SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 19, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 3/22/16
In this edition:
*Sullivan for Supervisor Fundraiser!
*County Convention Thoughts
*Bernie Chair
*Did You Know?
*Sullivan for Supervisor Fundraiser!
We
are having a Sullivan for Supervisor Fundraiser on Tuesday, March 29, from 5-7
P.M. at The Mill.
Please
join us for pizza, beverages, and fun! Everyone is invited! Call 319-354-7199
or email rodsullivan@mchsi.com for more information.
*County Convention Thoughts
The
Johnson County Democratic Party just held its annual Convention at Clear Creek
Amana High School in Tiffin, and I thought I would share some of my thoughts
from the day.
First,
it would unfair to begin this conversation without acknowledging the amazing
group of people whose hard work made the event possible. Martha Hedburg, David
Tingwald, Tom Larkin, John Deeth, Mike Jesse, Dennis and Robin Roseman… I could
go on, but you get the idea. Political events happen because volunteers step
up. Thanks to those who make things happen!
Secondly,
the numbers: The County Convention had 353 delegates; that number is
pseudo-scientific. It is set at a level that is large enough to allow even the
smallest precinct to get one delegate, but also small enough to fit comfortably
in an auditorium. 353 gets the job done on both counts.
Of
those 353 delegates, the final breakdown was 208 for Sanders and 145 for
Clinton. Moving forward, Sanders got 54 delegates to the District Convention,
while Clinton got 38.
Third,
my own struggles with wearing too many hats: I am a candidate for Supervisor in
a crowded Democratic primary. The Democratic Party convention is a great place
to politic. I was also the Sanders Chair. This required a lot of running around,
a lot of meetings, and a lot of organizing. Unfortunately, I don’t think I did
my candidacy any favors by splitting my attentions in this way. I got to give a
two-minute speech, for which I was unprepared, and then ran off without talking
to many voters.
Fourth,
friendship versus politics: We avoided all of the horror stories we are hearing
from other counties, and I chalk that up to friendship. The local Clinton Chair
was Sue Dvorsky. I would crawl through broken glass if Sue asked me to.
Credentials wizards John Deeth and Tom Larkin are longtime friends of us both.
We were all committed to not only running a smooth convention, but to modeling
respectful behavior every step of the way. I think we succeeded!
Fifth,
gender equity (1): The Sanders folks purposely divided by gender, and the
exercise was telling. We were attempting to avoid a long, drawn out election by
encouraging some folks to sign up as alternates rather than running as
delegates. Interestingly, the women did this fairly quickly, while the men held
their ground. This behavior demonstrates EXACTLY why we gender balance things
in the first place!
Sixth,
gender equity (2): One of the Sanders delegates noted that ze did not conform
to a binary notion of gender, and objected to selection based upon this
criteria. I asked permission to bring it up to the crowd, and ze granted
permission. So I explained the situation, and moved that ze be elected to the
District and State Conventions, where ze could advocate for a change in the
rules. I am proud to say that the vote was unanimous, 208-0! What’s more, there
was loud applause! I cannot begin to describe how cool it felt to see a roomful
of people step up and support a fellow traveler in this way. It was really
moving!
Interesting
stuff, these County Conventions! The Democratic Party really is a big tent
–some would say a circus - and it is on display every year at this event.
*Bernie Chair
I
had a couple people ask me how I got to be the Bernie Sanders Chair in Johnson
County. One of the people asked innocently; another asked in a rather
accusatory tone. Either way, I thought it might be a good idea to share the
story.
The
story begins a couple years ago, in the spring of 2014. I was the person who
first got Bernie to Iowa. I had heard him speak about income inequality on NPR.
I thought he would hit the notes we needed to hear. I called his office, and
finally got in touch with his Senate staffers. I spoke to them at length, urging
him to visit our Johnson County Democratic Party Fall BBQ. We had some very
frank discussions – they confided to me that Senator Sanders might be
interested in running for President. I explained that there was no better
springboard than Johnson County, Iowa. He needed to test the waters, and we all
knew it. So Bernie Sanders headlined the 2014 JC Dems BBQ. (Not the 2015 event,
mind you – he was there, too. We’re talking 2014!)
Senator
Sanders got an amazing reception, and his staffers and I kept in touch. They
came back, and asked me to endorse the Senator. I said I would. I introduced
Bernie at a rally in Iowa City, which turned out to be the first event
following the hiring of Iowa staff. The Vermont staff looked at the Iowa staff
and said, “This is your guy in Johnson County.” When local staff got hired,
State staff said, “This is your Johnson County Sanders Chair.”
So…I
was never elected. And there were times when I thought about mentioning that
fact; opening up the process, if you will. I mean, I can admit it – there was
nothing democratic about the process.
But
you know what? Right or wrong, I decided that I had earned it. The “Bernie Bros”
had already begun acting like asses online. A few folks looked to co-opt the
leadership of the local Sanders group. It was extremely important to me that
our group be pro-Sanders rather than anti-Clinton. (I think we achieved that.) I
felt as though we had a very humanistic thing going, and I did not want that to
change. So I stood my ground.
There are many instances where it would have been easier to just
hand the responsibilities off to someone else. It was a pretty thankless task.
But I decided to just keep claiming the title of “Sanders Chair” for myself.
And I am OK with that. So there you have it!
*DID YOU KNOW?
This year marked only the second time ever that all the delegate seats
were filled at the County Convention. The other year was 2008.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 12:12 AM
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