A report of the SDEC meeting in Austin this past weekend

[PDittie]

The full report posted at my place, but I'll excerpt some:

No business of consequence was conducted publicly in Austin Saturday. No big surprise.

The good news is that Lloyd CRISS got a precedent-breaking resolution past the Palace Guard. It is not an silly plea but a directive from the SDEC to its staff to mount a statewide GOTV campaign. That is not what the DLC/DCCC want. It is what they should have done in 2006. But it is also a precedent in demonstrating both the power and responsibility of the SDEC.

Otherwise, underneath the time-wasting and empty ritual, the Praetorians killed everything and began hinting at a new quest to kill off various “caucuses” that threaten professional control of the party. An exciting new concept was unveiled: not adopting, amending, ignoring or enforcing rules -- not even the usual ignorance, especially of Robert’s Rules -- now Rules Committee First Spear Centurion Bill Brannon has introduced the concept of “trumping” the rules with a mish-mash of parliamentary malarkey. This is less the usual mumbo jumbo than outright humiliation and intimidation of SDEC members.

The matter of applying for recognition by and membership on an Advisory Committee established by party rules will be difficult to conclude inasmuch as there appears to be a regular and an ad hoc committee each with the same name and “trumping” the rules. That is absurd, but what is new about that?

More:

To revisit the complaint, while party insiders claim to be “winning elections”, they actually minimized party performance in the 2006 Blue Wave -- essentially opting out of the DNC fifty-state strategy and adhering strictly to the DLC/DCCC “targeted campaign” effort. The TDP set new $/vote consultant-subsidy records and delivered two new “Bush Dogs” (Nick Lampson and Ciro Rodriguez) committed to prolonging the war in Iraq and extending it to Iran.

The TDP is also collaborating with TEAM implementation. That is the only tool we have for turning out new and unlikely voters. But that is not what consultants do: they are only interested in commissions from “likely voter” media and the Voter Activation Network is the only tool they have. It substitutes for direct TEAM access. So the TDP – solidly aligned behind the DLC/DCCC and governed by a remarkably unsuccessful gaggle of pimp-consultants -- has helped to reverse the “New Direction” promised by Nancy PELOSI and articulated spectacularly by Jim WEBB.

Thanks to a state party establishment rented out to the Texas Trust, Rahm EMANUEL is effectively Speaker of the House and Joe LIEBERMAN is actually the Senate Majority Leader. Matt ANGLE is effectively State Chair(man) and Martin FROST is Cardinal-Protector of the PACs. Super-rich donors -- out of state or, in the case of property-managers and concession-tenders, foreign -- have now created a Congressional majority that mimics the SDEC: it is less popular than even George W. BUSH and a drag on all Democratic campaigns. But the TDP is going all out (a) to maintain that death grip on this party and (b) to tie up and deliver a delegation of mind hostages -- drones, if you prefer -- to the national convention.

In 2008 the party elite are, again, protecting Craddick Democrats, leaving key GOP seats uncontested and remaining indifferent to, if not scared of, the populist uprising evident all across the country. They are using “McGovern Rules” (hard quotas) and sheer deception -- “rulesmanship” -- to hide control of the party by a handful of white male lawyers operating behind a velvet curtain of “inclusiveness”.

The simple fact of the matter is that both the Democratic and GOP party establishments would rather lose elections than lose control of their respective parties.

And there's more, including the action plan for fixing all this. Care to join us?

[NoPasaran]

1. To quote from your post

Sad as that is, parties are very lightweight institutions. All the Presidential candidates are talking change -- the easiest change of all being the discarding of a state party establishment of sycophants, toads, and fools. Actually, it is a good thing to be on the fringe of a party so badly run as ours in this state.

Of course in 2006 we found that overthrowing the sycophants, toads, and fools was harder than it looked. Hopefully in 2008 the PPC leaders will not recommend the re-election of Chairman Nabisco if there is a viable grassroots candidate.

[PDittie]

3. Rest assured

those whom you describe feel more betrayed than anyone else.

[WolverineDG]

2. Would it help to go to the State convention as an "Uncommitted Delegate?"

Is that even possible?

Is it possible that we could have a brokered state convention or do I need to put the crack pipe down?

I'm sick of the DLC & state party leadership telling us we can't win.


dg

[PDittie]

4. Anything's possible at this moment

I feel slightly more confident that we might be brokering in Denver, but that depends on a lot of things still to be determined -- no clear winner between Clinton and Obama into the summer, Edwards staying in all the way (and arriving with 15-20% of delegates), whatever Kucinich does...

The first step in Austin is to elect a new convention chair. Mr. Slagle is likely no longer up to the job, having suffered a severe heart attack last year. So there will be an establishment candidate -- Slagle or someone else -- and a "rebel" one. Depending on how that goes, events unfold in one of two vastly different directions: change or status quo, generally speaking.

[WolverineDG]

5. Did you see how few delegates are coming from the SDs?

Jeepers! We sent at least 7 last time; this time, only 4 plus 1 alternate. I think they're saving all the superdelegates for whoever the anointed one is.

dg

[NoPasaran]

6. I think part of what you're seeing there

Is the result of a lower turnout in South Texas for Chris Bell versus Tony Sanchez, since that has a bearing on the allocation of delegates. My SD is up to 6 this go round from 4 in 2004.

[NoPasaran]

7. For the life of me I cannot understand the fascination with a brokered convention

The idea that the Boyd Richies and Matt Angles of every state will wheel and deal with the beltway crowd and produce a candidate who will draw grassroots hosannas seems as fantastic to me as the cargo cults of the South Seas.

[Vincardog]

8. OK PD how and when do you want to take over? We are about to miss the tidal wave of anti GOP voting

[PDittie]

10. I'll PM ya, Vince

[Melissa G]

11. Me too, please. n/t

[johncoby2]

9. I dont know about you guys, but we don't have time for bickering.

We are trying to maximize the vote in the primary, find new democrats, encourage participation in the senate convention, find more volunteers.

We are block walking each weekend. Phone banking when we can.

We are pretty damn busy.