WTF is going on in Dallas?

[NoPasaran]

CONCERNED DEMOCRATS OF DALLAS COUNTY

February 26, 2005

Dear Fellow Democrat:

By now you have no doubt received a letter from Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Susan Hays about the County Executive meeting called for 6:30 p.m. Monday at the CWA Hall. We write in response.

The County Executive Committee (made up of you, your fellow precinct chairs, our county chair and secretary) is by law the governing body of the Dallas County Democratic Party. In other words, the Party is our responsibility–not only morally but legally.

The Chair takes the position that the petition calling the meeting was unnecessary. She further implies that the meeting was improperly called. Neither is correct. Despite an intervening presidential election, the executive committee has not met since early May 2004. When we met at that time, the meeting almost turned to chaos. No meetings were called after that date to coordinate the efforts of the precinct chairs for purposes of general election victory, even though Party rules charge us with the task of planning and coordinating the general election campaign, fundraising, and producing materials and coordinating services for the benefit of local campaigns. No meetings of the committee have been called by the chair since the general election. In truth, many of you, as well as Democratic organizations and other party leaders, have repeatedly requested the chair to call an executive committee meeting for the purpose of planning strategy, re-invigorating basic party political programs, fundraising efforts and traditional party events that have withered, and mobilizing our precincts to work on behalf of our Party and our candidates. Those calls have been ignored.


As a result, more than 60 percent of you–substantially more than the required number–took the option specifically provided for by Democratic Party Rules: to call a meeting by a petition process. More than 210 of you have signed that petition and many more sought to sign but were unable to because of time limits. Thus, to imply that this meeting has been called by a handful of disgruntled people is at the least misleading. At the very least, it is an unjustified indictment of the vast majority of the committee.



more at http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/003372.html#more

I've heard various uncomplimentary things about the Dallas Party before, but this makes it sound like it's practically torches and pitchforks time. Can any of the Dallas area DUers clear things up (or throw more fuel on the fire}?

[tx_dem41]

1. I have no idea what this is about. Crispini? Any ideas? ....

[Frances]

2. Sounds like the chair is a DINO

A friend visited a politician in Alabama who says he runs as a Democrat because that's the only way he can get elected in his Dem area, but the politician confided that he is really a Republican.

[Warpy]

3. My first thought was DLC/DINO

and trying desperately to hold onto power in the face of grassroots opposition from DFA and others.

Expect to see this stuff all over the country as we begin to take the party back from the hacks who have lost elections for far too many years.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. We saw it here in Cali, during the party elections

it was down right funny...

[crispini]

5. God DAMNIT. I didn't want that to get out.

(Shakes fist at Burnt Orange Report.)

Yeah, we're having a little, AHEM, internal disagreement.

I refuse to speak ill of any Democrat in public. And that includes this matter. Get me at the bar after a drink or two and it's only us Dems and I'll tell you a thing or two. :evilgrin:

I enjoy a good circular firing squad as much as the next person but I will not perpetuate them in public. And IMO, this is "public" for the simple reason that we don't know who's lurking.

But let me add, as a member of DFA, that this has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with Dean and the Deaniacs. Dallas DFA has refused to take a position on this issue.

[NoPasaran]

8. Sorry I spilled the beans

I's all the fault of that Burnt Orange Report! Damn bloggers!

Glad to hear it's not a DFA related deal.

[crispini]

10. Eh, wasn't you, was Burnt Orange Report.

Everybody and their dog reads them, it's all over the place now. Hi ho, I guess I'll bring a bag of marshmallows and sticks tomorrow. ;)

Am I awful for really enjoying this stuff? It's better than a Latin soap opera. I'm a baaaaaaad person. :evilgrin:

[sickinohio]

6. I say the we the people that are the "true" Dems

need to get rid of chairs like this and take our party back!! A new beginning, especially now that Howard Dean is in!! I have hope now for the Democratic Party and am looking forward to many good changes being made in the near future!!

[brainshrub]

7. This March, the Progressive Dems will be taking over the party.

I'm from NC, not Texas... but I'll venture a guess.

March 1st is when most of the Precinct-chairs get elected. The Democrats currently in charge are waking up to the fact that within a few weeks the Progressives will be in charge of most of the basic functions of the party.

Many Democrats thought Dean wouldn't be able to implement needed reforms because, up until now, most Progressive activists were content to only volunteer for campaigns. The sell-outs didn't count on the Liberals to actually *gasp* GET INVOLVED WHEN DEAN ASKED THEM TO!

Progressive Dems are signing up in droves to take over the party apparatus itself. Within the next two weeks a silent power-shift will give Dean the political muscle to start taking back the country from the corporate whores.


ON EDIT: Self edited because I accidentally broke Reagan's revised 11th commandment: "Thou shall never speak ill of a fellow Democrat outside of primary season."

[NoPasaran]

9. Actually, our precinct chairs get elected in March of even-nuimbered years

So whatever is going on in Big D, that isn't it.

[brainshrub]

11. Stop interrupting my optimism with facts.

Spoil-sport. :P I didn't know that.

NC precinct chairs get elected starting March 1st and run until March 8th.

[Ian David]

12. Damn. If I didn't know better, I'd say Susan Hays was a saboteur eom

[crispini]

13. Some people

have been wondering....

[CoolOnion]

14. If anyone stayed to the end of the meeting...

...tell us how it came out. I left in disgust at 8:45 when it was finally determined there was no quorum to elect Precinct Chairs (which is why I went, to get sworn in).

I'm seriously thinking about withdrawing my application to be Precinct Chair--if I want to sit through a bunch of pointless BS, I can stay home and watch TV!

[crispini]

16. Oh, please don't withdraw your application.

It'll get shaken out soon enough.

I'll update ya'll with the play by play asap.

Just think of it as "more entertaining than Fear Factor." :evilgrin:

[derby378]

15. She endorsed a Repug judge on Dem stationery

She has apologized for using the stationery, but not for choosing a Red over a Democrat.

I have no idea how the meeting went; I had other family-related priorities. Susan Hays, however, reaches me as being slightly less of a catalyst than, say, neon.

[BrightKnight]

17. neon, argon, and allgone

"...Less of a catalyst than, say neon."

I worked for a company once that had a 3-phase program to reduce its workforce. The project code names progressed from "neon" to "argon" (are gone) and ended with "allgone".

A person that is not doing the job should be replaced. This is not about what wing of the party they represent. We need effective and reliable people running the party.

[NoPasaran]

18. Two competing reports here

Shame and Disgust in Dallas County
I must respectfully disagree with the assessments of tonight's Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee meeting provided by 100 Monkeys Typing and by Vince. I am saddened and I regret that I must write this post, because I often shy away from intraparty conflict – especially such conflict that will inevitably bring our party bad press. For example, I considered writing a post last June regarding some very unfortunate proceedings in the 23rd Senatorial District Caucus at the State Democratic Convention in Houston, but I decided against writing such a post. Whatever benefits attained by exposing the activities of that caucus were likely to be outweighed by the bad press such publicity would provide in the middle of a heated election season.

Today, however, I feel that it is my obligation as a witness to the events of the evening to explain my view of the Dallas County Executive Committee meeting. While the details of the meeting could bring the party bad press, I believe that there is more danger in allowing the status quo to continue unabated. Before decrying the petitioners in Dallas County as power-hungry agitators (or worse), it is key to understand the background in which the meeting took place. This post from Saturday outlines some of their concerns, but there are many significant grievances of the chair, of which I will only mention one specifically that I find inexcusable. Chair Susan Hays had failed to call a single executive meeting since May 2004. The Texas Democratic Party rules clearly state in Article III.E.6.b, “the County Executive Committee shall have the primary responsibility for planning and coordinating the General Election Campaigns of the Democratic Party’s nominees within the County”. It is nothing short of dereliction of her duty as party chair to have not called a County Executive Meeting to coordinate such a campaign during the election campaign season.

-much more- http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/003394.html#more

Dallas County Democrats: Behaving Badly
I, too, attended the meeting of the Dallas County Democratic Party Executive Committe at the CWA hall in Dallas tonight.

Being a county chair in a nearby county and concerned Democrat, I thought it might be an appropriate way to spend a Monday night. Plus, having heard about the conflict in Dallas County from people on both sides, I wanted to see what would transpire first-hand.

Unlike Byron, I wasn't liveblogging or even taking notes. I was standing in the back of the room with some SDEC-types and Dallas Democrats watching things unfold. So, I don't want to steal Byron's thunder, as he'll no doubt have a quality blow-by-blow post of the whole thing up soon.

In fact, I hadn't planned to actually blog anything at all about the meeting until about the very end, after I'd seen and heard so many things I had decided I just couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer.

I was fundamentally disgusted with what I saw at this meeting tonight. Among other things, for at least the next week, I'll have the image of former State Representative candidate Katie Hubner playing in my mind as she childishly shouted through a microphone at Dallas County Chair Susan Hays. More on that later

-mucho mas- http://www.burntorangereport.com/archives/003392.html

[crispini]

19. Here's my smart-ass take on it.

nothing new, just confusion and wisecracking with a side of vodka:

http://practicalactivist.blogspot.com/2005/02/flamefest-part-2.html

[NoPasaran]

20. Loved it!

:hi:

[crispini]

23. Thanks!

The vodka certainly helped. :evilgrin:

[NoPasaran]

24. It usually does!

[fudge stripe cookays]

21. Wow.

Good stuff, crispini.

Almost makes me GLAD we moved out to bum-fuck. We may be small, but we're doing ok in terms of management and folks being involved.

I'm not sure who to believe. There's good points on both sides!
FSC

[crispini]

22. Yeah, I'm kind of confused about the whole thing myself.

I think it'll have a limited shelf life; I have a feeling that things are coming to a head. I don't really have an official opinion since I'm not a PC yet, so I'm just sort of along for the ride at this point. And what a ride it is!

[CoolOnion]

26. Gee, if I'd thought about bringing a flask...

...I might not have left early!

Loved your report, though your writing is definitely more entertaining than seeing it firsthand. :toast:

[crispini]

27. Next time

you need to come sit next to us. :evilgrin:

Thanks for the kind words! :7

[anarchy1999]

29. Nice post, thanks for being there and I would venture to say, case

CLOSED! Susan, you haven't been doing your job. That pretty much sums up all anyone is saying.

[Bouncy Ball]

30. That is the working theory.

Ahem.

[anarchy1999]

25. IMHO, Susan needs to go. She and the office helped virtually no

candidates or the party during this last election year. I am in 100% of her removal. Change is coming and it has to. See you later, Susan.

And yes, the Dems in Dallas County are a walking disaster.

Once again, it is only IMHO, and there are many good, much more deserving leaders, will they only just step up? I don't think anyone wants the job.

[CoolOnion]

28. Check out the former Kerry/Edwards group

A neighbor who's helping me organize my precinct went to a meeting of the former Kerry/Edwards people (http://dallasdems.org) and she said they had a productive meeting Monday night (unlike our fiasco); she said they're running a "shadow" county party and are working hard at grassroots support.

[Bouncy Ball]

31. I've heard that myself about them

(especially being a "shadow" party).

Either Dallas Co. gets their shit together with regard to Hays or I need to check out dallasdems.org and throw my support behind them. I'm already in DFA.

[Bouncy Ball]

32. This part of the Burnt Orange report I find telling:

Regardless of what happens, however, it was clear to me tonight that the Chair, Susan Hays does not have the confidence of the vast majority of the grassroots and precinct chairs in Dallas County. Hays refused - just as she has refused for the past ten months - to accept a forum for grievances against her. Furthermore, she used continuous stalling tactics to prevent business from being accomplished. I offer this summary as evidence that Dallas County needs new leadership, and if Chair Hays will not step down, it is critical that Dallas Democrats work to elect a chair next March that will lead a united Dallas Democratic Party to victory in November 2006.

Exactamundo.

[CoolOnion]

33. A warning about Ken Molberg

I keep seeing Ken Molberg's name around, in connection with Monday's debacle--my neighbor who went to the real grassroots meeting that night told me to watch out for him--he doesn't respect precinct chairs.

When she was precinct chair, John Bryant was her Congressman and Ken Molberg was party chair. My friend worked her precinct and got the numbers up to unprecedented levels. John Bryant noticed and made a point of congratulating her for the great voter turnout. Ken Molberg was there, and totally blew off Bryant's praise of my friend's hard work. Molberg dismissed Bryant's comment with, "it's a Democratic precinct, anyway."

That kind of attitude is COSTING US ELECTIONS!!! We're losing races because we're taking our base voters for granted! If Ken Molberg is trying to take back his job as party chair, FIGHT HIM ALL THE WAY!!!