WILLIAM OWEN, a Tennessee-based Democratic National Committee member backing an effort to use so-called superdelegates to select the party’s presidential nominee — potentially subverting the candidate with the most voter support — is a Republican donor and health care lobbyist.
Owen, who runs a lobbying firm called Asset & Equity Corporations, donated to Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., and Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and gave $8,500 to a joint fundraising committee designed to benefit Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky in 2019.
“I am a committed Democrat but as a lobbyist, there are times when I need to have access to both sides and the way to get access quite often is to make campaign contributions,” said Owen, in a brief interview with The Intercept. — theintercept.com/...
Those three paragraphs especially the quote at the end really says it all doesn’t it? As per FEC records Owen has only given to Republican candidates this cycle. He appears to have made no donations to any Democratic presidential candidate.
Millions of ordinary Democrats will vote and caucus to help select a nominee. Activists will pour their hearts out working hundreds of hours organizing primary voters. And the DNC just hands over to this individual the power to wield the equivalent of 100,000 times the value of your vote. He is so secure in his position he is happy to tell journalists he makes campaign contributions to Mitch McConnell to gain access.
This is the system we are dealing with.
Owen was one of the superdelegates interviewed by NY Times this week about a brokered convention. A large number of the superdelegates interviewed said they would work to deny Bernie Sanders the nomination, even if he won more votes and pledged delegates than other candidates.
It’s also worth noting that:
Eliminating superdelegates had been a top priority for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the wake of the 2016 primary. — www.npr.org/...
As that quote makes clear, Senator Sanders’ objective was removing the influence of super delegates entirely. The DNC members (all superdelegates) didn’t want to lose this power, so they fought for a vote and got it, on the second ballot.
In the last cycle over sixty superdelegates were lobbyists. The final list of super delegates hasn’t been published but that number will likely stay the same.
So what should Sanders supporters do? There is only one answer. Work our tails off to win over 2000 pledged delegates, secure the nomination, control the DNC and end this undemocratic Superdelegate charade once and for all.
— @subirgrewal