This is my report of the El Paso County Democratic Party County Convention of March 12, 2016. It is a followup of my report on the caucuses of March 1st (see here). Our local Democrats met at the Hotel Elegante, one of the larger hotels possessing a banquet room to accommodate a thousand attendees in our fair town. Previously, on March 1st's caucus night, it was reported that 8764 voters were recorded to have participated, (9.7%, of all registered voters, a new record), in the caucuses preference poll reported had Bernie Sanders with 5356 raw votes, 61.11%, up, .02% from the initial newspaper reports of 60.92%).
The caucus system, is an 18th Century variant of town hall democracy. Premium relies upon persons actually showing up in person, therefore all administration is done by hand relying on handwritten paperwork and hand counting. Those of you who are only familiar with primary states, as the media, (who by the way, I often end up have regular background conversations regarding the caucus process correcting their translations of what the caucus or convention numbers actually mean as they attempt to dummy-down perspectives for their imagined readers—no wonder MSM's relevance is falling like a rock in water, or at least one of the reasons the rock continues in its descent). Yet the raw vote is not the real game in a caucus state.
The real game is the ascending delegate counts and how they are divided and then, reapportioned. Since our local county party is not well-organized, and again this year, were not ready for such a huge record turnout, the recording of paperwork was exceedingly messy, incomplete, and sometimes incoherent—laced with substantiated reports of politically motivated nefarious activities by less ethically conscious caucus participates. (Consistently reported to be activities of the constituency that lost. Also we had misinformed participates who were not eligible , because of voter registration issues 305/9069 or 3.3% where 28 were elected a caucus delegate or alternate and stricken.) This is why there is a subsequent Credentials Committee which then toils behind the scenes and has to try to make sense and then judgments as to who a valid delegate or alternate. Fortunately our Credentials Committee was led by and comprised of four strident and fair individuals despite all the pressures.
So in that context let me try to tell you the story of how Bernie Sanders' camp increased their delegate cache from 57%, up to 64% and therefore increasing the original projected delegates from 184 to 196 selected to go to Colorado's State Convention and more importantly, the 5th Congressional District Assembly. It is at these venues where ultimately ordinary citizens are chosen to be National Delegates. Later, that afternoon I got the early word that three the major front range counties who were meeting Saturday all increased their delegate proportion for Bernie Sanders: Arapahoe County up from 53% to 56% and Adams County up from 61% to 64% and El Paso County from 61% to 64%!
The primary reason for all this confusion is that only 43% of El Paso County precincts had a standing precinct committee-persons who were minimally trained to lead and conduct the caucus reporting. Therefore the majority of the county's Democratic precincts had to work through the caucus complexities themselves, without the aid of clearly defined instructions or forms.
Our Bernie Team was led by Cynthia Pulham, a middle-aged woman who on her own began volunteering and organizing for Bernie way back in July. She was new to the political arena as were her primary lieutenant volunteer leaders, as were literally hundreds of new persons to this messy political process in the caucus of campaigning and participating in a caucus process. Like in 2008, when I was a leader of the Obama Volunteers in El Paso County, the infusion of this new energy and naivete politicos has a genuine profound and challenging effect, especially when facing the Party's old guard in a process like this over political power and voice. Unlike 2008, where the Obama Campaign was far more organized where we had more Party regulars leading volunteers but also Obama had more paid staff with a better up-link organization which was more streamlined in developing Obama's extraordinary grass roots campaign organization, where in turn, they could efficiently target and squeeze every vote out of the universe (at the caucus and later in the general election), Bernie's grass roots organization was far less organized. And yet, despite this lack of streamlined effectiveness, Bernie's campaign brought out more voters in Colorado Springs and throughout the State of Colorado. So then that begs the question is how come? I will attempt to answer that in my conclusion.
So along with Bernie's volunteer team of rookie caucus captains and super-volunteers three of us augmented it with my old time political friend and cohort, Mike Maday, (a recent supporter to Bernie's campaign and a person whom I have worked on behind the scenes incisively since December trying to bring him out of uncommitted) and Shelia Canfield-Jones. Mike had been the county's lead volunteer for Obama's Campaign in El Paso County both in 2008 and 2012, plus like myself was a local and state Democratic Party activist and official—but even more so. In 2008 and 2012 he has been selected to the DNC as an Obama delegate from CD5. Joining us was another experienced political activist, Sheilia Canfield-Jones, who came down from the high country out of the venerable town Bailey, Colorado, located in Park County (one of four outlying mountain counties part of CD5). She would be the go-between or point person between our El Paso team and the Bernie state campaign organization.
Our three-person cooperative objective was to fold in and support the existing Bernie El Paso volunteer group and guide them through the morass of party business, with its conflicting and confusing rules and ways of an unwieldy democratic political process. Mike’s focus initially focused on identifying problem credentials and act as a guide through the appeal process. My role was more of a wildcard position informally informing delegates and alternates on the process from turning in their credentials to voting and seating. I then took over communicating with the separated alternate waiting room. In short we focused on squeezing every delegate our way---the objective was trying to move the bar from 57% to as close as 70% as possible. Overall our knowledge and being a known quantity to the rest of the regulars within the Party was an unstated formidable force to insure fairness but afterward we were told we brought forward a huge contribution to the Party's chaotic convention day. Specifically afterward Electra Johnson, a Bernie super volunteer, stated our conspicuous presence helped to alleviate many of Bernie delegates' legitimate anxieties about being screwed or marginalized. That was a very high compliment. But in reality, Mike and I were actually protecting the Party as we assisted our delegation through a cumbersome set of convention processes. Except for a handful of Bernie delegates none of them had ever ventured into the political process before, be it a caucus or subsequent Party convention and furthermore felt a legitimate and profound sense of mistrust. (The mistrust was well founded from how some went to the Colorado State Democratic Dinner and were told by the Party Chair not to brings signs or choxi’s and then be subjected to Hillary persons handing them out at every banquet room door or know how in some precincts like at Colorado College, or mine, the pressure to begin the caucus before registration lines were completed or even have party regulars tell people to go home because there were too many for a room. This and much more especially after the caucus before the Credentials Committee firmly established fairness.)
In all, when the Credentials Committee finally reported to the convention, all of the remaining 85 alternates (split 61-24 for Bernie) were seated. (Mike had a side bet with the County’s Democratic Chair, Kathleen Ricker, a $20 donation,
made in front of 150 Bernie delegates at pre-convention meeting last Thursday. His confidence was based on our experiences that alternates always get sat, after she curiously stated that few actually do. Not sure why she would try to dampen potential attendance but we made out nonetheless.)
The total numbers were as follows: Of 970 apportioned delegate seats, 922 were credentialed, (48 non unrepresented, so both campaigns lost an opportunity to gain .049%). If we would have had a stronger attendance by our alternates and delegates or not had delegates stricken because of paperwork or not having non registered Democrats voted into being a delegate, we could have captured enough to put us in position to gain an additional DNC delegate from Hillary Clinton's projection at the upcoming Congressional District 5 Assembly. Going into the County Convention we knew that already we possessed a 3-to-2 DNC delegate split, but moving the CD delegate vote to 70% or over would make for a 4-to-1 split, that was our augmented team's objective going into the convention.
The convention now moved closer to the Resolutions stage following all the preference surrogate speeches as long as local candidate speeches.
This is the time when voices among the masses demand to be heard. What emerged was a demand to enter new resolutions from the floor and/or amendments to the current list of 88 resolutions. Originally the Party through its local rules committee wanted squash this normal convention procedure, but fortunately the Chair, Kathleen Ricker, relented and allowed new resolutions to be brought to the Chair for consideration for a vote at the CD which could then could be brought to the Convention floor for consideration.
I pounced, as I had already devised of a plan to try to suspend the rules and get a resolution from the floor. In short, my resolution calls for all Colorado Superdelegates who have committed (for Clinton) to return to being uncommitted until all 50 states have voted and further to take counsel and leadership from majority of delegates at Colorado's State Convention and its Congressional District Assemblies. This is both a practical and political matter since Colorado has twelve Superdelgates, which currently eight have declared committed to Hillary Clinton the night of the Caucus which Bernie won at 59%. This is untenable.
Of those eight which starts with Gov. Hickenlooper (term limited), Sen. Michael Bennet (who is running for reelection), Rep. DeGette (of CD1 which voted 54.7% Bernie), Rep. Perlmutter (of CD7 which voted 62.1% Sanders), and Rep. Polis (CD2 voted 63% for Sanders). This is not a tenable political position for any elected politician to openly be in defiance to their own political base and their political will.
It also means three others, two DNC delegates who were elected previously at State Conventions and then the former Gov. Romer who is an appointed member as a DPL (Distinguished Party Leader) are committed to Hillay. Of all those mentioned above Sen. Bennet (whose parents were personal friends with the Clinton's that included an Ambassadorship in Bill's Administration) he is the most politically vulnerable, while Perlmutter has the most potentially contested congressional seat. The bigger issue is that all the politicians are ignoring the obvious as Bernie's number climb well over 60% in Colorado showing how out of touch they are to their own electorate they are, which is the major underlying them in both Party's this campaign season. The point is, even though the resolution is non binding, if brought to the floor could make for some real pressure with Bennet and Perlmutter but also the DNC national superdelegates. Actually I hope for a floor fight.
Finally we broke for lunch and breakout sessions in hour House Districts to conduct each respective district's business. This is the slow time for first time convention attendees. They are neither interested nor aware of the various proceedings or their procedural importance but when presented as a matter of voting they naturally have questions since they take voting seriously.
One particular person was complaining about it all and I said to her to pay attention so she can become aware how things are done at this Party level, and therefore you will be better informed as a citizen and voter. In the HD 18's session, I was able to second the nomination of our three-term State Representative, Pete Lee, it was a personal honor.
Upon the conclusion of all the break out sessions we were now approaching 3 PM, and the presidential preference poll would soon be announced allowing us to perform our big duty of the day, electing delegates to the next level. The new First Vice Chair of the Party, Liz, (she assumed duties recently when the previous First Vice Chair, Anne Schmidt was installed as the Party's Executive Director this past summer), informed me that the vote was in and Bernie's side had received 64% of the vote. When it was announced only 877 voted (575 for Bernie and 302 for Hillary) equating to a delegate split of 196 to 109 out of 305, (alternates were apportioned 25-14). But it also demonstrated that 45 persons failed to vote, 4.8% that is an astounding drop off and placed on top of the total potential 970 it is 9.6% total abstention rate. After all the cheering and gasps (by the Hillary Team), the main ball room was to be split into their respective delegations to select their delegates to State and CD.
In the Bernie Camp we first decided that all persons willing and able to go to both the CD5 Assembly (April 15th) and then subsequent State Convention (April 16th) followed by a commitment and desire to go to the DNC (at a cost of at least $6000 minimum) would . One-hundred and four (104) persons self nominated themselves for this obligation. Then once segregated another 117 persons self nominated themselves for going to both the CD5 and State Convention but not the DNC. Within that universe 25 selected themselves to be all important alternates including Cynthia Pulham and a number of super volunteers, leaving a deficit of just nine open spots.
I then started asking those remaining who had not been selected but who could go to either and actually commit, we found eighteen more persons out of what was about 315 who had remained after the presidential preference voting. Then we passed a motion selecting everyone who was chosen as a Bernie delegate or alternate.
Of this entire pool I only recognized three who are considered Party regulars, James Howald, John Fornander (this year's Permanent Organization Chair), Mike Maday besides myself. Four experienced Party regulars among 217 newbies. Sitting down and administrating the chosen credentials my silent first reaction was we had lost the opportunity to truly move ourselves into the 70% range and gaining a delegate. How some 45 persons failed to vote is simply defies my imagination. That is 4.88%, on top of the 4.9% that failed to show up either as delegates or our alternate, a total of 9.6%. And yet, we in fact gained enough to put us in position to grab that last delegate. In April if we can get our entire delegation to attend and Hillary's team fails to have seventeen delegates or alternates or 14% of their delegation we could gain.
Is it feasible, I was asked by a Bernie volunteer? I told the newbies this is where the most committed show up but if Bernie continues to gain national momentum and the Hillary demographic which is more vulnerable, not showing up, it is possible. I continued to explain, they had probably that kind of attrition today at County where the investment is just an entire day with local travel. Friday, April 15th is a 2-2 ½ hour drive north through Denver metro. Then an evening Assembly time that could go to at least 11 PM and then either a stay over night at a hotel (or in my case a sister-in-law's guest bedroom) and then back again for a 9 AM call for the State convention. The predominate demographic of Hillary is older and not inclined for this kind of physical and emotional turmoil. I think the odds are better if we can get 98-100% attendance, but we have to get that kind of attendance and they 86% or lower.
Now for some post convention analysis and thought. Twice in eight years I have been part of a new voter and democracy surge in Colorado. There were few Obama crossovers to Bernie, sure there are a handful and even a handful of Obama stalwarts who moved over to Hillary. At the convention a good friend and Obama volunteer leader asked why I am such a strident Bernie supporter. I told her I would answer it only if she was willing to answer her thoughts why she is now a Hillary in return. I told her that last December when I personally wrestled with which campaign I was going to support if any my 27 year old daughter inquired; “In the last eight years what if anything about Hillary has changed in your mind?” My reply was “Nothing as it pertained to her being President”.
My friend's eyes bulged. Then she said, that her “commitment for Obama was not so much about him as what Obama represented which was a fundamental change in the direction of the country. So it was not so much against Hillary then or for Obama then but for change.” I then offered her a question, “what has changed now that was not present eight years ago regarding changing the direction of the country?” She replied after careful thought, “Nothing”. So like in 2008 is Hillary the one to bring about the change in the country you are seeking?” Her reply was fascinating. “You are unfair, you persuade by having a person persuade themselves.” Then she was a committed Hillary person and returned to her preference group.
But now in the course of twelve years the Democratic Party has seen an influx of a large number of new activists seeking a change in the direction of the country through Howard Dean, Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders. In the 90s during the Clinton era of the Democratic Leadership wing, the Democrats shed their heritage of FDR's New Deal for the sake of surviving the Reagan Revolution. Yet many of those party activists remain deeply rooted throughout the land. What they are having problems with is not the splintering wholesale breakup of the reactionary Republican Party or its potential dangerous political opponents, it is they are having problems that the liberal leftist wing of the party has now fully being reborn and are beginning to push them aside. It is far more comfortable for them to negotiate rear guard survival tactics of old social programs while securing Party powers and securing seemingly safe political positions. Change is hard for individuals and countries. But both political spectrum’s have predominate voices who are demanding change and compelling leaders to hear their grievances and petitions.
Another conversation I had was with a Colorado College political science professor about the larger trends appearing in this election cycle. What is often referred as the establishment, we both agreed is actually is a nice term to describe those who are in control. All corporate interests seek to reduce or eliminate risks and right now in their minds risk is rife in the political system so this is why the establishment has galloped to the aid of Hillary. She and her regime is a known quantity and someone who can and will be controlled. Bernie is something else, potentially a threat as large as FDR. He gave an example how MSNBC has openly embraced Hillary like tonight having an hour with Matthews he called an Town Hall. I brought up the line in the sand that this blog, Daily Kos has stated that after tomorrow they are now in General Election mode. We both found this exceptionally curious and actually in conflict with their business interests. That is the example of the invisible hand of the establishment that Adam Smith didn’t envision actually existed, kind of reminds of the invisible hand of the 18th Century nobility.
What he offered though was a more profound thought as to the threat of Bernie based on what he has now seen at our convention and the proceedings eight years ago. He said if Bernie can somehow secure the nomination, alongside either Trump where the Republican establishment breaks away trying to hold on to the down ticket which is an impossible task—OR—if the establishment finds a way to stop him at the National Convention and nominate another dark horse it will cause the new radical entries into the Republican Party to break away and adversely affect both the top of the ticket and down ticket. Either way if Bernie wins the nomination with the infusion of a new generation of Democrats he could usher in a new legislative majority and therefore his progressive agenda. Which is why he still thinks Hillary will succeed gaining the nomination as all the establishment interests will continue to pour in money, resources, influence and the kitchen sink—and if that doesn't work where will they meaning the deeply rooted establishment find safe harbor? He then said if Bernie gains the nomination it will be as revolutionary as Abraham Lincoln winning the Presidency over Douglas.
For us intellectual political scientists that is a watershed event. Unlike him who presses the flesh with renegade citizens I am deep in the trenches. There is a real revolutionary feel, not rioting but a pragmatic, overwhelming use of the ballot box to force their voices to be heard and political power transferred. My watershed moment will be in on April 15th in Loveland CO. If Bernie has found the means to come to close to a tie with election generated delegates and we secure a 4-to-1 split in CD5 I will be thinking the revolution is close at hand.