Spurned Democrats: 'Love hurts,'
Obama leaders: 'True Love waits'
By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
Love hurts, as several dozen spurned, would-be Alabama delegates for Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer have discovered.
True love waits, suggested the political honcho's in removing about 40 candidates for election as delegates pledged to back Obama for the party's presidential nomination.
Obama campaign leaders dusted off a rule last used more than 20 years ago to install delegates who were seen as less susceptible to pressure by the Alabama Democratic Caucus's Joe Reed, a leading Clinton supporter.
Reed denied any implication that he or ADC would've tampered with Obama delegates. Rather, he said, the Obama campaign preferred to play favorites at the expense of rank and file Democrats. It has also been intimated that more "influential" Democrats were seated for Obama to lay the groundwork for a 2010 run for governor by his Alabama campaign leader U.S. Rep. Artur Davis.
Pledged delegates chosen for Obama included: Ginger Avery, Amy Burks, Giles Perkins and state Sen. Hank Sanders, D-Selma. Alternates were Roger Bedford III, Janet Y. Buskey, Doris Dozier Crenshaw, Tammy Knight Fleming, Patricia Bozeman Henderson and Frank D. McPhillips.
The party had nothing to do with the Obama campaign's maneuver, noted State Party Chairman Joe Turnham.
"That was up to the (Obama) campaign committee," Turnham said.
For the Democrats' "back 40," the session evolved from the excitement of an election to anger, disappointment, resignation and now, for most, a degree of understanding.
"I was extremely upset upon learning how the Obama delegate situation was handled and am still upset. I do not believe that it was an intelligent move on the Obama camp's part. It will not change my decision to vote for him but it has made me question my decision to do so.
They disenfranchised many people that day. I feel like Obama has been given the right to run in front of the people and those of us wishing to be delegates should have been afforded the same right.
Not believing in those of us pledged to vote for him was insulting. Our qualifying papers are signed and notarized as to our pledged support of a candidate but I suppose I would have signed something else if needed be.
What happened in Montgomery is politics within politics and it is very discouraging and disappointing. It is the kind of thing that makes people shun or shy away from being involved. I am sorry it happened. I think it shed a poor light on the campaign and the Alabama Democratic Party."
-- Carrie Spurling,
Decatur
"I was initially disappointed to learn that there would not be an election. The matter could have been handled better by 'the suits' making the decision.
We should have been notified earlier and given the rationale - which I accept. It is a legitimate concern that electing Obama delegates from the entire SDEC could pose a problem. Having many Hillary supporters voting to determine Obama delegates could result in delegates not totally committed to Obama and perhaps agreeing to change and allow the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations."
-- Bill Dawson,
Birmingham
"Now that I can look back on what Senator Obama's campaign did last Saturday, I can honestly say that I understand why he did it.
I still do not think it was right. From what I can tell, it seems as though someone in Senator Obama's campaign was trying to give 'kick backs' to people that served his/her own agenda. I do not believe Senator Obama had anything to do with it.
My initial reaction to this on Saturday morning was hurt. I felt betrayed. Senator Obama claims 'a new kind of politics,' but what his campaign did last Saturday was certainly something out of an old school political playbook.
I am a long time Obama supporter. In 2005, when I graduated high school, I quoted part of his 2004 DNC keynote address as my senior quote. I am still a strong supporter of Senator Obama, and I would definitely have sworn in writing to vote for Obama, because I do not want to see Hillary as our nominee."
-- Joe Webb,
Huntsville
"No, I do not have any lingering resentment for the persons involved nor the Democratic Party.
I challenged and expressed my dissatisfaction with the delegate selection process at the SDEC meeting on Saturday, March 1 because I was passed over as a delegate in the Third Congressional District in order to obtain 'gender equity' (two males, one female). There is no fairness in denying an individual, male or female, elected by the people (having the highest vote count) a delegate seat to gain gender equity. After the female and male with the highest vote count has been identified in each district, if there is a third delegate, it should be the individual with the next highest vote count, male or female.
After hearing my challenge, DNC Member, Dr. Yvonne Kennedy of Mobile, offered a motion that passed, requesting that the DNC review the Delegate Selection Plan as it relates to gender equity.
My reaction to learning that I would not be allowed on the ballot was one of total dissatisfaction. I was already upset when I arrived at the SDEC Meeting because of the delegate process in the Third Congressional District that placed me in an alternate seat. It just added fuel to the fire to be eliminated from the at-large balloting and not selected as a PLEO, when others who were not party leaders or elected officials were chosen (some coming from other presidential candidate campaigns). When I filed my qualifying form as a Pledged Obama Delegate, it was a sworn (notarized) document.
Nevertheless, I am a proud and loyal Democrat, who pledged my support early and will continue to work tirelessly for Senator Obama."
-- Barbara Howard,
SDEC Member, Tuskegee
"First of all, I had not expected to win. What I didn't understand was why weren't we told about the rule in the beginning. Ted Hosp (a Birmingham attorney helping the Obama campaign) said he knows it was handled badly and if he had it to do over again we each would have been notified personally by phone instead of being blindsided. That's what hurt people the most. I took the loyalty thing personally. I have remained loyal to the party through thick and thin. I took that personally because I am so loyal. After my conversation with Ted, he said it never crossed his mind that I would take it so hard, so personally. It was really discouraging."
"I'm going to the convention anyway. I had plans to stay with the Wisconsin delegation. All of this in a way is really nothing new. You always have the weight of Joe Reed and his candidates. Ever since I've been involved, his slate of candidates wins. The only time they did not was in the important matter of (state Rep.) Patricia Todd. That was up to the body of the SDEC and people did turn out to vote for Patricia and we got our vote there."
"I didn't think I had a chance (to be elected as an Obama delegate), but I'm one of those who says, 'I'll take a chance.' I figured I had a shot as long as my name was on the ballot. But to see my name taken off, whoa, I couldn't even enjoy the fellowship."
"It'll fade with time. I feel better already. Ted came to me with a sincere apology. I have a forgiving spirit. These are my friends. They may have made blunders, made mistakes in trying to change the system. But they did use the rules to change it. A rule is a rule. I might not like it but it's a rule and I've got to live with it."
-- Pam Miles,
Madison
