As you know, I was a candidate for Chair of the 4th District Congressional Committee. That election was decided yesterday at the convention.
I would like to thank my supporters and once again congratulate Bob Donoghue on his victory. Bob conducted himself with true class during this election, and I hope that all of our counties will now unite behind him and the rest of our committee.
I would also like to recognize the conduct of the participants in the caucus election. People treated each other with respect, and the nomination and election processes were open and fair. Our county chairs were allowed to openly discuss their concerns about how the Unity Slate was created. I am proud of this process and would like to now share three ideas on how to further add to the integrity of our district elections.
The process of nominating candidates for a slate should be standardized. There was some confusion as to whether our county chairs would be contacted by the district chair, or whether they were supposed to call the district chair or the representative of UAW Region 1D. Perhaps a nominating committee would be in order. This committee would take on the responsibility for contacting the counties and recruiting candidates. If done properly, this process would bring the development of our slates out into the open and remove barriers to participation.
During the voting process, the representative of UAW Region 1D was moving from caucus to caucus to oversee the voting. This is terribly inappropriate. At best, it introduces the possibility of intimidation of the voters who are union members. At worst, it is an attempt to coerce votes and tamper with the election. I recommend the 4th District Committee prohibit this type of activity during elections. Voters should stay with their own caucus and not be allowed to wander and possibly influence votes in other counties.
Finally, I call for an end to the mean spirited politics that took place during the weeks leading up to the election. I am so proud of the UAW and the Democratic Party, and it was disappointing to see representatives of these organizations conduct themselves in such a manner. My opponent was well known throughout the district and very well qualified to be Chair; he had a huge advantage in this election without the tactics of desperation going on behind his back. The people who embraced these tactics have embarrassed themselves, the UAW, and the Democratic Party.
In the future, I encourage the architects of any slate to embrace their opponents in friendship, out of respect for our shared values. Rather than divide our district and alienate potential assets, they should simply use the 30 day rule to stack the caucus with their supporters.
I cannot emphasize enough that tactics used in this campaign should not reflect poorly on the character of Bob Donoghue, or on his legitimacy as Chair of the committee. Bob does not deserve to be tainted by the bad behavior of a few of those around him.
This election presented the members of the 4th district with a clear choice. One philosophy is to take the fight to Dave Camp ... to campaign non-stop against him even before we have a candidate. The other is to fight on the state level; to win the legislature so that we can redraw the congressional districts. This is what we have been doing, and this is what our district elected to continue to do. I respect this choice, but I am going to point out that the 4th district did not pick up any house or senate seats during the ‘blue wave’ of 2006. At a time when Democrats were winning districts that were only 42% Democratic, the 4th district won nothing. I say this only to point out that although we may be keeping the old philosophy, we still need a new strategy if we’re going to win elections.
In closing I would like to say how proud I am to have participated in an honest and substantive discussion on the future of our district. Those of you who supported me – I cannot thank you enough. Do not lose hope, do not disengage, and never give up the fight for our Democratic values.
Thank you,
Christine Barry
Note: this is cross-posted at christinebarry.com and michiganliberal.com, and has been distributed through a mailing list.