Let’s move mountains
You Have the Power, I don’t have to tell you who coined that phrase. Although Howard adopted that phrase as a campaign slogan, the idea originated with Paul Wellstone ( you remember- the senator from Minnesota that the Republicans put a hit out on.) And now, I am here to suggest another way that you can exercise the power, become a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
We like to complain about the Repugs, and they sure have had their share of slimey ones lately, (also check here and here) but now here’s a chance to become involved in a major way to thwart their evil power:
If you want to be a delegate, your first step should be to contact your state party to determine what their process is. For information on running for a delegate position, an individual should call or write his or her respective State Democratic Party Headquarters and request a copy of the Delegate Selection Plan (or summary) and filing forms. These documents provide the information candidates need to know in order to run for delegate positions. All states require delegate candidates to file a “declaration of candidacy” in order to run. The deadline for this declaration varies among the states but is specified in each state’s plan. In some cases, the declaration must be accompanied with signatures of registered Democratic voters from that area. All filing requirements must be precisely followed.
2008 is not that far off. It’s time to start thinking about all the ways that we, as progressive individuals, can make a difference and guarantee a transfer of power away from the dark side in November.
Karl-the-Hut has been banished to the Netherworld(Texas). The rest of the Slime-ball Coalition can’t be far behind. We can make this happen. We Have the Power.
hey thanks for the nod of approval
May the farce stay with them…I love the way little Turdblossom has been attacking Clinton as of late. She must be the winner!
Totally. You know you’re on the right track when Rove attacks you.
Running for national convention delegate is a good idea. I understand in Pennsylvania you have to run in support of a candidate, and you win if your candidate wins.
Chris Bowers at Open Left (previously MyDD) won a state committee seat, so there’s a precedent.
But I think I’ll stick with poll watching and writing letters to the editor for now.
Which are great ways to be involved. Every little step we can take………..
Do we have to attach ourselves to a specific candidate in NYS?
There are two delegate tracks in NY. There are some that are selected through the state committee which technically don’t have to be attached to a specific candidate. (However, given that this is NY, don’t you think they will make sure those delegates support one particular candidate? The whole state party seems to be given over to HRC.) The other way is to be attached to a candidate and go out and collect petition signatures. The process is described in a section of the state party website, and it seems that the hoops will be easier to jump through this cycle than last (for example, the signature total required per Congressional District is now only 500). Still, it’s a long shot. To have any chance of going, your candidate has to get at least 15% of the primary vote in your CD. Then the delegates are parceled out in proportion to the vote totals. If your candidate just barely met the 15% threshold while others did better, only the top vote winning delegate for that candidate in the primary would become a delegate. Each CD gets 5 and an alternate, and they have to be evenly divided by gender.
Thanks so much, very helpful information.
I know this thread isn’t so much about particular candidates, but that Dean photo makes me wistful and nostalgic… So I’m sharing what a friend and I are doing: we are going to go out and collect signatures for Al Gore and hope it all works out. There’s no campaign for us to get permission from, but given the timing of petition gathering (the window starts the last week of October and goes until the first week of December — I think — I’m sure I have the beginning right), this is what we have to do. If Gore does declare, it’s going to be important to hit the ground running, because time will be very short. People who are hoping/wishing for a Gore campaign should be getting ready, just in case.
Oh my God!, thank you, what a great idea. If you could get more information on that for us, that would be wonderful. Here’s for holding out for a hero!!!
Well, it’s basically what I described above. The problem is, there is no Gore campaign to authorize us, so — unless things change in the very near future — people have to go out and get qualified petitions and hope Gore ends up approving them at the end of the process. There are so few spots that it’s a very, very long shot, but Gore will need this kind of grassroots effort, if he is to make any headway against the NY Dem. machine. It’s all laid out pretty clearly on the state party website. It would make sense for people to decide among themselves who to put up for delegates in each CD, so that they aren’t working at cross-purposes. To have a slate of 5 delegates and 1 alternate, divided correctly by gender (my CD has 3 male and 2 female, with a female alternate, this cycle), and just be getting petition signatures for those folks, is the smart way to do it. To have a bunch of free agents all out for themselves isn’t a good plan. If anyone wants me to contact them about the 26th CD, let me know.