I saw something tonight that blew my mind. On a snowy (yes, I know it’s “Spring”) night here in Maine, we packed a giant room with Bernie delegates. We weren’t here just for the hell of it either. We were here to plan for the convention coming up in May.
And boy were people ready to get to work!
What stunned me was the sheer number of new faces who showed up, ready to dive into the nitty gritty details of how to be most effective at our state convention. The thing about those of us who have Bernie’s back is that we’re willing to go the extra mile - to do the boring stuff - that changes the course of history.
Yes, I said history. We are at one of those crossroads we all read about in our history books, that moment in time when we decide who we are as a people. Do we allow multinational corporations to take over our country (and so many others), forcing our children and grandchildren into indentured servitude?
Or, do we free ourselves and future generations of the ties that bind? We can choose a life of freedom, equality and fairness, but it requires work.
We are fighting some pretty big tides. A key example regards so-called Super Delegates. I’ve capitalized it because, well, it seems appropriate.
Maine is one of those states where Bernie won in a landslide, and yet where most of our Super Delegate have chosen to support Hillary Clinton for president.
Look, it shouldn’t matter who the candidates are; Super Delegates should cast their votes in proportion to the popular vote. It’s just common sense.
Tonight, at the Bernie meeting, I unveiled a floor amendment I plan to propose to the Maine Democratic Party rules to make the delegate and Super Delegate process in our state more equitable, in proportion to the popular vote. It will require some more word smithing, but we’re on the right track. It will be introduced as part of the State Convention.
The (rather wonky) floor amendment crafts a local solution that shouldn’t conflict with national DNC rules. Big thanks to David Bright for noodling it around and finding the path across the tightrope so we could draft it. It’s a solution that may be able to be replicated at state conventions across the country and I invite you to introduce it as a floor amendment if it works in your state. If the DNC refuses to change (or dare I say eliminate) the Super Delegate system, then it’s incumbent upon us to do it at the state level. The gist is this (summarized):
This rules change provides that persons designated by the Democratic National Committee as Unpledged Party Leaders and Elected Officials (PLEOs) [commonly referred to as super delegates] shall be obligated to cast their first ballot for the Presidential Candidate at the Democratic National Convention to the candidate who received the greatest number of declarations of support at the Maine State Democratic Convention, either in their Congressional District if they are a member of the United States House of Representatives, or statewide if they are other than a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
This rules change also gives unpledged PLEOs an opportunity to resign their position as a Super Delegate and instead run as a pledged PLEO candidate. In that case they are exempt from having to collect signatures to run and meet a deadline, since they have the right to wait until the state convention voting to decide if they want to change.
Additionally, if any Super Delegate chooses to take advantage of this rule, an extra slot will be created on the PLEO ballot of the Presidential Candidate to which the person has pledged. In this manner, the state’s delegation does not lose any members, and those regular party members running as PLEO candidates don’t have to worry about losing a vote to the Super Delegate.
While I was able to collect far more signatures than I needed to get the amendment considered at the Convention, I plan to keep collecting because an idea this important should have broad appeal. People are universally frustrated, and this is a wonky, but effective fix - and I hope it spreads like wildfire getting better with each new iteration.
Tonight, freezing rain and snow didn’t keep Bernie supporters home. On the contrary, we braved the blistering wind to come together for a common good. Who worries about cold weather when you’re Feeling The Bern?!
That’s what’s happening on the ground here in Maine, and I believe it’s what’s happening on the ground all across this country.
We cannot just choose hope, we have to roll up our sleeves and work for it.
P.S. I welcome suggestions in the comments for making this a stronger floor amendment!
