dallas County Democratic Chair, detained her. Ms. Crenshaw reported to the committee that two of the police officers are under investigation for unlawfully detaining her. She has never been given the sign-in sheets (notebooks) or allowed to make a photocopy.
To date, despite many hours of testimony and much deliberation, the committee has only made a few changes to the roll of the convention. All challenges which could make greater impact on the convention have been deferred until next week.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Democrats Meet Over Fla., Mich. in Late-Night Session
By Katharine Q. Seelye - New York Times - May 31, 2008
Outside the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting in Washington on Saturday. (Photo: Jason Reed/Reuters)
WASHINGTON — Democratic Party officials met privately for five and a half hours late Friday night to discuss the Michigan and Florida delegations to the party’s convention but did not resolve their differences.
The officials, who are members of the party’s rules committee, are to begin an all-day public session Saturday to try to settle one of the most contentious issues that has developed during the presidential primaries between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton — whether to seat the delegations from Michigan and Florida and if so, in what proportion.
During the private meeting, Harold Ickes, who is Mrs. Clinton’s chief delegate counter, repeatedly pressed the Clinton view that the full delegations from both states be seated, with full votes, committee members said. They also said that Allan Katz, a lawyer from Florida, emerged as the chief advocate for Mr. Obama, who has said he wants the delegates seated, but has not specified how or in what proportion.
“It was a full discussion, we’ll see what happens,” Mr. Ickes said afterward. “And I think there was some agreement on some issues and still some disagreement on others.”
Mr. Katz told reporters: “There’s a strong push from the Clinton campaign to try and make believe that those primaries were real primaries, that everyone competed in them like they did in everything else. And there’s a strong push back from the Obama campaigns that, well, the rules were that this is not how we were going to select the delegates.”
They took a few straw votes, but those votes were “so close as to be meaningless,” one committee member said.
One of the biggest points of dispute, committee members said, was over how to apportion the delegates from Michigan, where Mr. Obama’s name was not on the ballot.
The committee is also wrestling with how to bring voters from these two battleground states into the party fold while still upholding party rules and signaling to other states that they will be punished if they don’t abide by the calendar.
The private dinner, at a hotel here, stretched from 8 p.m. Friday to 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Of the 30 members of the committee, 28 attended the dinner, as did Howard Dean, the party chairman.
Some told reporters they expected to reconcile their differences during the public session on Saturday, but they offered little evidence of how they would do so.
“There are some really, really tough issues across the board,” said Martha Fuller Clark, a committee member who is a state senator from New Hampshire and backs Mr. Obama.
She said they discussed their options and the implications of them, adding, “there was no clear pathway at the end of this evening.”
The discussions left them bleary-eyed and somewhat bedraggled. After more than three hours, they took a break and a few of them could be seen hugging each other in a hallway.
Told later that the meeting lasted for five and a half hours, Thomas Hynes, a lawyer from Illinois who supports Mr. Obama, said, “It felt like five and a half weeks.”
He said that discussion ranged from barring the two states from seating any delegates to seating their delegations in full.
“A consensus has not been forged,” he said, but said he expected it would be on Saturday. The lengthy private session “gave us a chance to find out where everyone was,” he said.
James Roosevelt Jr., one of the co-chairmen, called the meeting “productive,” adding, “it was not unpleasant or heated.” He said it gave the committee members a chance to step back and examine the implications of the various options.
“I can’t predict that it will be unanimous,” he said of any decisions reached on Saturday, “but I can predict that it will be unifying for the party.”
At the Saturday session, representatives from Florida and Michigan will present their cases, as will the two campaigns, which had originally both agreed to the decision to strip the two states of their delegates. The committee then expects to break for lunch and begin its own discussions in the afternoon
Friday, May 23, 2008
DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee to Meet Saturday, May 31st
Press Release
For Immediate Release
May 21, 2008
***Media Advisory***
DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee to Meet Saturday, May 31st
WASHINGTON - The Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet on Saturday May 31, 2008 in Washington, DC. The Rules and Bylaws Committee will consider the two challenges that have been filed pursuant to Rule 20.B of the 2008 Delegate Selection Rules and Regulation 3 of the Regulations of the Rules and Bylaws Committee concerning the seating of delegations from Florida and Michigan.
Pursuant to Section 3.4(N) of the Committee's Regulations, each challenger will be entitled to present an Oral Argument before the RBC prior to Committee consideration for a period of 15 minutes each. A representative from each state party and from each presidential campaign will also have an opportunity to address the committee
regarding each of the challenges. Oral arguments from the parties will be heard during the committee's morning session. Following a lunch break, committee members will consider and debate the challenges.
What: DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee Meeting
When: May 31, 2008 - 9:30 AM
* Morning Session: Oral Arguments
* Afternoon Session: Consideration and Debate
Where: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel - Salon I
2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC
A Note on Public Participation
This meeting is open to the public, however due to space constraints, guests are being asked to pre-register their attendance. Registration will open online at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, May 27. Members of the public wishing to register should fill out the form at the following link: http://www.democrat s.org/rbcmeeting . Those lacking Internet accesswho would like to pre-register can do so by calling 202-479-5137.
Guest credentials are limited to one per person. For those who register, a confirmation message will be sent to the e-mail address indicated on the registration form. Registrants must bring that confirmation e-mail, along with a photo ID, in order to pick up their guest credential.
Credentials must be picked up at registration tables located outside the meeting room between 8:00-9:30 AM on May 31st in order to guarantee a seat. If reserved credentials are not picked up by 9:30 AM, they will be released and given out to other members of the public.
Same Day Registration
If a member of the general public is unable to pre-register, limited same-day registration will be available. Same-day guest credentials will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis and are limited to one per person. Individuals with a same day guest credential will be allowed into the meeting as space permits.
Additional Information
In order to maintain the decorum of the meeting, banners, posters, signs, handouts, and noisemakers of any kind are strictly prohibited. Also, please be advised that the agenda for the meeting does notinclude time for questions from the general public.
News Release Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee,
http://www.democrat s.org This communication is not authorized by any
candidate or candidate's committee.
Judge sides with Texas Democratic Party in flap over delegates
Dallas Morning News - Associated Press - Thursday, May 22, 2008
AUSTIN – A federal judge sided with the Texas Democratic Party on Thursday in a lawsuit filed by Latino voter advocates who claimed the party's method for apportioning presidential delegates is discriminatory.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio ruled that the spirit and intent of the federal Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters, was not violated, as the League of United Latin American Citizens and other plaintiffs alleged.
Biery dismissed the case. He ruled that the Voting Rights Act does not dictate to political parties how to decide on their presidential nominees as long as everyone has the right to participate.
The Latino voter advocates claimed the complicated Texas delegate system – which included a March 4 primary and caucus and senate district caucuses March 29 – unfairly dilutes Latino votes by allotting fewer presidential delegates to heavily Hispanic areas.
Nearly all the delegates are apportioned based on Democratic voter turnout numbers in state senate districts in previous elections. This year, that meant that some predominantly Hispanic districts, where turnout was low in 2004 and 2006, got fewer delegates than others, particularly urban, predominantly black districts where Democratic turnout was higher.
Latino districts favored Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in this spring's primary and caucuses; black districts favored Sen. Barack Obama.
Democratic leaders contend their state delegate system is fair and that it rewards those areas that strongly support the party.
"We are pleased with Judge Biery's ruling, but it is important to remember that both the Texas Democratic Party and LULAC respect the importance of the Voting Rights Act and encourage participation by Texans from all walks of life in the electoral process," Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie said.
Jose Garza, an attorney for the Latino voter advocates, said it's likely the plaintiffs will appeal the opinion to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, though a final decision hasn't been made.
He said there may be an appeal because of the important issues at stake in the case and the "fairly devastating scope of the decision." Garza declined to say anything further until discussing it with his clients.
The plaintiffs were not contesting to whom the delegates were awarded, but rather how the allotment is made.
The judge wrote that the plaintiffs never alleged that Latino voters were "intimidated, threatened or otherwise kept from voting." He said if they had gone to the polls in greater numbers in previous elections they would have benefited.
"The adage remains 'no vote, no voice,"' he wrote.
The case was filed earlier this month. Both sides were pushing for a ruling before the party's state convention in Austin on June 6-7, where the final decision on caucus delegates to the national convention for Clinton and Obama will be made.
Texas will send 228 delegates to the national convention. Of those, 126 were determined by primary results, while 67 others are pledged delegates distributed through a series of caucuses, culminating with the upcoming state convention. There are 32 superdelegates who can make their own decision on which candidate to support, and three others will be named by the state party chairman.
Democratic Party officials had noted that the general system for selecting Texas presidential delegates has been in place for 20 years.
Biery agreed, and said the reason it got such notice this year was because of the close presidential race. The judge also mentioned his own background as a Democrat and the fact that he was appointed by former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
He wrote: "Notes of full disclosure: Senator Clinton's husband nominated me to the federal bench, and I hope to shoot baskets some day with Senator Obama."
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – A federal judge sided with the Texas Democratic Party on Thursday in a lawsuit filed by Latino voter advocates who claimed the party's method for apportioning presidential delegates is discriminatory.
U.S. District Judge Fred Biery in San Antonio ruled that the spirit and intent of the federal Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters, was not violated, as the League of United Latin American Citizens and other plaintiffs alleged.
Biery dismissed the case. He ruled that the Voting Rights Act does not dictate to political parties how to decide on their presidential nominees as long as everyone has the right to participate.
The Latino voter advocates claimed the complicated Texas delegate system – which included a March 4 primary and caucus and senate district caucuses March 29 – unfairly dilutes Latino votes by allotting fewer presidential delegates to heavily Hispanic areas.
Nearly all the delegates are apportioned based on Democratic voter turnout numbers in state senate districts in previous elections. This year, that meant that some predominantly Hispanic districts, where turnout was low in 2004 and 2006, got fewer delegates than others, particularly urban, predominantly black districts where Democratic turnout was higher.
Latino districts favored Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in this spring's primary and caucuses; black districts favored Sen. Barack Obama.
Democratic leaders contend their state delegate system is fair and that it rewards those areas that strongly support the party.
"We are pleased with Judge Biery's ruling, but it is important to remember that both the Texas Democratic Party and LULAC respect the importance of the Voting Rights Act and encourage participation by Texans from all walks of life in the electoral process," Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie said.
Jose Garza, an attorney for the Latino voter advocates, said it's likely the plaintiffs will appeal the opinion to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, though a final decision hasn't been made.
He said there may be an appeal because of the important issues at stake in the case and the "fairly devastating scope of the decision." Garza declined to say anything further until discussing it with his clients.
The plaintiffs were not contesting to whom the delegates were awarded, but rather how the allotment is made.
The judge wrote that the plaintiffs never alleged that Latino voters were "intimidated, threatened or otherwise kept from voting." He said if they had gone to the polls in greater numbers in previous elections they would have benefited.
"The adage remains 'no vote, no voice,"' he wrote.
The case was filed earlier this month. Both sides were pushing for a ruling before the party's state convention in Austin on June 6-7, where the final decision on caucus delegates to the national convention for Clinton and Obama will be made.
Texas will send 228 delegates to the national convention. Of those, 126 were determined by primary results, while 67 others are pledged delegates distributed through a series of caucuses, culminating with the upcoming state convention. There are 32 superdelegates who can make their own decision on which candidate to support, and three others will be named by the state party chairman.
Democratic Party officials had noted that the general system for selecting Texas presidential delegates has been in place for 20 years.
Biery agreed, and said the reason it got such notice this year was because of the close presidential race. The judge also mentioned his own background as a Democrat and the fact that he was appointed by former President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.
He wrote: "Notes of full disclosure: Senator Clinton's husband nominated me to the federal bench, and I hope to shoot baskets some day with Senator Obama."
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
Monday, May 19, 2008
Texas Demos file 150 county convention challenges
By Ramon Bracamontes - El Paso Times - 5/15/2008
The challenge filed by El Pasoans supporting Sen. Barack Obama's presidential nomination that questions whether the county Democratic Party properly seated its delegates is one of about 150 challenges pending in Texas, officials said Wednesday.
Hector Nieto, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, said most of the challenges come from the state's major cities and all allege that rules were not followed at the county conventions.
"We received 50 challenges from Tarrant County alone," Nieto said. "Every one will be considered and resolved right before the convention starts."
El Paso's challenge to the way delegates were seated was filed in April, a week after the county convention, by El Paso lawyer Don Williams. He is alleging that local democrats appointed too many delegates to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to the state convention. The challenge is asking that 37 Clinton-supporting delegates be changed to Obama.
If the change is not made, then El Paso should not be allowed to participate at the state convention, the challenge states.
Williams said he expected his challenge to be upheld, thus giving Obama 37 more El Paso delegates.
"If we have to change delegates right before, we are ready," Williams said. "We will have enough Obama delegates in Austin."
Democratic precinct chairwoman and state delegate Rita Sariñana said she was not worried about being able to participate in the state convention.
"I was elected from my precinct, by my neighbors," she said. "My seat is not in question."
The makeup of the state's delegates remains controversial because neither Clinton nor Obama has secured the 2,025 delegates needed to win the party's presidential nomination, and Texas still has 67 delegates to allocate. How those 67 delegates get split will be decided at the state convention.
The state convention will begin June 6.
Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.
Read more in the El Paso Times
The challenge filed by El Pasoans supporting Sen. Barack Obama's presidential nomination that questions whether the county Democratic Party properly seated its delegates is one of about 150 challenges pending in Texas, officials said Wednesday.
Hector Nieto, spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, said most of the challenges come from the state's major cities and all allege that rules were not followed at the county conventions.
"We received 50 challenges from Tarrant County alone," Nieto said. "Every one will be considered and resolved right before the convention starts."
El Paso's challenge to the way delegates were seated was filed in April, a week after the county convention, by El Paso lawyer Don Williams. He is alleging that local democrats appointed too many delegates to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to the state convention. The challenge is asking that 37 Clinton-supporting delegates be changed to Obama.
If the change is not made, then El Paso should not be allowed to participate at the state convention, the challenge states.
Williams said he expected his challenge to be upheld, thus giving Obama 37 more El Paso delegates.
"If we have to change delegates right before, we are ready," Williams said. "We will have enough Obama delegates in Austin."
Democratic precinct chairwoman and state delegate Rita Sariñana said she was not worried about being able to participate in the state convention.
"I was elected from my precinct, by my neighbors," she said. "My seat is not in question."
The makeup of the state's delegates remains controversial because neither Clinton nor Obama has secured the 2,025 delegates needed to win the party's presidential nomination, and Texas still has 67 delegates to allocate. How those 67 delegates get split will be decided at the state convention.
The state convention will begin June 6.
Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes@elpasotimes.com; 546-6142.
Read more in the El Paso Times
LULAC sued Texas Democratic Party over primary delegates
By MICHELLE ROBERTS - Associated Press Writer - May 9, 2008
Article Launched: 05/09/2008 02:04:36 PM MDT
SAN ANTONIO—The Texas Democratic Party was sued Friday by Latino advocacy groups that contend the complicated primary and caucus system used in the March 4 presidential primary unfairly diluted Latino votes.
The League of United Latin American Citizens of Texas and the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston sued in federal court, arguing the party failed to seek clearance required by the U.S. Justice Department for the so-called "Texas Two Step." The groups also argue the system effectively discriminates against Latino voters by giving them fewer delegates.
Texas Democrats distribute the state's 193 delegates using both a primary election and a caucus, but the distribution favors state Senate districts that had high voter turnout in the last presidential and gubernatorial elections.
In the March 4 election, that meant predominantly Hispanic districts, where turnout was low in 2004 and 2006, got fewer delegates than others, particularly urban, predominantly black districts. Latino districts favored Hillary Clinton; black districts favored Barack Obama.
"The manner used to allocate the delegates ... undervalues Latino Democratic voters and does not provide Latino voters with an equal opportunity to participate in the nominating process and to elect candidates of their choice," the lawsuit says.
Obama and Clinton remained locked in a pitched battle over delegates to secure the nomination.
Clinton won more delegates in the primary, though Obama is expected to end up with more delegates when caucus numbers are settled in June.
LULAC is not seeking to stop Texas delegates from being seated at the Democratic convention, however.
"This is not a lawsuit about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," said LULAC attorney Jose Garza. "We think this has an adverse effect on the Latino community, and it seems to us that it's a fairly simple fix."
LULAC wants the delegates reallocated to give Latino-majority areas a stronger voice, and he said several methods could achieve that.
Because of the close election and the proportional distribution of delegates, any change in the total number going to each candidate is likely to be relatively incremental, Garza said.
State Democratic Party spokesman Hector Nieto the primary election system was not submitted to the DOJ for clearance but that the party was only required to get approval from its state convention attendees and the Democratic National Committee.
He had not seen the lawsuit Friday afternoon and declined to comment on specifics. But he noted that any Democrat is free to offer resolutions to change the operation.
"At any point in time, any Democrat can offer to make changes to that plan, and those changes happen at our state convention," he said.
Several resolutions related to the presidential primary system have been submitted for the convention on June 6-7 in Austin.
Read more in the El Paso Times
Article Launched: 05/09/2008 02:04:36 PM MDT
SAN ANTONIO—The Texas Democratic Party was sued Friday by Latino advocacy groups that contend the complicated primary and caucus system used in the March 4 presidential primary unfairly diluted Latino votes.
The League of United Latin American Citizens of Texas and the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston sued in federal court, arguing the party failed to seek clearance required by the U.S. Justice Department for the so-called "Texas Two Step." The groups also argue the system effectively discriminates against Latino voters by giving them fewer delegates.
Texas Democrats distribute the state's 193 delegates using both a primary election and a caucus, but the distribution favors state Senate districts that had high voter turnout in the last presidential and gubernatorial elections.
In the March 4 election, that meant predominantly Hispanic districts, where turnout was low in 2004 and 2006, got fewer delegates than others, particularly urban, predominantly black districts. Latino districts favored Hillary Clinton; black districts favored Barack Obama.
"The manner used to allocate the delegates ... undervalues Latino Democratic voters and does not provide Latino voters with an equal opportunity to participate in the nominating process and to elect candidates of their choice," the lawsuit says.
Obama and Clinton remained locked in a pitched battle over delegates to secure the nomination.
Clinton won more delegates in the primary, though Obama is expected to end up with more delegates when caucus numbers are settled in June.
LULAC is not seeking to stop Texas delegates from being seated at the Democratic convention, however.
"This is not a lawsuit about Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama," said LULAC attorney Jose Garza. "We think this has an adverse effect on the Latino community, and it seems to us that it's a fairly simple fix."
LULAC wants the delegates reallocated to give Latino-majority areas a stronger voice, and he said several methods could achieve that.
Because of the close election and the proportional distribution of delegates, any change in the total number going to each candidate is likely to be relatively incremental, Garza said.
State Democratic Party spokesman Hector Nieto the primary election system was not submitted to the DOJ for clearance but that the party was only required to get approval from its state convention attendees and the Democratic National Committee.
He had not seen the lawsuit Friday afternoon and declined to comment on specifics. But he noted that any Democrat is free to offer resolutions to change the operation.
"At any point in time, any Democrat can offer to make changes to that plan, and those changes happen at our state convention," he said.
Several resolutions related to the presidential primary system have been submitted for the convention on June 6-7 in Austin.
Read more in the El Paso Times
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Presidential race turned into $1 milllion mini-boom for Austin
By Jason Embry - AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF - Sunday, May 18, 2008
Austin businesses from Tex-Mex restaurants to high-end hotels cashed in when the Democratic presidential primary swung through Texas this year.
A few Austin-based consultants and fundraisers stand to benefit any time there's a presidential election. But March's unusually active Texas primary allowed a whole new class of businesses to reap the rewards.
All told, the three remaining candidates from the major parties have spent more than $1.2 million at businesses since the campaign began in January 2007.
Most of the money went to hotels, production companies, event sites and political professionals such as fundraisers and television ad buyers.
The spending reports also reflect the on-the-fly nature of the campaigns, as workers dropped money at Home Depot, Whole Foods and Party Pig Superstore for office supplies or event materials. Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign spent $12 at Wal-Mart, the company some Democrats love to hate.
Sen. Barack Obama was the biggest spender, dropping almost $700,000 directly with Austin businesses, while fellow Democrat Clinton spent about $400,000. Sen. John McCain, who had all but wrapped up the Republican nomination by the March 4 Texas primaries, spent about $200,000.
Those totals include only direct payments to businesses, not salaries or reimbursements paid to campaign workers here. Also, advertising time on Austin television stations probably was paid through some out-of-town firms that then cut checks to the Austin stations.
For all of 2007 and the first month of this year, Texas was largely a place where presidential candidates flew in to raise money and, on occasion, hold public events or news conferences. But when the Democratic primary continued past Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, the Texas primaries became crucial. Or so it seemed at the time.
The general election isn't likely to be as competitive in Texas, so Austin businesses might not see as much of a campaign impact this fall.
According to campaign reports filed to the Federal Election Commission in late April, all of the remaining campaigns used numerous hotels around Austin. The Obama campaign was most loyal to the Hyatt on Barton Springs Road.
But the Obama campaign also spent more than $10,000 at the lush Barton Creek Resort and Spa, and the senator himself stayed there some of the time, said Obama campaign spokesman Josh Earnest.
"Some of it may have had to do with logistical concerns, and it may have had something to do with availability," Earnest said. "Between staff, Secret Service and the traveling press corps, it's more convenient if they can stay where he does."
The Clinton campaign stayed at hotels all over Austin, including the Four Seasons, the Radisson on Cesar Chavez Street and the Doubletree just east of Interstate 35 downtown.
Hotels weren't the only beneficiaries. The Obama campaign paid more than $200,000 for staging, sound and lighting to Austin-based C3 Presents, which produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza.
Earnest, the Obama spokesman, said finding local businesses to help with campaign events was often up to the advance staff, the team of campaign workers who arrive in a town early to plan an event.
"Many of them had done events in Austin before, and so they had personal relationships," Earnest said.
It's personal relationships that made Bill Records of Austin the go-to guy for Republicans who want their picture taken while campaigning in Texas.
More than a decade ago, Records met political consultant Karl Rove, whose wife Records had worked with on some commercial photography projects. Rove asked him if he wanted to shoot photos for a client who was running for governor. Records signed up and became George W. Bush's personal photographer during Bush's run as Texas governor.
Through the Bush team, Records met other Republican candidates and was hired to shoot photos of them when they came through Texas for Web sites, campaign push cards and the like.
During the current presidential campaign, he worked for McCain, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani when they came to Texas to campaign.
"It's not comfortable work," Records said. "You're on the go, and you have to wear a coat and tie, and it's 104 degrees, and you're jumping in and out of airplanes. But those nice little gigs at the Four Seasons are nice. And you're watching history being made."
The wonders of Mexican food in Austin apparently weren't lost on the presidential campaign workers.
El Sol y La Luna, a Mexican eatery on South Congress Avenue, picked up $300 from the Clinton campaign and $100 from Obama's camp.
Nilda de la Llata, one of the restaurant's owners, said she catered a Clinton fundraiser with "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera at a friend's house, while a group with the Obama campaign, including comedian George Lopez, came in for lunch one day.
"My name always pops up when people are in need of something quick," she said.
Perhaps the best thing de la Llata can do for politicians is promote them on the El Sol marquee, as she sometimes does for local candidates. Although she said she will support the Democratic nominee, neither candidate made the marquee during the hot Texas primary.
"I couldn't," de la Llata said. "I had too many friends on both sides."
Read more in the Austin American Statesman
Austin businesses from Tex-Mex restaurants to high-end hotels cashed in when the Democratic presidential primary swung through Texas this year.
A few Austin-based consultants and fundraisers stand to benefit any time there's a presidential election. But March's unusually active Texas primary allowed a whole new class of businesses to reap the rewards.
All told, the three remaining candidates from the major parties have spent more than $1.2 million at businesses since the campaign began in January 2007.
Most of the money went to hotels, production companies, event sites and political professionals such as fundraisers and television ad buyers.
The spending reports also reflect the on-the-fly nature of the campaigns, as workers dropped money at Home Depot, Whole Foods and Party Pig Superstore for office supplies or event materials. Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign spent $12 at Wal-Mart, the company some Democrats love to hate.
Sen. Barack Obama was the biggest spender, dropping almost $700,000 directly with Austin businesses, while fellow Democrat Clinton spent about $400,000. Sen. John McCain, who had all but wrapped up the Republican nomination by the March 4 Texas primaries, spent about $200,000.
Those totals include only direct payments to businesses, not salaries or reimbursements paid to campaign workers here. Also, advertising time on Austin television stations probably was paid through some out-of-town firms that then cut checks to the Austin stations.
For all of 2007 and the first month of this year, Texas was largely a place where presidential candidates flew in to raise money and, on occasion, hold public events or news conferences. But when the Democratic primary continued past Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, the Texas primaries became crucial. Or so it seemed at the time.
The general election isn't likely to be as competitive in Texas, so Austin businesses might not see as much of a campaign impact this fall.
According to campaign reports filed to the Federal Election Commission in late April, all of the remaining campaigns used numerous hotels around Austin. The Obama campaign was most loyal to the Hyatt on Barton Springs Road.
But the Obama campaign also spent more than $10,000 at the lush Barton Creek Resort and Spa, and the senator himself stayed there some of the time, said Obama campaign spokesman Josh Earnest.
"Some of it may have had to do with logistical concerns, and it may have had something to do with availability," Earnest said. "Between staff, Secret Service and the traveling press corps, it's more convenient if they can stay where he does."
The Clinton campaign stayed at hotels all over Austin, including the Four Seasons, the Radisson on Cesar Chavez Street and the Doubletree just east of Interstate 35 downtown.
Hotels weren't the only beneficiaries. The Obama campaign paid more than $200,000 for staging, sound and lighting to Austin-based C3 Presents, which produces the Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza.
Earnest, the Obama spokesman, said finding local businesses to help with campaign events was often up to the advance staff, the team of campaign workers who arrive in a town early to plan an event.
"Many of them had done events in Austin before, and so they had personal relationships," Earnest said.
It's personal relationships that made Bill Records of Austin the go-to guy for Republicans who want their picture taken while campaigning in Texas.
More than a decade ago, Records met political consultant Karl Rove, whose wife Records had worked with on some commercial photography projects. Rove asked him if he wanted to shoot photos for a client who was running for governor. Records signed up and became George W. Bush's personal photographer during Bush's run as Texas governor.
Through the Bush team, Records met other Republican candidates and was hired to shoot photos of them when they came through Texas for Web sites, campaign push cards and the like.
During the current presidential campaign, he worked for McCain, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani when they came to Texas to campaign.
"It's not comfortable work," Records said. "You're on the go, and you have to wear a coat and tie, and it's 104 degrees, and you're jumping in and out of airplanes. But those nice little gigs at the Four Seasons are nice. And you're watching history being made."
The wonders of Mexican food in Austin apparently weren't lost on the presidential campaign workers.
El Sol y La Luna, a Mexican eatery on South Congress Avenue, picked up $300 from the Clinton campaign and $100 from Obama's camp.
Nilda de la Llata, one of the restaurant's owners, said she catered a Clinton fundraiser with "Ugly Betty" star America Ferrera at a friend's house, while a group with the Obama campaign, including comedian George Lopez, came in for lunch one day.
"My name always pops up when people are in need of something quick," she said.
Perhaps the best thing de la Llata can do for politicians is promote them on the El Sol marquee, as she sometimes does for local candidates. Although she said she will support the Democratic nominee, neither candidate made the marquee during the hot Texas primary.
"I couldn't," de la Llata said. "I had too many friends on both sides."
Read more in the Austin American Statesman
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Hillary Scores Decisive Victory in West Virginia; Obama and McCain rejected by voters
By Faith Chatham - May 14, 2008
Despite political pundits declaring Obama the presumptive nominee, West Virginia Democratic voters cast over three votes against Obama for every vote he received in Tuesday's West Virginia Democratic Primary. Voter turn-out was light for the Republican Primary. Of the 475,167 votes cast Tuesday (combined voters in all party primaries), Hillary Clinton was the resounding choice of West Virginia Voters.
Over four West Virginians voted against Barak Obama for every voter that selected him. John McCain trailed Barak Obama's numbers by 1,998 votes. No Democratic Presidential Candidate has won a general election since 1916 without carrying West Virginia.
West Virginia Primary May 13, 2008
U.S. President
Party Candidate Votes
DEM Hillary Rodham Clinton 239187
DEM Barack Hussein Obama 91663
DEM John Reid Edwards 26181
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY 357,031
REP Willard Mitt Romney 5195
REP John Sidney McCain III 89654
REP Ronald Ernest Paul 6112
REP Rudolph William Giuliani 2839
REP Jerry Ralph Curry 728
REP Michael Dale Huckabee 12184
REP Alan L. Keyes 1424
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN REPUBLICAN PRIM 125,123
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN BOTH DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES 475,167
SOURCE: West Virginia Secretary of State Election Division 100% of counties reporting
Clinton's victory inspired CNN's headline: "ANALYSIS: Clinton crushes Obama across the board".
By Alan Silverleib - CNN
Evaluation: Obama's Lead in Delegates May Not Be a Good Thing
Obama campaign strategist identified weaknesses in the Democratic primary caucus system which discriminates against handicapped, the elderly and workers who cannot physically attend precinct caucuses. Many caucus states, such as Iowa and Texas, prohibit absentee or proxy voting in caucuses. No allowances are made for registered voters who are homebound, or frail, and unable to participate at nightime party caucuses. Some caucus states, such as Maine, allow certified by mail voters to register their presidential preference and their preference to be includes in the math to derive the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences. Most caucus states, unlike Maine, exclude all voters who cannot physically show up to their precinct party caucus from helping to select their party's nominee for President. Texas is the only state which has both a caucus and a primary. In Texas, significant differences emerged across the state in precincts between the percentages in the popular vote (primary voters) per candidate and causus registrants per candidate. Texas awards 25% of the delegates through party caucus's and 75% by primary voters (popular vote). The Texas system favors those who are healthier, able to drive after dark, not homebound, elderly or too frail to stay until late at night when the delegates were chosen in many precinct caucues. The presidential preference of workers who cannot get off work on caucus nights but in the primary, like their more frail elderly or handicapped neighbors, only count 75% of what their younger, healthier neighbors who were able to show up at the caucus after the polls closed on primary night. Chaos and non-compliance with Democratic Party Rules and Texas and Federal Election codes further pollulated the outcome of many precinct and senatorial Democratic Conventions.
Election Process Discriminates
Although the Help Americans Vote Act stipulates how Americans with disabilities are to be accommodated at polling places, guidelines for accommodations at party precinct and senatorial conventions are vague. Disabled supporters of both leading presidential candidates will join forces this year for the first time in Austin at State Convention in a new issues caucus. Democrats with Disabilities is the first disability caucus in the Texas Democratic Party. It will meet from 11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Friday, June 6th at the 2008 Texas Democratic Party State Convention. Founding members are split between presidential preferences but agree that the current process discriminates against persons with disabilities and needs to be corrected.
Non ADA Compliance in Senatorial District Conventions to be Reviewed by the Credentials Committee at State Convention
In Tarrant County, Harriet Varnum Irby, former SDEC Committee Woman from Senatorial 10, objected to the choice of the antiquated Will Rogers Colesium as the Senatorial 10 Convention site when it was chosen. Irby says she went to Tarrant County Party Headquarters when she learned that Will Rogers was the proposed site and told them that it was unsuitable because it is not ADA compliant. A landmark built before ADA laws were passed by Congress, the arena is exempt from having to eliminate many of the barriers required in newer buildings. Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Director Keith Annis announced to the members of the Senatorial 10 Nominations Committee that "we got numerous calls from people who said they were delegates but could not attend if the convention was at Will Rogers because they were handicapped." Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith filed a challenge to the distribution of delegates per presidential preference at the Senatorial 10 Convention at Will Rogers to the State Democratic Party's Credentials Committee based on non-ADA compliance at the Senatorial Convention which discriminated against the elderly, frail and handicapped.
In neighboring East Tarrant County, at the Tarrant County Community College East Campus in Arlington, the Senatorial 9 Tarrant County Democratic Convention also failed to accommodate the handicapped. Although the college meets architecture requirements for ADA, campus security blockaded the drive restricting handicapped persons from utilizing parking near the entrance of the main building where the convention was held. Instead of being allowed to drive up to the building where handitran buses usually pick-up and discharge passengers, blockades were positioned at the entrance of the main drive, about the distance of a a city block from the main building. The Main ballrooom, where over half of the delegates were seated, was on one level and provided few barriers for the mobility challenged. However, many delegates and all alternates and guests were seated in the Theatre which has at least 8 steep steps at the entrance and 18 steps inside the theatre. The college accommodates persons in wheelchairs in the front row of the theatre and allows them entrance through a side door which has not steps. On Convention day, the side entrance was closed and all delegates and alternates were forced to enter and exit using the front steps. At County Senatorial 9 Convention at TCCC.
It is ironic that some view the nomination of Barak Obama, an African-American, as rectification of some of the discrimination in America, while others say that the campaign strategy of the Obama which has given him a lead in the delegate count (acquired mainly through his lead in caucus states) exploits flaws in the Democratic process which discriminates against registered voters who are handicapped, frail, elderly, transportation restricted or forced to work on the night of their party caucus. Even if Obama strategists did not purposely set out to discriminate against the handicapped, their emphasis on caucus states which do not allow absentee or proxy voting by certified mail registered voters, has resulted in greater discrimination against elderly and handicapped voters than occurs in states where delegates are awarded by popular vote in primaries or at caucuses which allow proxy or absentee/ by mail voting to distribute delegates between presidential preferences.
Examination of the profiles of each candidates voters this year shows that the average age of Obama's voter and caucus supporter is younger than that of Senator Clinton. Although she draws voters from all age groups, her strongest segment is among women over 50 years of age. Although both have drawn out first-time voters of all ages, a significant number of Senator Obama's supporters are young people who have registered to vote for the first time. Senator Clinton consistently surpasses Senator Obama in attracting voters who have voted in more than one Democratic Primary. Some precinct chairs were concerned to note than many of their double and triple D's (persons who have voted in 2 or 3 Democratic Primaries) were not participants at their Democratic Precinct Caucuses. Although they are faithful to vote, frequently at early voting during the day or by mail, their vote only counted 1/4 of first time voters who were able to attend the precinct caucuses.
If delegates awarded in caucues properly reflected the demographics of registered voters who participated in the primaries, the distribution of delegates at caucuses between candidates would mirror the popular vote in primary states. However, in Texas, (the only state which has both primary popular votes and percinct caucuses) the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences at precinct caucuses differed significantly from the percentages of votes per candidate at the same precinct primary elections. This discrepancy further highlights the difference between the distribution of delegates between candidates and the preferences of voters on election day.
Some Question if Obama's Lead in Delegates May Result in a Democratic Losses in November
Delegate counts which do not mirror the opinions of registered voters who habitually cast votes in Presidential elections can give a false reading. In West Virginia, despite Obama outspending Clinton by 3 to 1, she beat him in every county. He was stuck in the low 20's while she whopping 67% of the votes cast. Senator John Edwards, who has withdrawn from the race, received 26,181 votes (17%); Senator Barak Obama received 91,663 votes (26%). Senator Clinton got 269,187 votes (67%). She lead Obama by by a 41 points by defeating him by drawing more support from every age group, socio-economic level and category of voter.
West Virginia is an important state for Democratic Presidential candidates. No Democratic Presidential candidate has won a general election without winning West Virginia since 1916.
Super Delegate Delimma
As Obama swept through caucus states and surged ahead in the delegate count, Super Delegates who are supposed to be a party check and balance which helps the party select the strongest candidate to win against the Republicans in the General Election, added to his delegate total. Clinton continues to add key swing state victories. Crucial to any presidential win for any party, white working class voters continue to vote more heavily for Senator Hillary Clinton than for either McCain or Obama in most presidential primaries. Many question whether Senator Obama will be able to defeat McCain in the fall. Most feel that without Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's surge in voter turn-out will be diminished by another Republican win.
On-line Petitions
The level of disgust expressed by thousands of citizens through on-line petitions shows that many Democratic voters will not fall in line and vote for the "other candidate" if their candidate is not the Presidential nominee or at least on the ticket as VP. Over 5000 citizens have signed and commented on a petition to the Super Delegates urging them to select Senator Clinton as the nominee. In a few days over 800 citizens signed the "Quiet Riot" petition which says that Clinton's supporters will not "fall in line" and support Barak Obama. These petitions can be read and signed at http://ipetitions.com/'petition/quietriot/ and at http:/www.ipetitions.com/petitions/supportinghillary/
Grassroots Rallies for Hillary Across the Nation
While Senator Clinton and Senator Obama campaign in Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota, Clinton supporters are rallying in states which have already voted to show solidarity with Hillary and to raise money for her campaign. From the grassroots rallies are being organized by supporters. In Pantego (between Arlington and Fort Worth) a rally called "STAND WTH HILLARY" Saturday, May 17th (1-4 p.m.) at Pantego Bi-Centennial Park (3200 Smith Barry Road, Pantego, TX 76013) will feature speeches by VIPs and grassroots activists such as Teresa Meza, President of the Lulac Council and Clinton Texas State Convention Delegate. There will be laptops with internet access where people can sign three on-line petitions urging superdelegates to vote for Hillary and the DNC to honor the vote of citizens in the Florida and Michigan primaries. A similar event will be hosted by grassroots Clinton supporters Saturday in Longview at Teague Park.
DELEGATE MATH
For months political reporters have reported the delegate count without clarifying for the public that until the national convention delegates are elected at state party conventions, and those electors show up at the Democratic National Convention and sign-in for their candidates, all so-called "pledged delegate counts" are speculative. Endorsements from superdelegates are even more speculative than pledged delegates. Superdelegates endorsments will not necessarily reflect the way they will actually vote at the National Democratic Convention. Superdelegates habitually switch sides as the prevailing wind blows. They are charged with deciding for the candidate who has the best chance of beating the Republican candidate for President in November. If Senator Obama continues to show that he cannot win key swing states or the vital block of white working class voters, it is probable that we will see some of his current super delegate endorsements shift to Senator Clinton before the National Convention.
Citizen outrage, expressed by registered Democratic voters from all states, expressed in petitions, against the exclusion of delegates from Florida and Michigan may result in a further erosion of Senator Obama's lead in the delegate count. If only half (142) of Obama's current Super Delegates (284) switched to Senator Clinton, she would lead him today without inclusion of Florida or Michigan delegates or delegates from the remaining primaries in Montana, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Missouri or Oregon.
Despite political pundits declaring Obama the presumptive nominee, West Virginia Democratic voters cast over three votes against Obama for every vote he received in Tuesday's West Virginia Democratic Primary. Voter turn-out was light for the Republican Primary. Of the 475,167 votes cast Tuesday (combined voters in all party primaries), Hillary Clinton was the resounding choice of West Virginia Voters.
Over four West Virginians voted against Barak Obama for every voter that selected him. John McCain trailed Barak Obama's numbers by 1,998 votes. No Democratic Presidential Candidate has won a general election since 1916 without carrying West Virginia.
West Virginia Primary May 13, 2008
U.S. President
Party Candidate Votes
DEM Hillary Rodham Clinton 239187
DEM Barack Hussein Obama 91663
DEM John Reid Edwards 26181
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY 357,031
REP Willard Mitt Romney 5195
REP John Sidney McCain III 89654
REP Ronald Ernest Paul 6112
REP Rudolph William Giuliani 2839
REP Jerry Ralph Curry 728
REP Michael Dale Huckabee 12184
REP Alan L. Keyes 1424
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN REPUBLICAN PRIM 125,123
TOTAL VOTES CAST IN BOTH DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES 475,167
SOURCE: West Virginia Secretary of State Election Division 100% of counties reporting
Clinton's victory inspired CNN's headline: "ANALYSIS: Clinton crushes Obama across the board".
By Alan Silverleib - CNN
(CNN) -- After enduring a week of political obituaries, Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign proved Tuesday that it still has some life.
Clinton, as expected, trounced Democratic front-runner Sen. Barack Obama in the West Virginia primary. In the process, she underscored Obama's weakness with blue-collar, working-class white voters -- a segment of the electorate that may prove pivotal in November.
Buoyed by her landslide margin, Clinton vowed to continue what has become a longshot campaign, telling supporters at a Charleston rally that she is "more determined than ever to carry on this campaign until everyone has had a chance to make their voices heard."
Clinton's victory in West Virginia was decisive. She won men and women. She carried a majority of voters in every age group. She captured liberals, moderates, and conservatives. She took a majority in every income bracket.Clinton's largest margins, as expected, were registered among voters at the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. Among white voters without a college degree, Clinton defeated Obama by 50 points. Among white voters making less than $30,000 a year, Clinton's margin of victory was more than 60 points.
Older voters and white women -- part of Clinton's core constituency -- also rallied strongly to her beleaguered campaign. Voters age 65 and older supported her by a 38-point margin. White women backed her by 51 points.
Clinton's proposal to suspend the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax for the summer -- an idea belittled by most economists and rejected by Obama as a political gimmick -- proved to be a winner in West Virginia. Voters supported the gas tax suspension by an almost 2-to-1 margin. Those voters who supported suspending the gas tax broke for Clinton, 74 to 19 percent.
Read more on line at CNN
Evaluation: Obama's Lead in Delegates May Not Be a Good Thing
Obama campaign strategist identified weaknesses in the Democratic primary caucus system which discriminates against handicapped, the elderly and workers who cannot physically attend precinct caucuses. Many caucus states, such as Iowa and Texas, prohibit absentee or proxy voting in caucuses. No allowances are made for registered voters who are homebound, or frail, and unable to participate at nightime party caucuses. Some caucus states, such as Maine, allow certified by mail voters to register their presidential preference and their preference to be includes in the math to derive the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences. Most caucus states, unlike Maine, exclude all voters who cannot physically show up to their precinct party caucus from helping to select their party's nominee for President. Texas is the only state which has both a caucus and a primary. In Texas, significant differences emerged across the state in precincts between the percentages in the popular vote (primary voters) per candidate and causus registrants per candidate. Texas awards 25% of the delegates through party caucus's and 75% by primary voters (popular vote). The Texas system favors those who are healthier, able to drive after dark, not homebound, elderly or too frail to stay until late at night when the delegates were chosen in many precinct caucues. The presidential preference of workers who cannot get off work on caucus nights but in the primary, like their more frail elderly or handicapped neighbors, only count 75% of what their younger, healthier neighbors who were able to show up at the caucus after the polls closed on primary night. Chaos and non-compliance with Democratic Party Rules and Texas and Federal Election codes further pollulated the outcome of many precinct and senatorial Democratic Conventions.
Election Process Discriminates
Although the Help Americans Vote Act stipulates how Americans with disabilities are to be accommodated at polling places, guidelines for accommodations at party precinct and senatorial conventions are vague. Disabled supporters of both leading presidential candidates will join forces this year for the first time in Austin at State Convention in a new issues caucus. Democrats with Disabilities is the first disability caucus in the Texas Democratic Party. It will meet from 11 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Friday, June 6th at the 2008 Texas Democratic Party State Convention. Founding members are split between presidential preferences but agree that the current process discriminates against persons with disabilities and needs to be corrected.
Non ADA Compliance in Senatorial District Conventions to be Reviewed by the Credentials Committee at State Convention
In Tarrant County, Harriet Varnum Irby, former SDEC Committee Woman from Senatorial 10, objected to the choice of the antiquated Will Rogers Colesium as the Senatorial 10 Convention site when it was chosen. Irby says she went to Tarrant County Party Headquarters when she learned that Will Rogers was the proposed site and told them that it was unsuitable because it is not ADA compliant. A landmark built before ADA laws were passed by Congress, the arena is exempt from having to eliminate many of the barriers required in newer buildings. Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Director Keith Annis announced to the members of the Senatorial 10 Nominations Committee that "we got numerous calls from people who said they were delegates but could not attend if the convention was at Will Rogers because they were handicapped." Fort Worth attorney Jason Smith filed a challenge to the distribution of delegates per presidential preference at the Senatorial 10 Convention at Will Rogers to the State Democratic Party's Credentials Committee based on non-ADA compliance at the Senatorial Convention which discriminated against the elderly, frail and handicapped.
In neighboring East Tarrant County, at the Tarrant County Community College East Campus in Arlington, the Senatorial 9 Tarrant County Democratic Convention also failed to accommodate the handicapped. Although the college meets architecture requirements for ADA, campus security blockaded the drive restricting handicapped persons from utilizing parking near the entrance of the main building where the convention was held. Instead of being allowed to drive up to the building where handitran buses usually pick-up and discharge passengers, blockades were positioned at the entrance of the main drive, about the distance of a a city block from the main building. The Main ballrooom, where over half of the delegates were seated, was on one level and provided few barriers for the mobility challenged. However, many delegates and all alternates and guests were seated in the Theatre which has at least 8 steep steps at the entrance and 18 steps inside the theatre. The college accommodates persons in wheelchairs in the front row of the theatre and allows them entrance through a side door which has not steps. On Convention day, the side entrance was closed and all delegates and alternates were forced to enter and exit using the front steps. At County Senatorial 9 Convention at TCCC.
It is ironic that some view the nomination of Barak Obama, an African-American, as rectification of some of the discrimination in America, while others say that the campaign strategy of the Obama which has given him a lead in the delegate count (acquired mainly through his lead in caucus states) exploits flaws in the Democratic process which discriminates against registered voters who are handicapped, frail, elderly, transportation restricted or forced to work on the night of their party caucus. Even if Obama strategists did not purposely set out to discriminate against the handicapped, their emphasis on caucus states which do not allow absentee or proxy voting by certified mail registered voters, has resulted in greater discrimination against elderly and handicapped voters than occurs in states where delegates are awarded by popular vote in primaries or at caucuses which allow proxy or absentee/ by mail voting to distribute delegates between presidential preferences.
Examination of the profiles of each candidates voters this year shows that the average age of Obama's voter and caucus supporter is younger than that of Senator Clinton. Although she draws voters from all age groups, her strongest segment is among women over 50 years of age. Although both have drawn out first-time voters of all ages, a significant number of Senator Obama's supporters are young people who have registered to vote for the first time. Senator Clinton consistently surpasses Senator Obama in attracting voters who have voted in more than one Democratic Primary. Some precinct chairs were concerned to note than many of their double and triple D's (persons who have voted in 2 or 3 Democratic Primaries) were not participants at their Democratic Precinct Caucuses. Although they are faithful to vote, frequently at early voting during the day or by mail, their vote only counted 1/4 of first time voters who were able to attend the precinct caucuses.
If delegates awarded in caucues properly reflected the demographics of registered voters who participated in the primaries, the distribution of delegates at caucuses between candidates would mirror the popular vote in primary states. However, in Texas, (the only state which has both primary popular votes and percinct caucuses) the distribution of delegates between presidential preferences at precinct caucuses differed significantly from the percentages of votes per candidate at the same precinct primary elections. This discrepancy further highlights the difference between the distribution of delegates between candidates and the preferences of voters on election day.
Some Question if Obama's Lead in Delegates May Result in a Democratic Losses in November
Delegate counts which do not mirror the opinions of registered voters who habitually cast votes in Presidential elections can give a false reading. In West Virginia, despite Obama outspending Clinton by 3 to 1, she beat him in every county. He was stuck in the low 20's while she whopping 67% of the votes cast. Senator John Edwards, who has withdrawn from the race, received 26,181 votes (17%); Senator Barak Obama received 91,663 votes (26%). Senator Clinton got 269,187 votes (67%). She lead Obama by by a 41 points by defeating him by drawing more support from every age group, socio-economic level and category of voter.
West Virginia is an important state for Democratic Presidential candidates. No Democratic Presidential candidate has won a general election without winning West Virginia since 1916.
Super Delegate Delimma
As Obama swept through caucus states and surged ahead in the delegate count, Super Delegates who are supposed to be a party check and balance which helps the party select the strongest candidate to win against the Republicans in the General Election, added to his delegate total. Clinton continues to add key swing state victories. Crucial to any presidential win for any party, white working class voters continue to vote more heavily for Senator Hillary Clinton than for either McCain or Obama in most presidential primaries. Many question whether Senator Obama will be able to defeat McCain in the fall. Most feel that without Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's surge in voter turn-out will be diminished by another Republican win.
On-line Petitions
The level of disgust expressed by thousands of citizens through on-line petitions shows that many Democratic voters will not fall in line and vote for the "other candidate" if their candidate is not the Presidential nominee or at least on the ticket as VP. Over 5000 citizens have signed and commented on a petition to the Super Delegates urging them to select Senator Clinton as the nominee. In a few days over 800 citizens signed the "Quiet Riot" petition which says that Clinton's supporters will not "fall in line" and support Barak Obama. These petitions can be read and signed at http://ipetitions.com/'petition/quietriot/ and at http:/www.ipetitions.com/petitions/supportinghillary/
Grassroots Rallies for Hillary Across the Nation
While Senator Clinton and Senator Obama campaign in Missouri, Kentucky, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Montana and South Dakota, Clinton supporters are rallying in states which have already voted to show solidarity with Hillary and to raise money for her campaign. From the grassroots rallies are being organized by supporters. In Pantego (between Arlington and Fort Worth) a rally called "STAND WTH HILLARY" Saturday, May 17th (1-4 p.m.) at Pantego Bi-Centennial Park (3200 Smith Barry Road, Pantego, TX 76013) will feature speeches by VIPs and grassroots activists such as Teresa Meza, President of the Lulac Council and Clinton Texas State Convention Delegate. There will be laptops with internet access where people can sign three on-line petitions urging superdelegates to vote for Hillary and the DNC to honor the vote of citizens in the Florida and Michigan primaries. A similar event will be hosted by grassroots Clinton supporters Saturday in Longview at Teague Park.
DELEGATE MATH
For months political reporters have reported the delegate count without clarifying for the public that until the national convention delegates are elected at state party conventions, and those electors show up at the Democratic National Convention and sign-in for their candidates, all so-called "pledged delegate counts" are speculative. Endorsements from superdelegates are even more speculative than pledged delegates. Superdelegates endorsments will not necessarily reflect the way they will actually vote at the National Democratic Convention. Superdelegates habitually switch sides as the prevailing wind blows. They are charged with deciding for the candidate who has the best chance of beating the Republican candidate for President in November. If Senator Obama continues to show that he cannot win key swing states or the vital block of white working class voters, it is probable that we will see some of his current super delegate endorsements shift to Senator Clinton before the National Convention.
Citizen outrage, expressed by registered Democratic voters from all states, expressed in petitions, against the exclusion of delegates from Florida and Michigan may result in a further erosion of Senator Obama's lead in the delegate count. If only half (142) of Obama's current Super Delegates (284) switched to Senator Clinton, she would lead him today without inclusion of Florida or Michigan delegates or delegates from the remaining primaries in Montana, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, Missouri or Oregon.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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