I’ve waited for a week to let the Obama afterglow wear off so I could bring up a critique of this past Nov. 4th election (and I even posted about food to appease my fellow foodies). The topic here is the influence of the local Democratic Committee in Richmond’s City Council, School Board, and Mayoral elections. In short, I think it sucks. To put a finer point on it, my experience with this (and previous presidential elections) leaves me with the impression that the Democratic party is undermining democracy in Richmond. As a voter who went straight down the line recommending that we unseat incumbents and install new leadership from Pennsylvania Ave to Broad Street, I found myself going upconfronted with an ally and an obstacle to accountability in the form of the local Democratic Committee.

Important points:

• Local candidates should forget party affiliation and talk about the job at hand.
• Richmond needs to promotes early voting and/or make the poling places more organized and less of a playground for the entrenched political machines.
• The Democratic Committee of Richmond needs to STOP MEDDLING IN LOCAL ELECTIONS.
• The “Virginia as battleground state” phenomenon may be harmful to Richmond’s local government and school system.
• Steps should be taken to ensure that local candidates earn every vote they get, rather than riding the wave of state and national campaigns (banning sample ballots, maybe).
• Schedule Richmond City Council and School Board races on any year BUT the same Tuesday’s in November when we elect a new president (duh!).

As you may or may not know, candidates for local office in Richmond generally do not declare a party affiliation. However, since nearly 80% of Richmond City residents vote Democrat, it’s pretty much a non issue. That is, unless there is a presidential election going on. Then, running as a Democrat and billing oneself as THE ONLY Democrat option on the ballot, becomes very important to local candidates, and getting elected on one’s merits takes a back seat. It’s an unfortunate distraction when school board candidates try to equate their opponents with George W. Bush and the neo-cons in order to come out on top (meanwhile, both candidates are lifelong Democrat-voting civic activists who could be engaging the public about meaningful issues).

To give you an illustration of when this tactic proved especially effective, and was actually true for once, BillPantele came from behind in the 2nd district City Council race to beat Tom Benedetti by labeling him as a Bush supporter in 2004, because he worked as a fundraiser for the Republican party. Pantele’s election-eve attack ad mailers featured Benedetti’s picture alongside Bush’s and the saying “The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree Bush.” You’d have to see the pretty design to believe it (and you’ll see that I’m not claiming that my household is exempt from participating in such partisan behavior).

The maneuver of trying to “out Democrat” your fellow Democrats isn’t the real transgression against voters that’s being perpetrated here. Sure, incumbents are often impossible to unseat once their operation generates enough money, favors, and loyalty to manifest a formidable political machine. That’s an election reality all over the country. Signs appear everywhere. Opponents’ signs mysteriously disappear. Businesses start brandishing enormous expensive placards that make the challenger look amateurish. Palms are greased behind the scenes. It’s a fight, no doubt about it. But, we need to protect against short cuts and impertenant attacks in favor of our democratic principles. We’re trying to hire the best public servant for the job here.

And then there’s the circus of election day…

In many Richmond districts, the polling places on election day are swarmed with campaign workers. A quick survey will probably show incredibly lopsided representation of incumbent/Democrat-backed vs. the challenger: seven to one, ten to two, four vs. none. To a voter just hoping to spend 10 minutes there while voting, it almost seems like the election were “brought to you by” the incumbent candidate or the Democratic Committee backed candidate. And they generally do their best to give the impression that their information is official and unbiased, handing out Democratic Committee sample ballots like they were instruction manuals. Hey, if you were doing a good job in office or running a convincing campaign, would you need to resort to cheap tactics and circumvent a substantive discussion of the issues?

Of course, with Democrats generally being in power in Richmond, their information is somewhat official and helpful when it comes to the state and national races… but not the local elections. That’s where it gets nefarious.

The content of the campaign workers materials gives the best indication of undemocratic behavior in Richmond’s local elections. In Richmond, each candidate hopes to get endorsed by the Democratic Committee. With this valuabledistinction , a candidate can put their name on the local Democratic Committee sample ballot that so many voters use to vote a straight ticket, often without any knowledge of the performance or platforms of the candidates for municipal office. As every voter on their way into the voting booth is handed one, two, and sometimes three or more Democratic Committee sample ballots, it becomes pretty clear that the playing field is not level. Feelings of party loyalty are at acrescendo on voting day, especially during presidential elections. And so, if a local official wants to compensate for lackluster performance, or a series of public debacles, or simply coasting and not campaigning, then it’s a big relief to simply ride the coattails of the top of the ticket Democrats.

These aren’t big “what if” scenarios. The school board and city council elections are currently set to take place every four years, at the same time as the presidential races. From here on out,the presidential race will cast a long shadow over our local elections and without attention on the local issues to be decided by voters, the local Democratic Committee will virtually decide each race before the voting actually takes place. The impact of the significant surge in voters who are
uninformed about the local races has been significant. On November 4th, I heard some campaign workers for Dwight Jones saying that even though their candidate was endorsed by the Democratic Committee, his opponent BillPantele was advertising his own name on Democratic Committee sample ballots (or were they just look-alikes? not quite sure). Does this offend you? Should it? Maybe more candidates should have thought of this move. (I determined my mayoral vote before the endorsement, although that’s irrelevant).

So, what is the criteria for endorsement by the local Democratic Committee? I have a guess, largely based on my own observations. TheDems are trying their best to activate their base on national election day. So, they throw their support, and their get out the vote funds, to the candidate with the best capacity to turn out scads of likely Democrat voters. For this reason, established names likeincumbents, or School Board candidates who are virtually appointed by their City Council rep (the Robertson/Smith ticket, anyone) become obvious choices for
Democratic party support. And merit has nothing to do with it. A track record of community activism, service to the constituents, and professional performance have little to do with the Democratic endorsement. Even if the school system is maligned for every day of your term in office, the Democratic Committee will overlook such things as the education of Richmond children, so they can continue to build their brand. The public interest seems like just an afterthought, half-heartedly pursued between election seasons.

Does this sound jaded? Well, that’s what it feels like to have a democratic victory tinged with undemocratic electioneering.

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Since this rant is totally unpolished and didn’t benefit from my full attention (baby-work-school taking precedent), let’s get into the meat of this topic in the comments, shall we?

When I heard that people were sleeping outside the coliseum to see Barack Obama, it occurred to me that I might not be able to stroll into the rally on my leisurely day off (much needed mental health day). There was an alleged bike ride to the Obama rally leaving from VCU at 11am, but my calls to friends already in line at 10am told me that I better get down there early and check things out for myself.

As I rode up to Marshall Street from 5th, I saw the line of people waiting. Looking left, away from the coliseum, the line stretched as far as I could see. So, I followed it to its source. The line of patient people continued down Marshall, left on 7th Street, past the coliseum (bypassing the entrance that I’m familiar with), all the way down to Jackson St, back up to 5th Street, and up to the back door of the coliseum. Wow. That’s over a mile. If this wasn’t impressive enough, another line started from those doors and went the other direction toward Marshall and ultimately to a spot I never saw. Two enormous lines at 10:30am. My plan B was to go to the MCV gym and work out. Doh! I forgot my gym shorts and shirt.

I’m not going to tell you what happened next. But I will say that I locked up my bike and was inside the coliseum scoping out seats in under ten minutes. If this makes you seethe, I’m sorry. Your anger is justified. The good news is that Obama may very well be deserving of the presidency, whereas, I’m hardly deserving of having him as my president. That’s how I’m feeling after taking in what was probably a run of the mill stump speech in the last leg of Barack Obama’s pursuit of the high office. The guy is damned good! A potentially historic figure in more ways than his demographics. Non-believers, take another look.

Going into the Obama event, I had to turn off a number of the averse reactions that I’ve developed regarding the major political parties. Although I was jazzed for Clinton in 1992 and kinda in 1996 too, as my critical analysis developed, the Democratic party started making my skin crawl almost as much as the Republicans. It was as if they sold out common people for a ticket to the ball with corporate interests (see Clinton’s Welfare reform, free trade agreements, and backing away from universal healthcare for starters, but I know that the crappy-ness predates my ability to vote). Since Clinton sold his soul for blow-jobs, we’ve had Democratic candidates going hat-in-hand to their corporate paymasters and all that they presented to voters was an unconvincing case for the lesser of two evils, spineless defense of their nonexistent integrity, and ultimately flaccid campaigns that commanded minimal respect (stolen elections or otherwise).

It should be clear that I have been burned by believing in the Democratic party and I am still very hesitant. I didn’t go to the Obama rally to chant and shout, or clap and do the wave. I went because Obama has slowly made me a believer in his leadership abilities and I wanted to witness history in the making. Let me repeat that: Obama made history by campaigning seriously in Virginia, and WE VIRGINIANS are going to make history by delivering our electoral votes for a Democratic ticket for the first time in over four decades. People, I’m not editorializing here. The positive energy was in the air inside and outside that coliseum and it conveyed very clearly: “YES WE CAN.”

This is how happy/naive I felt during Obama’s speech.

If those last few sentences sound like fanaticism, don’t worry. I’m surprised at myself too. But, I know what defeatism smells like, and right now the movement to elect Barack Obama is bold and surging, not tentative and jaded. I’m impressed with the campaign, the voters, and the candidate. For once, I don’t feel like I could do a better job. The admiration that came across from the crowd seemed really genuine to me – not blind party allegiance, but devotion on a more personal level; loyalty that only competence can inspired (obviously, something we’ve been lacking in the White House for a while). Obama is striking a chord with voters that transcends a set of single issues that generally make one throw the switch one way or the other. It’s refreshing.

It’s not the pursuit of power and validation that drives so many Republicans and evangelical Christians. I think Obama is winning because his supporters feel he is truly deserving; that he has earned the presidency through concerted effort regardless of the debacle of the past eight years, and that his brand of leadership couldn’t come from anyone else in the Democratic party. This is Barack Obama’s time, whether he has the experience, or not. And, my projection is that Obama has more potential to lead all of America and both sides of the isle in Congress than any presidential candidate from either party in my lifetime. And I think that’s what voters want: results.

A couple observations

I brought loads of contraband into the coliseum. Being on bike, I was loaded down with a water bottle, hot coffee in a thermal mug, and a laptop, as well as books for my graduate course, bike tools, cell phone, and a blinky light. This only slowed me down briefly at the security checkpoint. Inside, I discovered that I couldn’t get online during the 2.5 hour wait for Obama to speak. And taking in the spectacle of 13,000 plus people really distracted me from my homework. Oh, and I was sitting next to the author of this awesome article on voter fraud.

One thing I recall from surveying the line of people headed into the coliseum: this gathering was gonna be 70-80% black. Inside, a white couple told me that they were offered tickets to sit straight back from the podium (presumably to provide a diverse backdrop for the TV cameras). Looking around the coliseum, the group seated behind Obama did seem to be closer to 50/50 than the rest of the place. I point this out, not to indict the campaign. Perception is part of any presentation and putting forward a particular image is just part of the political game (obviously, the Republicans have to struggle harder to achieve an equitable facade).

My point here is that the Obama troops on the ground in Richmond are not predominately white bloggers, or West End Whole Foods shoppers, or the liberal elite. I think most main stream media as well as our popular online forums tend to have enormous blindspots where it really matters (this blog included). Hopefully, the four year celebration of Obama’s probable victory will give us ample opportunities to borrow and share power across racial and cultural lines, and indeed spread the wealth and privilege, access, and opportunities. The spirit of this campaign has tremendous potential on the local level and I hope that this healer of a national politician will have an effect on us right here in Richmond.

Rather than provide highlights of the speech (cuz I didn’t take notes), I’ll provide a link to the transcript of his speech.

Dear ______,

John McCain and Sarah Palin have stopped talking about the issues, and have instead launched a strategy relying on fear-mongering, racial divisions, and hate. The result is McCain/Palin supporters at rallies saying “kill him!”[1] “terrorist!”[2] “traitor,”[3] and more, with the McCain campaign playing dumb in response.[4] It’s outrageous and it must stop.

Together, we can show that Americans of all races won’t stand for this.

Sign our open-letter calling out McCain and Palin. We’ll publish it this week, and as we’ve shown in the past, when enough of us stand together, we can force the mainstream media to amplify our message. Click below to watch a video from Brave New Films showing the atmosphere at McCain rallies, sign on to our open letter, and ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://colorofchange.org/united/?id=2502-47485

McCain-Palin rallies have started to look more like mob scenes than political events. The candidates keep asking “who is the real Barack Obama?” (a question that also kicks off almost every McCain television ad).[5] In response, supporters have yelled “terrorist!” and “traitor!” And the venom goes beyond Obama–one McCain/Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at a Black member of a news crew, saying “sit down, boy.”[6]

The outbursts at McCain/Palin events have crossed the line into direct threats and suggestions of violence. Last week, at the mention of Obama’s name, a McCain supporter yelled “kill him!”[7]–prompting a secret service investigation.[8] A few days later, someone shouted
“off with his head!”[9] In the face of all of this, McCain and Palin haven’t stopped for five seconds to denounce these violent outbursts. In fact they’ve tried to defend them [10,11]–and their fear-mongering smear tactics continue.

McCain and Palin are going down a dangerous path. Watching some of their supporters being interviewed shows the kind of fear their campaign is stoking and exploiting.[12,13] McCain and Palin are clearly in the driver’s seat. They’ve personally made it a point to use “terrorist” and “Obama” in the same sentence; their surrogates have repeatedly referred to Obama by his middle-name;[14,15] and they keep pushing the discredited guilt-by-association smears that have long been debunked.

All of it plays on the much more sinister rumors in anonymous smear emails that claim Obama is Muslim, anti-American, and is somehow connected with terrorists.[16] The strategy works and is powerful because it plays into the suspicions some White Americans have about Blacks: about our true allegiances and our trustworthiness. In the end, it makes Obama’s race a disadvantage without appearing overtly racist.

A unified response

As Americans of all stripes, we’ve seen how Barack Obama’s historic candidacy has moved our friends and family to have a more honest conversation about race in this country. It’s inspired a lot of people to step out of their comfort zone and confront racism in their own communities, with their friends, neighbors, and families.

Now we have McCain, at a time of crisis in this country, pandering to one of the worst instincts in America. His campaign is playing to the kind of suspicion, hatred and fear that brings out the worst in us all, which history shows can lead to horrible consequences.

We can fight back

In the final days of this campaign, we can’t let a desperate John McCain and Sarah Palin drag us down. If enough of us act, we can create a powerful story in the media about Black people and our allies of all races standing together against race-baiting and fear-mongering coming from the McCain/Palin campaign. But it will take a lot of us speaking in unison.

Will you sign an open letter to McCain and Palin, telling them who you are and why you won’t let them move our country backward? We’ll publish the letter and make sure John McCain is forced to respond.

http://colorofchange.org/united/?id=2502-47485

Thanks and Peace,

– James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org PAC team
October 14th, 2008

References

1. “Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pit Bull Look Tame,” Washington Post,
10/07/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wmg4c

2. “Obama called a terrorist” (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvXf9AUHTqM

3. “McCain Supporter Yells Out ‘Traitor!’” (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiESklGDuH4

4. “McCain camp defends the behavior?,” First Read, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/4az7uw

5. “TV Ad: Dangerous”, John McCain campaign, 10/06/08
http://tinyurl.com/48j9uj

6. See reference 1.

7. See reference 1.

8. “‘Kill Him’ Yell At Clearwater Palin Rally Being Probed,” Tampa Bay
Online, 10/10/08
http://tinyurl.com/442vn5

9. “McCain’s ‘Fellow Prisoners’,” First Read, 10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/4qc5vn

10. See reference 4.

11. “John Lewis vs. John McCain,” First Read, 10/11/08
http://tinyurl.com/3m6qln

12. “The Sidewalk to Nowhere, McCain Supporters in Bethlehem, PA”
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itEucdhf4Us

13. “The McCain-Palin Mob” (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjxzmaXAg9E

14. “Florida Sheriff Intros Palin, Says ‘Barack Hussein Obama’,”
(video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woNYeyOQnuI

15. “McCain and Palin in Bethlehem: A live report!” Philly.com,
10/08/08
http://tinyurl.com/3wvq9x

16. “Who is Barack Obama?” Snopes.com, January 2008
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

*”mob” may be generous, because the bankrupt ideology of the Republican party is thinning out its own herd. Hopefully, we’re gaining independent thinkers while we endure the remaining screams of bigotted zealots.