Thoughts on the Announcement of Clinton’s Name in Nomination
Some of us are going to be satisfied with Senator Clinton’s name being placed on the nominating roll call. For them, simply allowing the honor of her name on the cover for history’s sake will be enough. Others aren’t. You can find both views expressed in the following article:
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/14/hillary-clinton-get-roll-call-dnc/
I fit in the latter category. Commonsensegram offers further news on Obama Campaign tactics and Clinton Delegate defenses currently employed in this war of the numbers:
A Real Live Heroine!
[Allison Sherry says: “I am impressed! According to the article Sasha Millstone, a Hillary delegate from Boulder Co received the following e-mail from Billy Compton, state political director of the Colorado Democratic Party,
“You are hereby directed to come in to the party Headquarters and explain your comments and why you should remain a national delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in light of these comments,” the letter said.”]
http://commonsensegram.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/a-real-live-heroine/
Be sure to check out her links to riverdaughter and katiebird for more information.
Kudos to Sasha Millstone! Delegate “persuasion” has been a tool employed since our country started voting. All kinds of tactics have certainly been tried. This year, however, this stuff is really in the spotlight. Can we stop bad behavior and intimidation? Probably not. However, we can learn quickly as possible whatever political jujitsu we need to protect ourselves. This was an attack, and in a war we need defense and attack strategies.
Maybe some of us aren’t comfortable with that, thinking we might still be able to negotiate. If we really think about it however, we remember that old French, Cold War term “Détente”. It’s only possible when you aren’t attacking your neighbors. Unity is a long, long way down the road from that.
Having possibly reached one goal, Annebelllep, expresses some of the ruminations underway very well:
w00t!
August 14, 2008 by annabellep
[Personally, I’m conflicted. If this also signals a backing down by the party apparatus, which has been the machine that has helped put us in this position, I might get on board. If they just want to add us Hillary supporters to the roll of factions they’re seeking to “capture,” I might still say no deal.]
Heidi Li is right on the money, however, in terms of where we are as voters:
Once again, things are perilously close to being what they were
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Heidi Li Feldman, JD, Ph.D.
[As I have been saying for months now, as an individual and as co-founder of The Denver Group, a rigged election is no election – at least not as understood by anybody who takes democracy and the franchise seriously. There is no such thing as a “symbolic” vote. There is either a vote or there is not a vote.]
http://heidilipotpourri.blogspot.com/2008/08/once-again-things-are-periously-close.html
The basic problems haven’t changed. The DNC is not going to police itself. We have to. Voters want open and honest elections. They want to know that their vote counted, and, as a whole vote equal to others. Thus:
1. Because of caucus practices and other unremediated voting deficiencies, the number of delegates, supporting Obama over Clinton, has been skewed.
2. Because delegates have been maneuvered, intimidated, and switched, it is unlikely that a true representation of Clinton votes will be represented the nominating roll call vote.
3. Because voters will now have to decide whether to vote for a travesty over an opposing candidate, the results will be uncertain in a year that it shouldn’t.
4. Finally, because the DNC has chosen to set the stage for reenactment of this travesty by allowing caucuses for 2012, we know they haven’t really listened.
So far the announcement just looks like another lollipop.
Grab and Keel 
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