3rd District (WA) Democratic Nominating Convention - Napavine

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3rd District (WA) Democratic Nominating Convention - Napavine

Submitted by theunabonger on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 9:13pm.

Washington 3rd Congressional District Nominating Convention - Napavine, WA

Chaired by State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz

Speaking for Brian Baird: Paul Berendt

Cheryl Crist, Speaking for herself.

theunabonger's blog
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so what was the result?

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 9:25pm.

Can't play the video, baby sleeping beside me on the couch.

results? They kicked us out . . . .

Submitted by theunabonger on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 9:54pm.

I don't know the results, as they kicked us out, and although people said that they were told they were going to take them back to count them, they did in fact get two supporters from each side to help tally the vote. After the tally started, Dwight told the PCOs to leave (I've got more video I'm processing) so the tally committee could count the votes. I wish I could have stayed, but now I'm also frantically searching for some indication of the results. . . .

Cosmo

results

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Sat, 05/17/2008 - 10:25pm.

From what I'm told, the results were 59 Baird, 24 Crist. Not an uprising, but hardly a blow-out.

weighted count

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 10:59pm.

as I heard it was 114 to 422, or thereabouts.

Good work, Cheryl

Submitted by Mike on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 7:51am.

I think BB's militarism is not political, he believes in it. So when we have war criminals in charge in DC, BB's weaknesses as my representative are all too apparent to me.

Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, a dose of real world Politic

Submitted by Laurian on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 3:47pm.

Let's say in January 20th 2009 in his first move Barak Obama orders his Generals to withdraw from Iraq ASAP. Non-partisan groups have pegged that process will take six months at minimum.

In addition the huge logistical task there is the political element. The current coalition government will in all likelihood collapse leaving Sunni, Shiite and Al Queda militias free to inflict some payback. Who will they hit? Unarmed or lightly armed people. People who are trying to go to school., People trying to get the electrical grid up. People trying to build sewage waste plants. People trying to build democratic structures. Even people trying to worship.

Staying Iraq pursuing the Neo-con wet dreams of this criminal administration is immoral but the fact is we will soon have a Democrat in the White house who will pursue different policies. Not reported are the non-violent activists struggling to find solutions to the chaos a Neocon America unleashed in Iraq. Judging Brian's commitment to groups seeking a Third Way in light of the current nightmare is mis-guided.

Like Vietnam, or more accurately, like Cambodia, this nation broke Iraq. We cannot simply walk away. We have a moral obligation to prevent the slaughter of Iraqis brave or stupid enough to defy fanatics from all sides.

I've heard all the arguments for an immediate withdrawal and they are good as far as they go. Lacking is any discussion of what a post-US Iraq will look like in both the short and long term. It's time to think outside the Box. Anyone care to talk about that?

I agree with you,

Submitted by Rob Richards on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 5:30pm.

but maybe not completely.

Can we be absolutely certain that the violence would continue at the same level after we're gone? I just don't see us as peace keepers there so much as instigators. A Christian nation's occupation of a Muslim country is the reality of the situation in my opinion, and I think much violence would stop if we got out. We forget too soon that before the west started intervening in their lives and politics (or, when we discovered how much oil was in the region), people in the Middle East co-existed, not completely peacefully, but at least a lot better than after we redrew borders.

It's still an important conversation to have...

Submitted by Guglielmo on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 6:01pm.

and Baird is willing. The thing we need to fix immediately is our unilateralism. What does the rest of the world think about an immediate pull-out? Is there a way to internationalize the respectable goal of keeping the peace and coordinate that effort with our withdrawl? Since the end of the cold war, the UN's international peacekeeping efforts have gone hand-in-hand with a decline in the number and scale of conflicts throughout the world. It is possible...perhaps not in Iraq...but I'd like to see that conversation take place rather than watch once again as the US simply does what it wants, when it wants to do it. I agree though. Ultimately, we need to leave them alone.

And now for some 3rd District Real Politic

Submitted by Laurian on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 4:03pm.

The 3rd Congressional district comprises Raymond, Vancouver, Centralia, Winlock, Napavine, Hazel Dell, Oakville etc, and the Soviet of Olympia.

A half million votes get cast in the 3rd and at best 40,000 of them come from Greater Olympia. Should Ms. Christ be the Democratic nominee she would have her head handed to her on a platter and whatever Republican troll that would win would make Brian seem like Ghandi.

It's wonderful to sit on one's principles and decry Brian for not being left enough but in the trenches of democracy such purity is self-defeating. I know, I know is not fair or moral or whatever but it's the reality we have to work with. So how do we change this unpleasant reality?

Don't forget Chehalis!

Submitted by Mike on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 4:14pm.

I believe you are correct in your analysis of SW Wash real politiks. That is why I will show up at parades for BB if his campaign calls as they have in the past.

I like the guy and most of his political ideas are as good as I am going to it in terms of representation.

Cheryl would be great. She would be a surprise like Patty Murray was in her first senatorial victory.

Damn this War!

Submitted by Laurian on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 6:50pm.

We are not a Christian nation. We are a secular nation with a small minority of loud mouthed, ignorant Christians. (and ignorant,loud mouthed Jews, Muslims and pagans, etc...) Muslims have done a great job of killing each other over ideological schism. The West just gave one side and then another better weapons with which to do it.

Right now the US is the 800 lb gorilla in the middle of a civil war. For every American killed or wounded a hundred Iraqis suffer the same fate. W/o US presence the death toll of innocent dead Iraqis surely will climb. Brian knows this. Brian knows Iraqis who will die. Brian also knows our involvement cannot be open-ended.

There are no good solutions to this abomination, only ones of varying degrees of immorality.

The trap to avoid is thinking of the past as prologue.

well,

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 9:50am.

This is a conversation for another thread, for sure, but I challenge the notion that we are not a Christian nation. You may be correct that on paper we are secular, but there is a weak and ever crumbling wall between church and state. How many non-Christian politicians are in elected office? How great a chance would an atheist have, for instance, if running for office, especially national office or governorships?

Seeking a Just Peace, or a Piece?

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 9:45pm.

I challenge Brian Baird's commitment to peace.

He should know better than to support the surge. The war is illegal. The invasion was illegal. The ongoing occupation is illegal.

The right thing to do is impeach.

Without support for impeachment, Brian Baird's supposed concern for the welfare of the people of Iraq is nonsense.

bert

Sorry Rob

Submitted by Guglielmo on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 10:20pm.

But I think concern for the people of Iraq can be quite independent of any desire for impeachment. Six months from now, impeachment will be irrelevant...perhaps even nonsense, but the dire circumstances of those living in Iraq will remain the same. Eventually, Bush will be gone. What then?

Military Occupation is Cause of Problem

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 10:50pm.

The occupation itself, I argue, is the fundamental root cause of the problem.

The occupation hinders the development of humanitarian aid.

Iraq is a country where roughly 50% of the civilian population is without adequate access to potable water. A great many people are very sick as a result. This is a failure of the occupation (and it's a facet of the occupation that is subject to criminal prosecution.)

Can you imagine what it would be like in the USA if 50% of the population was w/o adequate access to potable water?

Impeachment is important because it says that the criminal waging of a war of aggression is unacceptable.

What is to stop the next president, whomever that may be, from doing the same or similar thing, launching a military strike, hmmmm against Iran maybe?, supposing that that country posed a "threat" to national security (or even to the supposed national interest.)

It is illegal to attack without first being attacked. The evidence that Iraq was threatening an attack was fraudulent.

Those who purported to prevent a supposed threat from Iraq were lying. They must be held accountable.

The war is not about national interests or national security.

The war is about greed. Specifically the greed of the largest and most powerful multi-national corporations and their associated interests: and the desire for global dominance.

more information here:

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 10:51pm.

See here: KUOW Weekday Questions about Iraq

Not the nominating convention

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Sun, 05/18/2008 - 11:01pm.

But here's a view of the general convention where delegates were discussing the platform. This was prior to breaking up for the afternoon to vote on delegates to go to the national convention. (as I understand it.)

Nat'l delegates

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 6:22am.

State delegates are chosen at county conventions, national delegates are chosen at the state convention and congressional district caucus.

thanks for the correction!

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 2:15pm.

I'm learning.

Report from Cheryl

Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 12:29am.

Maybe I should make a separate post for this, but I received this message from Cheryl in regard to the 3rd Congressional District events on Saturday:

Here's a report on the nominating convention for the 3rd CD Democrats:
It was handled fairly professionally. Some of the speakers who were asked to say a few words of welcome were wearing Baird stickers on their chests and one of them was Paul Barendt, who later did the speech for Brian. So, that appeared to have been an advantage to Brian. Brian wasn't there...he's in the Middle East again.
Dwight led the meeting and it went smoothly. We were allowed to have two observers watch the ballot counting. One was Robert Martindale and he said sometimes things went too fast for him to really see what was happening. But in general, it looked like a fair process.
Many PCO's that I thought would be there for me stayed away or didn't find their way to the right room. The nominating convention was not held in the gymnasium as was indicated on the postcard that some PCO's received. I did not receive one (I have been a PCO since January) and neither did Chris Sterns and other progressives. I know nothing about how it was determined who would be invited by postcard.
Here is the result we were given: PCO's who voted: 83. Votes for Baird: 59 Votes for Crist: 24 The weighted total was 422 to 115.
I feel pretty good about it. It means that 29% of voting PCO's chose me after just four months of campaigning.
The process is flawed in that no mail vote was allowed or e-mail vote. To have to travel there from Skamania County or Pacific and Wahkiakum Counties was a hardship for some PCO's especially those who are older or frail. I would suggest a notarized ballot by mail be used in the future, if we do this again.
I feel like we are learning a lot. That was good practice for me at speaking in front of a crowd, even though it wasn't the big 3rd CD crowd...it was just the PCO's who knew to go to the library. During that half hour I don't know what was going on in the gymnasium where the 3rd CD delegates were meeting.
It's okay with me for you to share this report with anyone who is interested. Thank you for all you do!
Peace and friendship,
Cheryl

This letter speaks volumes to why Ms. Christ

Submitted by Laurian on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 6:47am.

is not a viable candidate.

Ms. Christ failed electorial politics 101. She was unable to get her people out. In an election with a total of 83 vote she lost two to one. Not only that, she lost the weighted vote five to one. The weighting of the vote reflects the turn-out the PCO had at their February 9th caucus. The total eligible voting population of PCO's in the 3rd CD is roughly 2000, a quite manageable number in terms of a CD election, and yet only 24 or 1.2 % came out to support her. With a modest organizing effort in just Olympia on just her anti-war position she might have been able to swing the vote her way. But that didn't happen.

Those are the numbers. If she had thanked her supporters, promised to move forward and campaign on her differences with Brian, I would have held my tongue. What makes Ms. Christ such a lousy candidate is her impolitic veiled attacks on the process and the Democratic party of which she is a voting member. While saying the process was fair and professional Ms. Christ hints that the results would have been different if there was not an insider bias, if not outright manipulation of the convention, by Baird supporters. She can't have it both ways.

Ms. Christ speculates turn-out by her supporters was suppressed by travel and voting requirements without offering any evidence. As to the library vs gymnasium; come on now. It's a high school in Napavine. A single question would have cleared up any confusion.

Ms. Christ mentioned a few participants wore Brian buttons. Is Ms. Christ asserting a campaign button is powerful enough to cost her votes? Not quite but she goes on to cast aspersions over the fairness of the vote count say one of her two vote count reps said (the definition of hearsay) "sometimes things went too fast for him to really see what was happening." But shying away from any claim of fraud she adds "But in general, it looked like a fair process."

All in all her letter reads like sour grapes. It will do nothing to bolster her support among rank and file Dem organizers like myself, (PCO Oly204) and I suspect will cost her. Her letter erased what grudging admiration I had for her and her principled but inviable anti-war position.

Play the ball Ms. Christ , not the players.

Are you on Baird's payroll Laurian?

Submitted by Rob Richards on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 9:45am.

Because if not, you should be, this thread alone could get you hired. I thought I was watching Face The Nation. Pivot, and stay on message, and one and two and three... :)

Nope, not currently

Submitted by Laurian on Mon, 05/19/2008 - 4:43pm.

but I was back 1996 when we lost to the Wicked Witch of Hazel Dell aka Linda Smith by 996 votes And thanks for the props! Can I use you as a reference? :)