Bernie Supporters Seem to Be Staging a Revolt in the Washington Democratic Party

[TexasTowelie]

OLYMPIA — A fierce fight is under way for the top leadership post of the Washington State Democratic Party.

Jaxon Ravens’ bid for re-election as chairman is in jeopardy as supporters of Bernie Sanders are carrying out a coordinated insurgency to defeat him and elect Tina Podlodowski when the party’s central committee votes next month in Olympia.

One-by-one, Sanders’ loyalists are winning seats on the powerful 176-person panel that is made up of one man and one woman from party organizations in each county and legislative district. They’ve secured committee seats in several counties, including King, Pierce and Jefferson, with the process continuing at party meetings around the state through mid-January.

Their latest display of force came with a bit of drama Saturday at a meeting of the Snohomish County Democratic Party.

Read more: http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/progressives-want-tina-podlodowski-not-jaxon-ravens-to-lead-the-state-party/

[potone]

1. Good!

We need to get progressives in leadership roles in the party.

[RKP5637]

2. K&R! n/t

[Chasstev365]

3. Good: I'd like to see more of this!

Maybe at the grass roots level, the party will get back to its traditional valves because what they've been doing for the last 30 years is not working!

[LisaM]

4. Ugh.

Not that I am all that enamored of Ravens, but the Dems are strong here and that might hurt our chances of getting rid of the caucuses and getting a primary. And I think Podlodowski has some baggage, IIRC, though I am going to have to go refresh myself on what it is.

[pscot]

7. Something has to change

Democrats failed to contest our local house seat. We can do better than we are.

[LisaM]

8. I don't think mail in voting helps.

I think turnout is lower.

[pscot]

10. mail in voting doesn't explain

neglecting to field a candidate for a lege seat. I don't know what the actual numbers are, but I'd bet turnout is higher with mail-in ballots.
on edit: as of 2014 states with mail-in ballots had turnout above the national average. Washintonhad 65% turnout vs the national average of 58.7%

[LisaM]

11. Maybe in the presidential, but in one of the primaries

we had the lowest percentage turnout since the Depression.

[TreasonousBastard]

5. I have no idea what's really going on over there, but...

if this is their idea of poor leadership, wtf are they going to do to improve it?

The top of the ticket — Hillary Clinton, Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray — won statewide by comfortable margins. And Democratic challengers did unseat three incumbent state lawmakers, one in the Senate and two in the House.

Ravens’ critics cite the loss of a state House seat in Grays Harbor County for the first time in decades as an example of inadequate leadership. They also contend the state and county party leaders must shoulder some responsibility for Democrat Hans Dunshee losing his seat on the Snohomish County Council to a relatively unknown Republican.

[zentrum]

6. Great. Maybe the

….old pre-DLC, FDR type Democratic Party will rise again.

[Gothmog]

9. Most of Sanders so-called victories were in caucus states

Sanders did not come close to getting enough votes.
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/a-message-for-hardcore-bernie-stans/

Hillary Cinton won the nomination because of democracy. She received more than 57% of Democratic votes cast. Bernie Sanders virtually only won caucuses, which are the least democratic aspect of the primary process. And most of those he won only because she decided to save her money for the General election. He won very few primaries, except for his “home states” and Michigan and his clock was cleaned in virtually every other state that mattered. Demographically, he only won white liberals. The fact that YOU think he made it close, or only lost because of “Super Delegates” is a hallmark of your delusion. Bernie Stans largely didn’t seem to notice that she reached out to you repeatedly and you bit her hand off, making you more like Republicans than you should be comfortable with.

Sanders would not do well without caucuses. We are seeing the effects of the Washington caucus in this fight