I had not read the Daniel Chacon column
about the proposed vetting of candidates by the Democratic Party
before attending the ward meeting where it was to be presented. I was
invited to the meeting weeks earlier by the Chairperson and was told
that Mayor Gonzales would be coming. I was disappointed that the
Mayor was a no-show and that even a few of the 25 or 30 Democrats in
attendance supported the absolutely stupid vetting proposal that had
been leaked to the New Mexican.
I sat through the banality of a report
on how a meaningless resolution becomes a useless plank and an
infuriating 'lesson' from a St. Johns student, who is the Vice
Chairman of the ward, on how to canvas for your cause. It seems you
are not supposed to try to convince the person you're talking to but
rather just be nice. "Studies show almost one in ten people"
will then vote for your candidate,” he said. I had heard that kind
of bull before and it was from the implanted self-appointed 'leader'
of the local Bernie for President organization.
Destroying will and limiting your
opponent's effectiveness is a nasty political game and if one can
embed an imposter or dupe in your opponent's leadership ... more
power to you.
The ward meeting from Hell ended for me
with "9. Who do we want to invite to our next meeting?"
"Since Mayor was a no-show, why
don't we invite Ron Trujillo?" I suggested. Ron is a longtime
loyal local Democrat who will be running next year for Mayor against
our incumbent no-show Mayor Gonzales.
That suggestion was ignored. So, having
been given a printed handout for a Democratic Party fundraiser at
Mayor Gonzales' home co-sponsored by the film union IATSE, and
knowing that the guy in charge of the IATSE has an office twenty feet
away from where we were sitting, I suggested Jon Hendry come talk to
us. Unbelievably the Chair's response was, "I don't know who
that is." OMG, we were having a political meeting in an old
church on Cerrillos Road that had been converted to a secular Church
of the Left and this women does not even know who the President of
the NM Federation of Labor is and that he is half owner of the church
she's attending.
Finally I recommended that someone who
worked for Bernie, maybe the guy who ran for State Party chairman and
lost, come talk with us. A second came from someone and the
Chairperson reluctantly wrote down my nominated person.
If the Democratic Party ever hopes to
outlive the Trump coup that they themselves created with their own
arrogance, then they better wake up. Candidates for public office
are not employees of political parties or at least they shouldn't
be... especially in Santa Fe where by law local election are supposed
to be non-partisan.
Democrats have to get some courage and
heart and reach out not only to Bernie's people but to Republicans.
The Party itself has to believe in democracy and stop rigging their
own processes and internal politics. The other choice, which is what
I vote for, is to simply fire or annoy to death all the leaders in
the Party from State Chairman down to ward official. That is the kind
of 'repeal and replace' that might actually save the Democratic
Party.