Convention Highlights continued

Democratic National Convention 2008 by Pat Canady

As DNC Chairperson, Howard Dean, said: "There is no question that the West is important to the future of the Democratic Party.  The recent Democratic gains in the West exemplify the principle that when we show up and ask for people’s votes and talk about what we stand for, we can win in any part of the country. Additionally, we have a number of strong Democratic leaders in the West who will be a part of showcasing the vision of Democratic leadership for America as we introduce the next Democratic President in the Rocky Mountains." (Does he know where they are?)

It is about time that we acknowledge that sound decision making and astute politicians do reside in our part of the country. Arizona’s Governor Napolitano demonstrates the essence of being both a farsighted and state-of-the-art politician. She is one of the reasons that I feel proud to be an Elected Delegate from Arizona.  I am absolutely looking forward to the State Convention and first Delegate meeting on April 26th. I hope to have exciting information to share with you the following week.

There are three standing committees at the Democratic National Convention. 1.) The Credentials Committee; 2.) The Platform Committee; and 3.) The Rules Committee. My preference would be to have the opportunity to sit in on the Credentials Committee this year. They may have the deciding factor regarding the "hot issues" of Michigan and Florida’s status. The following are facts available at this time – starting with the Credentials Committee:

Elected to Chair is Alexis Herman, former US Secretary of Labor (1997-2001), DNC Chief of Staff, and CEO of the 1992 Democratic National Convention. She has served as Co-Chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee and Commission on Presidential Nomination Timing an Scheduling. Co-chair James Roosevelt, Jr. is President and CEO of Tufts Health Plan (HMO) in MA and was formally Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy of the Social Security Admin.  under Clinton. He is the Chief Legal Counsel for the Massachusetts Democratic Party and Co-chair of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. The third Co-Chair is Eliseo Roues-Arroyo, a native of Puerto Rico serving as Executive Assistant to Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Senate Minority Leader Migues Hernandez-Agosto and Delegate to Congress Antonio J. Colorado. Eliseo is former Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Puerto Rico and presently a member of the DNC.  I don’t know about you but this group could be stacked – maybe it’s my imagination.

The Credential Committee is charged with coordinating issues around the selection of delegates and alternates to the Convention and will likely meet in the summer. The committee will issue a report that is the first official item of business at the Convention in August.

As there is lots of info on the other committees, I’ll quit and let you read and discuss more interesting blogs!!! Have a good week.