My trip to the district convention

[Elfdart]

As I pointed out earlier this month, I was elected precinct chairman for not keeping my mouth shut when they tried to cram 107 people into a room that could only hold 36. That means I got to attend the district convention (where delegates are selected to attend the state convention in June, and delegates are picked for the national convention) Saturday.

This time, instead of packing 107 people into a small room, they brought >3000 people to the Gaylord Texan, a HUGE resort/hotel/convention hall about 30 miles away. The size of this monstrosity isn't apparent until you actually walk in, since so much is obscured by the trees and man-made hills surrounding it. When I say monstrosity, I mean it this way: Think of the Versaille Palace, only built by the same people who built your local Costco. Most of the interior was typical of high-priced hotels, including the bar that charges more for drinks than the strip clubs. The one interesting part was an enormous domed area in the center with a stream, waterfalls and rare trees from remote corners of the planet. I thought that was cool, and could have spent hours in that area.

Anyway, we were there to vote. But to do that meant standing in line for FOUR HOURS while morons ran the credential process. The main reason for the hold-up, aside from the fact that it was about as well-coordinated as an epileptic gang-bang, was the fact that Hillary's campaign in Texas decided to file a shitload of bogus challenges to 87 precincts. This means that each of the delegates from those challenged precincts had to show their IDs all over again, precinct-by-precinct. This brought everything to a halt since until delegates are seated, the convention can't begin formal business. It didn't help that the credentials committee was made up mostly of flunkies for the Clinton campaign. Then Hillary's campaign made their slimy offer: they would drop all challenges if the delegates from the contested precincts were divided 50/50. Since this was horseshit of the worst kind, and those precincts went for Obama by huge margins (that's why they were challenged), when the motion was brought up, it was shouted down by voice vote. So the Clinton campaign insisted on running those precincts through the wringer.

Then a few of us came up with an idea: Under the rules of order, we could propose a motion to suspend the rules. We told the chair of the convention and the parliamentarian that we would do so in order to consider a motion to seat ALL delegates present, regardless of any challenges or what the credentials committe had to say about it. When Clinton's people saw us running about the hall telling people what we were going to do, suddenly those bullshit challenges evaporated like a drop of water on a hot asphalt road.

The actual selection of delegates to the state convention went without problems, other than the sound system conking out several times. As I predicted, Obama's people came out in force. In my own precinct, Hillary won 13 while Obama won 7. However, only five of Clinton's supporters showed and five Obama supporters showed. In cases where the delegates are tied, you send one from each faction with a third as an alternate (as opposed to two from the majority, plus alternate). We agreed to flip a coin to see who would be the alternate and it was an Obama supporter. It got even better when the one Clinton supporter who showed any interest in going to the state convention (and was elected as their delegate) told everyone that it was 50/50 at best that he would be able to go to Austin. So not only did we tie, but there's a good chance of having two Obama votes from our precinct. Obama also cleaned up in the other precincts.

What this means is that Obama is going have even MORE delegates from Texas (he won more in Texas than Hillary already) by June. So next time you hear people saying that Hillary won the state, they are lying douchecocks.

[Guardsman Bass]

I envy you guys and your competitive electoral conventions. We just had the Precinct Caucuses here in Utah to pick Precinct Chairpeople and delegates to the County Convention (who then pick delegates to the state convention, who then pick who exactly gets to go to the National Convention in Denver), and it was a pretty dull affair (I automatically became a delegate to the County Convention and District Vice-Chairman because only one other person showed up from my district). The pities of living in a single-party state (with that party being Republican).

Of course, we'll have to see what happens at the County Convention, but considering that the Democrats are a Permanent Minority here in Utah, it'll probably be much less interesting than what happened there in yonder Texas. Congrats on that motion that shut the slimy mouths of the Clinton Campaign.

[Guardsman Bass]

At least, I'm pretty sure that they pick the National Delegates at the state convention (although who those delegates are going for is already settled by the Primary).

[Shroom Man 777]

What does Hillery hope to achieve by being such a bitch and dicking about with your delegation processes with challenges and stuff? Does she think it'll win her new super-best-friends?

[Guardsman Bass]

What does Hillery hope to achieve by being such a bitch and dicking about with your delegation processes with challenges and stuff? Does she think it'll win her new super-best-friends?

Keep in mind that this hasn't even really made the news (or when it has, it was essentially "Hillary says pledged delegates not really set in stone" or something like that).

But basically, they had nothing to lose. As Elfdart pointed out, these contested districts went heavily for Obama, so if the challenge failed (or the corrupt bargain failed), then they were simply back to where they started.

[Elfdart]

What does Hillery hope to achieve by being such a bitch and dicking about with your delegation processes with challenges and stuff? Does she think it'll win her new super-best-friends?

They thought that enough people would be willing to throw other precincts under the bus in order to finish up and go home (they were talking about staying all night, but those assholes were bluffing). That way, instead of those precincts going 70-30 for Obama, they would be split 50/50 and Hillary would get a bunch of delegates she never earned. In exchange for no longer gumming up the works, her campaign was willing to settle for half the delegates. Which was quite big of them.

[Glocksman]

Given my looney right wing reputation, I shouldn't admit to reading the Daily Kos , but one of the diarists there had much the same experience at their county convention that you had.

Linky

Unlike Kath, I was largely unable to take photos because my credentials were challenged. Along with the credentials of a large swath of the elected delegates.

After six or so extremely hot, crowded, confusing hours, many of us were unable to determine why, exactly, our credentials had been challenged. The Clinton camp had announced that they were targeting the 23rd district for credentials challenges and, by god, that's what they did.

By the end, the Clinton folks were willing -- hell, eager -- to throw out not just random individuals but the entire delegation of 2 precincts. (So much for voter enfranchisement, eh, Hills?)

The protest process was tailor-made for alienating committed voters, wearing them out to the point where they would drop out. By the end of the night, the convention floor was abuzz with tired, pissed-off voters who now hate Hillary with the fire of a thousand suns.

I'm one of them. Thanks for sucking those 10 or so hours away from me, Hills. Love ya. Mean it.

In the end, the Hillary camp did successfully win challenges on 22 delegates. Out of a total of 2,650. When the announcement came, we calculated that the 10-hour delay of the start of our convention averaged roughly a successful challenge only every 30 minutes.

Her campaign really is clueless sometimes, isn't it?

[Mr Bean]

Her campaign really is clueless sometimes, isn't it?

You should have simply done as she wanted from the first place, after all, it's just like Bush, and everyone likes Bush right? We are going to whine and groan and dig our heels in until you just give up and do what we want.

It's the Bizzaro-American way!

[Elfdart]

I think it's only a matter of time before she goes into full-bore Lieberman mode and decides that if she can't win, she'll make damn sure no one else can. She even uses the same flunkies to smear the opposition, like that slimy ratfink Lanny Davis.

[Mr Bean]

I think it's only a matter of time before she goes into full-bore Lieberman mode and decides that if she can't win, she'll make damn sure no one else can. She even uses the same flunkies to smear the opposition, like that slimy ratfink Lanny Davis.

Speaking of Libermann, is anyone looking forward to his speech at the Republican Convention as much as I am? All hail Zell Miller the second, prehaps this second version will succeed in killing Chris Mathews thus ensuring Skynet's inevitable triumph.

[Adrian Laguna]

I am rather amused by the idea that if Clinton's supporters had put their energies into encouraging their own people to show-up, instead of trying to screw Obama's people over, they would have had considerably better results than they actually did.

[Guardsman Bass]

I think it's only a matter of time before she goes into full-bore Lieberman mode and decides that if she can't win, she'll make damn sure no one else can. She even uses the same flunkies to smear the opposition, like that slimy ratfink Lanny Davis.

Speaking of Libermann, is anyone looking forward to his speech at the Republican Convention as much as I am? All hail Zell Miller the second, prehaps this second version will succeed in killing Chris Mathews thus ensuring Skynet's inevitable triumph.

I wonder if he's a potential candidate for VP. At the very least, the Republicans would probably gain a new Republican Senator; they've tried to get Lieberman to defect before, and if he ended up on John McCain's ticket he'd probably jump on that elephant.