ACTION: More Stonewalling From State Party Chairs

by: Alegre

Wed Aug 13, 2008 at 23:49:18 PM EDT

Michele Thomas, who's one of the driving forces behind the nominating petition, just sent around the following note from one of the delegates working with her on this noble effort.  It looks like the Indiana state party chair is trying to block their efforts.

I keep going back to the same question folks... WHAT ARE THEY SO AFRAID OF?

What follows is that email from Raymond Penko, an At-large Delegate from California, and an Indiana delegate recruiter.  Michele and I both double-checked with the writer and he said to blast it out there so here goes...

Michele:

I've been involved in campaigns before, as many of us have. I've also talked to the press before and know how they can turn around a statement or two. I was executive director of a community center in New York City and i spoke to the press about what went on in the precinct I worked in during the caucus in las Vegas, which ran on the front page of the Las Vegas Journal review, or whatever it is called.

I am concerned and frustrated with the situation with recruiting delegates to support Hillary's petition. of course, I have a state that is a tough one because the delegates have been told to stay together and not support a petition so Evan Bayh's selection as VP is not jeopardized. The local media need to ask the democratic leadership in Penn and Indiana why they are telling their Hillary delegates not to sign such a petition? It would certainly make the Democratic establishment in both states look foolish.  Once the leadership in both states saw they were going to look foolish they might give in and tell their delegates to sign the petition.

Make the jump - there's a whole lot more...

I have the names of two people in Indiana who told me they were told at a meeting last Sunday by the Chairman of the Democratic party of the State and the former Clinton campaign manager not to sign the petition so they don't jeopardize Bayh's chances of being VP.

SO here's the ACTION part of this one guys.  I want you to make a call to the IN state Dem. Chair and ask him (politely) to stop blocking efforts to give the Democrats in his state who support Hillary a voice at our convention.

Indiana Democratic Party
1 N Capitol Ste 200
Indianapolis, IN 46204
800-223-3387
317-231-7129 (fax)

http://www.indems.org/

Chair: Dan Parker
Vice Chair: Cordelia Lewis Burks
Executive Director: Jenny Hill Weiser

I know I know... its Wednesday night / early Thursday morning right now.  So make the call when you get up on Thursday.

I've also gotten word that the President of the Association of State Party Chairs is also stonewalling efforts to give Hillary's 18 million voters a voice at our party's convention.  This from Sue Castner - one of Hillary's delegates out in Oregon...

In the mean time, Mark Brewer is the President of the Association of
State Party Chairs.  We asked the Association to assist w/ the petition effort, reaching out to state chairs in the interest of party unity and he never bothered to get back to us.   Brewer is the Chair of the Michigan State Party.  People should email him and ask him why he thinks disenfranchising 18 millions voters is a good idea and why isolating almost 2,000 Clinton delegates is an acceptable tactic in OUR Democratic party.

Meanwhile if anyone contacts those state party chairs asking for contact information about BHO's delegates, the information's given out freely.

Wow.  Add Brewer to the cowards in PA, IN, and CO who are standing between 18 million Democrats, and our voting rights.  And I thought the people on the RBC (those who voted for that horrid deal in MI) were rotten to the core.  They've got nothing on these state party chairs!

That delegate in Oregon is urging us all to contact Mark Brewer, and respectfully ask why he won't help to facilitate an honest vote in Denver by making sure we have more than one person on the ballot.

This is an action item folks -

Contact Mark Brewer at:
mbrewer@michigandems.com
Phone: (517) 371-5410
Party email: midemparty@michigandems.com

One more reminder that we still need to contact Ed Rendell and tell him to stop blocking efforts to give voice to 18 million Americans - or at least the Democrats in his state of Pennsylvania (where Hillary scored a huge win during their primary).  Call him at one (or all) of the following numbers:

Call PA GOV. ED RENDELL:

Main Office, Capitol 717-787-2500
Northeast Region:    570-614-2090
Southeast Region:   215-560-2640
Northwest Region:   814-878-5719
Southwest Region:  412-565-5700
Special Assistant to the Governor, Lance Simon:  717-787-2500

Honestly, if they were so sure of party unity and BHO winning on the first ballot with ease, then why are they putting so much pressure on Hillary's delegates to not sign this simple petition?  All these delegates are asking for is the right to vote for the candidate they're pledged to support at the convention.  How hard is it for the DNC to get their head around the fact that Democrats hold elections with more than one candidate on the ballot?

This is clearly an orchestrated effort to do an end run around the voting rights of Hillary's supporters you guys.  I'm guessing these state party chairs didn't all come up with this on their own.  Howard Dean must be awfully scared of what we're doing and he's circling his wagons.  But Michele and the delegates behind this nominating petition are well on their way to getting those 300 signatures on their petition.  

They're going to have to deal with the demands of our delegates - and the sooner they face reality the better.  We will not be silenced - not now - not ever.