Brownshirt tactics

Actual email received by a friend of mine and fellow delegate--names withheld:

A complaint has been filed with the Colorado Democratic Party, by a fellow Democratic National Convention delegate, regarding your position as a Delegate to the National Convention in light of the disparaging public remarks you have made and continue to make regarding our Party's presumptive nominee for President, Sen. Obama.  Therefore, 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.  I can be reached at 303-623-4762.  Your immediate attention to this urgent matter is requested.

Sincerely,

Colorado Democratic Party

(303)623-4762 (O)

(303)623-2443 (Fax)

Comments

[Hypatia]

Wow. It's so Henry VIII.

[lillianjane]

Unprecedented, isn't it? Not only do they not want to nominate her, but they also want to keep her delegates away.

I just can't see supporting this man. He could stop this foolishness at any time, but he doesn't, so I have to assume he approves.

[lillianjane]

I just sent a comment to the Colorado Democrats. I imagine it will go straight to the virtual trash.

[Mystical Seeker]

The "conventions" of the two major parties ceased being bona fide conventions long ago, and are now nothing but nationally televised coronations. Four years ago, John Kerry's gestapo tore down antiwar banners at the convention as soon as anyone tried to put one up. He wasn't running an antiwar campaign, his platform took the position that it didn't matter if you were for or against the war, and he and his handlers didn't want antiwar activists associated with his convention (read coronation) in any way, shape or form. So the reality is that enforced unity has been the norm for some time.

Back in the olden days, things were a little different. Roosevelt, for example, won the nomination in 1932 on the fourth ballot. When's the last time any candidate won a major party nomination on any ballot other than the first? That would spoil the unity, the coronation effect, and the post-convention bounce in the polls that candidates are supposed to get. that's the reality of modern day major party conventions; might as well get used to it.

[John Petty]

Yes, the conventions are a mere shadow of their former selves. Basically, both conventions are four-day long infomercials. Which is fine. That's how they perceive their advantage. Too bad it's boring.

[Deborah Sampson]

These are not tactics appropriate to the big tent of the Democratic Party! If I wanted to be in a homogeneous group unwilling to tolerate anyone outside of lockstep, I'd try to be a Republican. As Will Rogers said, "I am not a member of any organized political party, I'm a Democrat." If Barack wants to run as a Democrat, he needs to remember it may be a messy party, but it OUR party!

[von Gunten]

I'm not really sure an infomercial is fine, John. The pretense of unity, or even the pretense that "we've got it all figured out, including our cutsie theme song from the seventies and the choreographed balloon drop" is not only boring but nearly frightening.

Deborah's line of "it's OUR party" remindes me of Christine Whitmann after she was drummed out of the W Cabinet starting the website "my party too"... yeah, that's Republican...it'd be a shame if it has to be Democrat too.

[John Petty]

Some folks appear to be more intent on taking over the party than they are in winning the election. We'll see how it all turns out.

[gormenghast]

Having been at the wrong end of numerous hateful e-mails from unelected Donna Brazile, what can elected officials be thinking when they write to VOTERS in this manner?:-

"From: mailto:martychavez%40gmail.comDate: Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:20:45 -0600To: "________" Subject: Re: Hillary in Nomination

First, you may have supported Senator Clinton but neither you nor Puma represent the people that voted for her. Only she does. Second, you have no place telling me how to do my job. Third, remove me from your e-mail list. Fourth, get lost."

This was from the Mayor of Albuquerque, apparently in response to the question if the majority of voters in a given state voted for Hillary (a) why did Super Delegates come out so early for Obama and (b) should not those voters have the chance to see Hillary's name put in nomination or at the very least in roll call.

I wrote a similar letter to our State's Governor as to why, when Hillary won 55% of the vote, did he immediately endorse Obama - at least he had the good grace not to reply!

I suppose Donna was deadly serious when she said that there is a new coalition and that the base can stay home, because when voters are treated in this fashion what are they to do?

[Frank Glenn]

After investigating with CO Dem sources and Google, I think this URL (as updated) sums up the factual end pretty well. http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17163668/detail.html

IMO your "Brown Shirt" is a bit over-the-top as a descriptor. I voted twice for WJC and would have voted for HRC if she were the nominee. She isn't and now is not the time for squabbling. I also think your friend's characterization of being told to "shut up" is an untimely picking at the scabs of an old fight rather than preparing for a new fight with McBush.

[Frank Glenn]

Addition: See the Dowd piece on the HRC putsch plan. http://iht.com/articles/2008/08/13/opinion/edowd.php

[John Petty]

Dowd is clueless, as per usual. I'd say that Hillary has definitely done her part to unite the party. In fact, she's gone the extra mile by suspending her campaign when others in far weaker position--Kennedy, Hart, Jackson, et. al.--did not.

[lillianjane]

The "old fight" just this week told a delegate to come to HQ and 'splain herself, like in a B movie script. Perhaps they didn't use the actual words "shut up", but being called on the carpet to explain one's words seems an equivalent. If you aren't disgusted/horrified by this, at least realize that others are.

[Hypatia]

Dowd's been spending her time burbling over Obama's kiddies and comparing him to Mr. Darcy. I was waiting for a return to form and here it is. (You know, she's even worse when she's trying to be nice, or thoughtful. The ombudsman told her to lay off the snottiness, but what can she do? It's all she has.)

I was especially amused by Dowd's suggestion that Obama was too generous to the Clintons in the convention arrangements and he should have treated them the way Gore treated Bill in 2000. Look how well that turned out.

[John Petty]

Lilian, I haven't heard any more about this. HQ called it "moot," but I don't know why. I'd say they're wishing it hadn't happened.

Hypatia, Dowd is just weird. I read her "Are Men Necessary?" book, and thought that was weird too. In fact, I remember thinking that Freud would have a field day with it.