DNC agrees to give Sanders greater influence over party platform

[Iamaartist]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/dnc-bernie-sanders-convention-2016-223477

Bernie Sanders will be able to claim more sway over the convention in July after the Democratic National Committee partially gave in to his demand for more control over the committee that writes the party's platform.

While DNC rules allow the chair to pick all 15 members of the national convention drafting committee, the organization struck a deal with the two campaigns so that Hillary Clinton will pick six members, Sanders will pick five, and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will appoint four, party officials confirmed.

It's short of what Sanders lobbied for — he wrote to Wasserman Schultz suggesting that each campaign pick seven members and that the final member be picked jointly by both campaigns — it's still progress for Sanders, who has had an especially rocky relationship with Wasserman Schultz.

His campaign recently accused the DNC chairwoman of actively trying to undermine his presidential bid from the get-go, while Wasserman Schultz has given Sanders grief for the chaos caused by his supporters at the Nevada state convention earlier this month.

The concession will give Sanders a greater say over the party's platform in July, which will give him a chance to inject his progressive policies in a more lasting way.

Consultations between the DNC and the two campaigns were finalized last week and Wasserman Schultz began calling appointees over the weekend, a Democratic party official with knowledge of the process told POLITICO.

The appointments to the drafting committee are being made from lists of about a dozen suggested by each campaign.
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Sanders top aide: 'Only natural' he would back Wasserman Schultz's challenger

Rep. Elijah Cummings will serve as chairman of the committee and Andrew Grossman, former director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, will serve as platform executive director, the convention committee said Monday.

Sanders' picks for the committee were: Arab-American Institute President James Zogby; Cornel West; Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison; Deborah Parker, an activist on Native American rights; and Bill McKibben, an activist on environmental issues.

"We believe that we will have the representation on the platform drafting committee to create a Democratic platform that reflects the views of millions of our supporters who want the party to address the needs of working families in this country and not just Wall Street, the drug companies, the fossil fuel industry and other powerful special interests," Sanders said in a statement.

Clinton named Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, former State Department official Wendy Sherman, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, former White House Energy and Climate Change Policy director Carol Browner, Ohio state Rep. Alicia Reece, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union's Paul Booth.

The committee also includes two non-voting members, one from each campaign. The Sanders team picked policy adviser Warren Gunnels alongside Maya Harris, who serves as senior policy adviser for Clinton.



Do you think BS should have a say on the Dem party platform ?? Otherwise he might cry...if not.

[tonyt53]

1. They are just trying to shut him up for a bit.

Once in Philly, Bernie might be lucky to even have a table at the back of the room.

[Iamaartist]

3. I agree, just to keep him from whining

[SaschaHM]

2. Is Cornell West going to write into the platform that Obama is a war criminal or does he save that..

for interviews only?

I'm glad Rep. Cummings is running things. He's not going to put up with drama.

[Iamaartist]

4. Obama was great president...and surely will be missed...

Although if it was me I would not give him any time.....but he might whine....

[LiberalFighter]

20. If West makes or proposes anything negative about President Obama...

the convention delegates need to know.

[BootinUp]

5. Interesting Panel makeup. nt

[SharonClark]

25. Yes, it is.

Sanders' picks for the committee were: Arab-American Institute President James Zogby; Cornel West; Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison; Deborah Parker, an activist on Native American rights; and Bill McKibben, an activist on environmental issues.

Clinton named Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, former State Department official Wendy Sherman, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, former White House Energy and Climate Change Policy director Carol Browner, Ohio state Rep. Alicia Reece, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union's Paul Booth.

The only one I think is really bad is Cornel West.

[displacedtexan]

6. Did you read the comments in the LBN post about this?

I thougt BS supporters would be happy that the DNC bent the rules for Sanders, but they're complaining that it's not enough, that the Washington Post can't be trusted, and that they have to wait and hear from Sanders, himself, to see if this is a good thing or not.

All I could think of was... Wow! Nothing short of complete control will ever be enough, will it?

[Iamaartist]

9. No I didn't have a chance to read the comments as yet....

If was me I would not,,,give him anytime

[stopbush]

7. After Sanders gets creamed in CA and NJ, he will be marginalized to the point

where the platform committee can safely ignore him.

Input is one thing, but they take votes on those committees about what to include. What are the chances his bone-headed crap will make the platform?

[Iamaartist]

10. I agree input is fine but nothing more ,never trusted him from day one...

[Walk away]

8. Cornel West??? Bernie is even more pathetic than I realized!!!

I'll have to check on the others but, I am sure, they are cherry picked to make it impossible for the Democratic party to win on any platform they are a part of.

I have to go to other web sites to express exactly how I feel about Bernie & Cornel so I have to come back and read more of this thread!

[Iamaartist]

11. I feel the same way his control is to much,and not even being a Dem.....you know how I feel

[FloridaBlues]

12. The DNC is being very generous. What worries me if they agree on some of his more ambitious ideals

Say free college and Medicare for all plus open primaries ( hope not) breaking up the banking system and none of these happen he will be very vocal bashing her again as president every step of the way
So I hope they don't go over board in appeasing a man that will never be appeased
I bet not one person can remember our platform from last convention including me.

[DURHAM D]

13. I have noticed that some BS supporters think

that getting things in the platform is the same thing as changing existing state or federal laws. Meanwhile, don't worry about West. No one will be able figure out what he is talking about.

[LiberalFighter]

21. The BS supporters appear to have limited knowledge.

I believe Jeff Weaver when he was on Hardball tonite was pushing for certain types of primary elections to be eliminated.

[ismnotwasm]

14. I enjoy this take

Hillary Clinton smartly neutralizes Bernie Sanders by giving him a meaningless concession

Hillary Clinton had been hoping Bernie Sanders would have the sense to shut up and stop being so divisive, and now she’s thrown him the kind of bone that should do the trick. Even though Hillary is ahead by fourteen percent in the popular vote nationwide and is guaranteed to be the nominee, Bernie has been hurling increasingly absurd lobs at her in the hope of remaining relevant. Today she offered him a few meaningless seats on the party platform committee, and he predictably took the bait.

re’s the kicker: these seats don’t mean anything. Clinton and the party have picked most of the people on the platform committee, while Sanders has picked just five. That means she retains the majority, and gets final say over what does and doesn’t end up in the platform. Meanwhile, Sanders merely gets to feel important and save face as he brags to his remaining supporters that he’s going to have impact on the party platform. But the real kicker is the manner in which Sanders has wasted his picks.

The two most prominent names that Bernie Sanders has picked for the party platform committee are Congressman Keith Elision and professional nutjob Cornel West. Ellison is mistaken pick because, while he is a Sanders endorser, he’s spent the past few weeks gradually pivoting toward Hillary Clinton in his television interviews. He’s also the only one of the five Sanders picks with any clue how politics works, meaning that he’ll be the de facto leader of the Sanders faction of the committee, ensuring that he’ll be in position to talk the other four down. Sanders doesn’t appear to realize that he just put Ellison in position to basically do Clinton’s bidding.

Bernie’s decision to put Cornel West on the platform committee ultimately reveals just how clueless he is, even after thirty years in politics, and why he’s never been able to make anything happen. West has spent the past year rather blatantly using the Sanders campaign to promote himself and his own agenda, to the point that he’s become a national punchline and a terrible drag on the campaign that cost him votes in the South. And yet Bernie is still gullible enough to pick West of all people for the committee. West will only use his seat to try to promote himself, as per usual, rather than promoting the Sanders agenda – and he’ll be doing it behind closed doors.

http://www.dailynewsbin.com/opinion/hillary-clinton-smartly-silences-bernie-by-giving-him-meaningless-concession/24874/

[Iamaartist]

16. I read that this morning that but very true thanks for that.....

[lolly]

18. West is consumed with jealousy over not getting an invite to Obama's inauguration

Maybe the only thing he'll add to the platform is a stipulation that he gets a front row seat at all future inaugurations.

[Her Sister]

19. Woah! Yes!

[LiberalFighter]

22. I love that part about Ellison.

I see Sanders being just a footnote in history. And good riddance.

[Cha]

15. cornel west will be a reminder of one of the reasons BS didn't connect with our

African American Voters. sanders is completely tone-deaf.

Only4RM ‎‎@Only4RM
I knew @BernieSanders wasn't for me when he embraced the now-vulgarized SHELL of @CornelWest as surrogate. @Lawrence pic.twitter.com/Hx6WXWtIjW
Only4RM ‎‎@Only4RM
#BernieLostMe when he decided that Obama-bashing in the vilest terms was the #1 criterion to be a VIP Black surrogate for his campaign.
11:49 AM - 18 May 2016
84 84 Retweets 103 103 likes

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1107139577#top

[Iamaartist]

17. Thank-you Cha for those links.......his tone deaf on most things lol...

[jmowreader]

23. No, Bernie. You can have TWO.

And Cornel Fucking West cannot be one of them.

[SharonClark]

24. Sanders wanted to select half the committee members!

Can he be any more arrogant? His next request will be a co-presidency.

[Jitter65]

26. Because it doesn't really mean a damn thing 3 months out from the GE. nt