After 60 years on this planet and 42 years as a voter and an active supporter of the Democratic Party, I am appalled, disgusted and disappointed by the arrogant behavior of our elected Democratic officials and party “elite” in their actions as super delegates.
In the face of a Bernie Sanders landslide in our state during the March 26 Democratic caucus, they are unanimously sticking with Hillary Clinton with their super delegate votes. These actions are wrong on many levels, but please allow me to enumerate a few:
In a democracy, majority supposedly rules, and elected officials are supposed to represent the majority. That is clearly not happening here.
Our elected officials are supposedly pro-environment; Bernie Sanders is opposed to fracking, which destroys water tables where it occurs and increases the supply of petroleum products worldwide. Hillary Clinton has stated repeatedly that she is pro-fracking.
Our elected officials should support a strong U.S. economy for all participants; Bernie is and always has been against the Trans Pacific Partnership, whereas Hillary was for it, and actively supported it, until political backlash from her support forced her to finally distance herself from it. With an economy imploding from lack of entry level opportunity, this is not the time to export even more entry level professional work offshore, and import more cheap labor via the H1B visa program.
While Bernie was holding huge rallies in places like KeyArena, Hillary did a touch-and-go to Medina to presumably pick up a some huge checks, with a few photo op stops in Puyallup (tribal leaders), Rainier Beach and a union labor hall in Everett. Efficient, yes; populist, less so.
The wave that is the Bernie Sanders platform and campaign is resonating with and energizing those who have for too many years felt disenfranchised by the government and marginalized by corporate interests; they (we!) are bringing engaged passion and financial support to a wave that can effect a real social and economic awakening to our nation. It is not just “youth;” in my caucus precinct the average age was well over 40, and included a range of ages and income levels that shared a passion for Bernie and a sense that “the system” was increasingly failing us.
By engaging with the Bernie wave, and supporting it from the highest places in the Democratic Party, the party can take back Congress and the Supreme Court from the far right actors that have done all they can to bend the system to their agendas.
There is still time for Washington state leaders to vocally change their allegiance and super delegate votes to correspond to the wishes of their constituents. However, if the insiders of the Democratic Party insist on their pro-Hillary agenda, against the messages they are getting from the Bernie camp, they may see those disenfranchised and disillusioned voters take their passionate support away or elsewhere.
I have been an active supporter of and voter with the Democratic Party since I could vote, and a strong supporter even before that; however, if indeed “the fix is in,” and Hillary gets the nomination, I just may play for the “R” team this time around. Not because I am for Trump, as I am opposed to a lot of what he stands for, but because I am against a political operator who favors political expediency in furthering her career over what is best for the country and manipulates the system through the Democratic Party super delegate process and media connections.
The arrogance of the Democratic Party “elite” in assuming they can roll over the wishes of the voters, because the alternative is worse, should think real hard about the effect of alienating their party’s most passionate and progressive members.
During the Democratic Party 1st Legislative District caucus on April 17, when a party organizer was addressing the crowd, she mentioned Gov. Inslee and Sens. Murray and Cantwell; the crowd booed and hissed energetically, clearly displeased about their stand as super delegates. Ignore and marginalize the will of the people, especially the most passionate, at your own peril.
Scott Lee is Democratic caucus chairman for the Robin Hood Precinct in Snohomish.
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