Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The voters are speaking loud and clear

Last night after a 17 % margin of victory in Wisconsin a landslide win in Hawaii, Barack Obama has won 10 states in a row, 22 total. Hillary has won only 11 and not a single one since Super Tuesday. Not only is Obama winning he is winning by huge numbers and in every demographic group under 60.

It is clear who the democratic voters have chosen to lead our party to victory in November. The only people who seem to be blind to that fact are the Clintons and the so-called Party leaders. It is a travesty that though the voters are speaking in a clear majority the super delegates support Hillary by a significant margin. This proves to me the party elite once again are not in touch with the voters of the party as a whole.

The message to these party elders must be that its time to listen to the rank and file, it is time to join with us or get out of the way. There is a new energy among democrats it will not be stifled by cronyism and paying back favors and back room deals. Committee members and state chair persons can and will be replaced. Elected officials can be challenged in primaries.

The voters are speaking, they will be listened to.

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Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Who should choose our nominee?

For decades now the primary process has been frustrating for Ohio Democrats. Most years the nominee has been decided in other states before we ever got the chance to go to the polls. This year it appears to be different. Or is it?

A long-term active republican told me the other day he did something he thought he would never do. He donated to Hillary’s campaign. Why? Because he said, “We can’t beat Obama” I have already previously written about many high profile republicans donating to her campaign such as Rupert Murdock and Kenneth Star's law firm. Republican leaning newspapers such as the Columbus Dispatch are clearly promoting Hillary for the same reason. Do we want the republican’s manipulating who our nominee is?

Then there is the “super delegate” issue. That despite what the popular vote is, despite how many delegates are chosen by the people. The party bosses still try to maintain control with Super Delegates. They may be in fact who truly chooses our nominee. Do you trust the party bosses to make this decision for us? Have you forgotten what happened the last time we had a new exciting inspirational candidate come on the scene, Paul Hackett? These are the same bosses that forced him out of the race.

The damage that will be caused to the party should they not go by the will of the voters will be catastrophic. All the new energized voters that have such hope and such motivation that have been inspired by Barak Obama will throw up their hands in frustration. There will be no chance of winning the White House without these voters. Once again the Democratic Party will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I urge you to contact each and every super delegate in Ohio. The list follows. I also urge you to vote to make the popular vote numbers so overwhelming that it will be even more difficult for the party bosses to ignore us.

It is time the voting democrats of Ohio choose who our nominee is, not republicans or the big wigs paying back favors behind closed doors.

Super Delegates in Ohio

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown; Gov. Ted Strickland; U.S. Representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Dennis Kucinich, Tim Ryan, Zack Space, Betty Sutton and Marcy Kaptur, Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern; Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin; ex-president of the Ohio AFL-CIO Bill Burga; ex-Darke County party chair Enid Goubeaux, Ohio Teamsters Sonny Nardi; Ron Malone, ex-Ohio Director of AFSCME United; Pat Moss, ex-president of AFSCME Council 8; Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory; and state representatives Charlie Wilson and Joyce Beatty.

note: I find it interesting that long term Mayor of Columbus, Michael Coleman is missing from this list.

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