Democratic Caucus Fun

This afternoon at 1 PM, the Town of Rochester Democratic Committee held their Town Nominating Caucus at the Accord Firehouse. I must admit that it was a very well organized affair, for which Chairman Zali Win certainly deserves kudos. They had a sign in sheet and nice ballot packages for those qualified to vote. They also asked the veterans who were present to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, which is laudable, even if some present kept quiet during the phrase "under God." All in all, the advance scripting was more than evident. But...

(There's always a "but")

By my estimation, roughly half of those who packed the room were there because they wanted an alternative to the slate endorsed by the Democratic Committee. Chairman Win announced the "Rules of the Caucus," which he did not characterize as "proposed" and didn't tell those present that there would be a vote on them until after he had read them. They included provisions to exclude any candidates who were not either registered Democrats or non-Democrats endorsed by the Democratic Committee from the nominating process. The Chairman seemed to want to get past the rules vote as quickly as possible. This was apparent because of the way he handled the issue of discussion, as raised by Democrat Tony Jarvis. Tony asked that Republican candidates be allowed to participate, as Supervisor Pam Duke had been permitted to seek the Republican nomination two years ago. Chairman Win stared at Jarvis frostily and asked if there was any further discussion. Then, Win and Jarvis spoke just about simultaneously. Jarvis made a motion to Amend the Rules and the Chairman called for a vote. As soon as he said "All in favor," Win turned to Jarvis and told him his motion was out of order.

From that point on, just about every motion to nominate a Democrat was either preceded or followed by a motion to nominate a Republican. Each such motion was ruled "out of order" by the Chair.

As disgusted and angry Democrats left the Firehouse, the extent of the rift within their Party became exceedingly evident. Where a few moments before the room was filled to capacity, with some being forced to stand as there were no seats left, now about half of all the chairs were empty. Many of those who remained were grumbling about the way in which the nominating process was handled.

Now, obviously every Party has the right to limit its nominating process to prevent a takeover. However, not allowing the rank and file a vote on whether there should be an alternate method for managing that process seems a bit (pardon the expression) undemocratic. The real issue here isn't that the Republican candidates were prohibited from seeking the Democratic nomination. Rather, the problem is that many Town Democrats were excluded from participating fully and democratically in their own Party's decision making processes.

Aside from the questions such heavy handedness raises about commitment to democratic principles, what does it say about their confidence in their choice of candidates? Think about it: if they thought their candidates would win resoundingly, they would have no reason to exclude others. The only other reason they might have to force their rules through without an opportunity for an alternative to be offered is if they thought their candidates would win, but by a margin so slim it would be embarrassing. Either way, it reveals a stunning lack of certainty on their part in the ability of their slate to carry the day.

If they need to resort to procedural games to prevent either a humiliatingly close vote or an outright loss among their own Party members, how do they expect to win in November? More importantly, what does that indicate about the alienation all of us, Democrats included, feel with regard to the Town Board?

In point of fact, the current Democratic leadership does not seem to represent the opinions of the majority of Democrats in Town. Just as the Town Board is dedicated to advancing the interests of an aristocratic few throughout the entire Town, the Democratic leadership is pushing hard to bring that same elitist agenda to fruition within its own Party. Of course, the goal is the same because the same people are pushing that agenda on both fronts.

By the way, are these the same guys who were indignantly proclaiming that "Every vote must be counted" in 2000? Apparently, votes need only be counted on questions which dovetail with their goals. Propaganda aside, the only ones disenfranchising Democrats today are Democrats.

Anyone else find that ironic?