The Washington State Democratic Central Committee (state committeemen and committeewomen from the 39 counties and 49 legislative districts in Washington State) meet next weekend in Lynnwood, WA for a routine state central committee quarterly meeting.
Except this one isn’t routine. Four DNC Members will be elected at this meeting to represent Washington as voting members of the DNC for four-year terms, starting after the Convention in July in Philadelphia.
Each state chooses its elected DNC Members in a similar process. The DNC Bylaws simply say that it must be done following each state party’s rules in the year of the Convention (2016). In Washington State, that’s at the end of January at a meeting of the state central committee.
Two men and two women are elected to represent Washington for the next four year cycle of the DNC. Our two male DNC Members are seeking re-election. They are strong Democrats who have served the state party well. One of the two female DNC Members is stepping down, so there’s an open seat. The other female DNC Member is seeking re-election.
As a legislative district chair, I can only vote if I hold a proxy from my legislative district committeeman or committeewoman (assuming that they can’t make the state central committee meeting). I’ve been given a proxy, so I’ll be a voting member next weekend.
I received copies of the campaign emails sent out through the state party by the incumbents and candidates for office and I was struck by the fact that none of them have mentioned the governance issue that has irritated many Democrats over the last several months. You may know the governance issue by the name “impartiality” or the “poor scheduling of debates” or the “not enough debates” issue that many diaries or stories here have been written about.
I call it a “governance” issue because that’s what it really is. There’s no apparent mechanism to enforce the existing rules in the DNC Charter about impartiality.
After hearing complaint after complaint from local Democrats about the DNC, I decided to do something about it. So this morning, I announced my candidacy for DNC Member from Washington State. Here’s my announcement email (redacted to take out the names of two existing DNC Members):
Dear State Central Committee Members,
As the relatively new Chair of the 3rd Legislative District Democrats (Spokane), I have worked on what LD chairs are supposed to do --- build the Party in my legislative district, register voters and improve voter turnout of Democrats in elections. I’ve been happy with the progress that has been made in the 3rd LD since my election.
However, the current leadership of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has made that job more difficult in the last several months. The Democratic presidential debates were (and are) scheduled on days when it’s difficult to host debate watch parties in our county or legislative district; there aren’t anywhere near the number of presidential debates as the opposition party is holding, which diminishes the ability of our Party to promote our candidates to the public; and the DNC Charter requirement of impartiality by the DNC and/or its National Chairperson doesn’t appear to be observed. Democrats in my legislative district and county are very unhappy with the DNC at this point in time.
I hold the utmost respect for [Member Name] and [Member Name] --- the incumbent male DNC Members representing our state. My complaint is with the DNC itself. Change can only occur from within the DNC. At our meeting in Lynnwood, the process of causing change over the next four years begins.
I am running for DNC Member to talk at our meeting in Lynnwood about issues important to our party and how the DNC is perceived by our fellow Democrats and the general public:
- The DNC Charter (Article Five, Section 4) says that the National Chairperson shall serve full time. How can anyone be elected to that position if they have a full time job elsewhere?
- The DNC Charter (Article Five, Section 4) says that the National Chairperson shall exercise impartiality and evenhandedness as between the Presidential candidates and campaigns. Do any of us believe this to be currently true?
- The DNC Charter (Article Five, Section 4) says that the National Chairperson shall be responsible that the national officers and staff of the DNC maintain impartiality and evenhandedness during the Democratic Party Presidential nominating process. A June 2015 article on Politico.com indicated that a DNC officer, the National Finance Committee Chair, was actively involved in the raising of campaign funds for one of the presidential candidates. That person is still listed as a DNC officer on the Party website.
- The DNC Charter (Article Three, Section 1) says that the DNC shall have the general responsibility for the affairs of the Democratic Party between National Conventions. The DNC Charter (Article Four, Section 1) also indicates that the Executive Committee of the DNC is responsible for the conduct of the affairs of the Democratic Party subject to the Charter. The DNC Charter (Article Five, Section 1) says that the National Chairperson of the Party shall carry out the programs and the policies of the National Convention and the Democratic National Committee. The DNC Bylaws (Article Two, Section 12) indicate that the Chairperson’s authority comes from that which is delegated to him or her by the DNC and the DNC Executive Committee. Notwithstanding what the Charter and Bylaws say, it is widely believed by Democrats in Spokane and elsewhere that the current National Chairperson controls the DNC and operates according to her own agenda instead of following the programs and policies of the DNC and the Executive Committee. Either there has been a poor delegation of authority which has harmed the Party, or control has been exercised without the authority to do so.
- The DNC Bylaws list a number of standing committees, none of which involve the subject matter of “Ethics” or “Governance.” If the DNC is to enforce its rules effectively, a new standing committee on Ethics and Governance is needed to be the arbiter of whether the DNC’s rules are being followed. That committee must have enforcement power. The status quo is unacceptable.
I appreciate the opportunity to raise these issues at our meeting in Lynnwood.
If you share my concerns, I ask for your support in my call for the DNC Members elected at our meeting in Lynnwood to promote vastly improved governance of the Party at the national level.
I am concerned that to date none of the candidates for DNC Member (male or female, incumbents or candidates) have talked about these issues in their communications to you. Change at the DNC is needed, and it starts with you in your election of DNC Members.
I am willing to serve as DNC Member if it is necessary.
Democratically yours,
If our DNC Member candidates aren’t going to talk about issues that are importance to Democrats, then those issues need to be taken to them.
I’m hopeful that the other candidates will “take the pledge” on the governance issue. If not, I’m willing to serve as DNC Member if elected by my state central committee.
You, too, can influence the selection of DNC Members from your state or jurisdiction. Do a bit of homework to find out when your party organization is electing its representatives to the DNC for the next four years, and try to influence the process.
