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The charter of the democratic party repeatedly states:
In the Preamble:
Recognizing that the vitality of the Nation's political institutions has been the foun dation of its enduring strength, we ac knowledge that a
political party which wishes to lead must listen to those it would lead, a party which asks for the people's trust must prove that it trusts the people and a party which hopes to call forth the best the Nation can achieve must embody the best of the Nation's heritage and traditions.
What we seek for our Nation, we hope for all people: individual freedom in the framework of a just society, political freedom in the framework of meaningful participation by all citizens. Bound by the United States Constitution, aware that a party must be responsive to be worthy of responsibility, we pledge ourselves to open, honest endeavor and to the conduct of public affairs in a manner worthy of a society of free people.
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In Article One:
The Democratic Party of the United States of Americ a shall:
(Section 4) Establish stand ards and rules o f procedure to affo rd all members of the Demo cratic Party ull, timely and equal opportunities to participate in decisions concerning the selection of candidates, the formulation of policy, and the conduct of other Party affairs, without prejudice on the basis of sex, race, age (if of voting age), color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic identity or physical disability, and further, to promote fair campaign pra ctices and the fair adjudication of dispu tes. Accordingly, the scheduling of Democratic Party affairs at all levels shall consider the presence of any religious minorities of significant numbers of concentration whose level of participation would be affected;
In Article 8:
ARTICLE EIGHT
Full Participation
Section 1. The Democratic Party of the United States shall be open to all who desire to support the Party and who wish to be known as Democrats.
Section 2. Discrimination in the conduct of Democratic Party affairs on the basis of sex, race, age (if of voting age), color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, ethnic identity or physical disability is prohibited, to the end that the Democratic Party at all levels be an open party.
In Article 9:
Section 12. All meetings of the Democratic National Committee, the Executive Committee, and all other official Party committees, commissions and bodies shall be open to the public, and votes shall not be taken by secret ballot.
These are but a few of the principles I see being violated in the promotion of insider players in what has clearly become an insider game for the DLC and various voting interests of the DNC. Yet the charter clearly shows that the will of we Democrats who have propped up this party with our votes, and our financial and public support should me respected. I challenge you to ask any sampling of democrats among the voting public who they would support for DNC and which direction the party will need to go. They will almost universally tell you that Dean is the only practical choice for the DNC chair. His movement and the continued support of those he mobilized funded our record fundraising for the presidential campaign. From the support of activist Democrats like myself, this party has full coffers with which to fight an ongoing battle of opposition to an increasingly dogmatic majority. It is fro supporters like us that you continue to draw strength and ideological resources. Ignore us at the party's peril. Our patience has worn quite thin. I am loyal to the Democratic party, and daily partake in the act of cat-herding to maintain support from others like me who are feeling more every day that this party has used them as a giant ATM. What can we earn for our volunteer hours? What can we earn for our tireless fighting and selfless donations? Yet our voice is seldom echoed any longer in the halls of rhetoric where party position and direction are drafted. As Jessie Jackson Jr. said "The house is now built on a shifting foundation of Sand. We need to shore it up." So true of our democracy, and yet truer still of our party.
I demand my rights as a Democrat to address you at the winter meeting prior to your open and public vote on the chair of the DNC. Myself and the millions like me will be watching to see if you do indeed reflect the will of the average Democrats in defining the future and direction of this party and thereby the nation itself. I demand that you go to the neighborhoods that support you the most, locate the pillars of the party, those stalwart individuals who have so long forgone their fight and let the boat be still that you may row it. Find them, and ask them who THEY want for a chair person. Show them the lit of names, ask them about he directions we can go in, and see what they will tell you. I beg you, please listen to we little people who have put you where you are. We little people make the world go round, and democracy (and those in it's employ) exist to serve us who have so little individual power. You are the manifestation of our collective wills. Will you make divergent, split, personalities of our collective voice? I hope instead that you will bring us together. Heal us. Give us the leadership we have long demanded and put us on the path for a sweeping victory in 06 throughout the national and state offices.
I beg you in the name of millions like me, the hard core, in the trenches, front-line democrats. We battle on the field of ideals every day. We know what we need for support.
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