March 13, 2007
Cliff Wilson, Chairman of the Delaware County Democratic Party
Much has happened in our party since our last
convention thirteen months ago. We all still celebrate the
victories of last November. Of Bob Casey, of Joe Sestak, of
Brian Lentz and Greg Vitali and Thaddeus Kirkland. We have this
year more candidates for county office than ever before and more
municipalities with local Democratic candidates. I would like to
talk with you about - the future of this party.
I do not mean the elections we will win - and I believe we will
win the county elections this year and we will elect a new
president next year. Based on the past four national/state
elections we clearly are the party that represents the thinking
of a majority of the voters of Delaware County.
What kind of Democratic Party will win those elections. On
issues we are a liberal and progressive party and the
republicans have become a conservative reactionary party --
those lines are drawn. Those distinctions are clear.
But in another way the difference between the two parties is
becoming blurred. The democratic party is the peoples party - it
always has been. It’s the only party the people ever controlled
and we can’t let them lose it. To put it in county terms this
party isn’t my party nor the party of any one local chair nor
for that matter is your personal party either. We are trustees
for the 133,000 registered democrats in this county (and the
many independents and republicans who vote for us). This is
their party - the party of average working men and women, the
party of the college professor and the young idealistic student,
the party of the entrepreneur and the small businessman, the
party of the senior citizen and those ethnic and racial
minorities who are still struggling to attain their share of the
American Dream.
If we allow the special interests of wealth - if we allow the
almighty dollar to rule our party as it does the other one than
the people will have no party. I hear over and over again which
candidate has the most money - how much can they raise - what
big powerful groups are supporting him or her. I don’t hear what
will that candidate do - what do they think. We should be
judging our candidates by the content of their mind not the size
of their bank account.
As a party we must fight for public financing of all elections
so that the playing field is leveled -- not just the back door
public funding for incumbents and the job bank for one party’s
county and local leaders we have today..
We must keep democracy in the Democratic Party. We shouldn’t
choose our candidates in the back rooms with the door shut and a
few suits holding sway. We need to choose our candidates in the
broad sunlight of the open primary that was fought for in the
progressive era so that the democratic voters can judge the
messages and the messengers and select their candidates for
themselves. I am not saying that a primary is a good thing - it
uses valuable resources and sometimes leaves bitter division.
But when a primary is inevitable or when an overwhelming
consensus among the party leaders, like yourselves, is not
attainable than let the people judge.
I have always used the power of persuasion to convince you to
support the candidates I’ve recruited. And when we’ve been faced
with primaries we’ve always convinced the voters. But perhaps
our discouraging primaries - perhaps our settling national
contests too quickly - perhaps our emphasis on party discipline
has reduced involvement in our democracy. We are supposed to be
a nation of participatory democracy - if that is to be true than
our candidates and our platforms must be openly arrived at not
anointed by leaders. We are not the republican party. We are
better than that. We are the people’s party and we need to trust
the people.
There are a eight to ten good democrats
running for our party’s presidential nomination - everyone of
you should be looking at their websites and signing up with the
candidate of your choice - we should have an active organization
of supporters of every one of those candidates here in Delaware
County and i encourage you to do just that.
The Democratic Party founded in the 1790's has given this nation
some of its greatest presidents and most of its progressive laws
and governmental programs. The future of that party as a
people's party is uncertain today. When I ran for chairman of
this county party in 1994 I said we needed to renew and rebuild
our party. I believe we’ve done that. But now I believe with
national chairman Howard Dean we need to reclaim that party at
every level -- to reclaim it for the people - not the
politicians, not the professional consultants, not the players
nor the payers nor the payees and not the plutocrats and
certainly not those who view it as a vehicle to increase their
own monetary wealth - we need to reclaim this party for the
people - the people who need and deserve affordable health care,
want their children and grandchildren to receive quality public
education, yearn for world peace not preventive war, demand a
clean and safe environment and insist on open and transparent
government.
Our great twentieth century leader Franklin Delano Roosevelt
said it best - and this should be our guide in the future:
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an
alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are
not a president and senators or congressman and officials, but
the voters of this country.”
Four weeks ago the Delaware County republican leaders met in
this very room. They closed those doors and said no to four
candidates for County Council and three for Common Pleas Court
and accepted those that were the chosen. We are better than
that.
We have the opportunity tonight -- if you will take it -- to
open those doors and say yes to seven candidates who seek the
county council and pledge to support the three who emerge
victorious from an open primary. Let’s trust the people - this
is their party and we should do everything we can to let them
know that and believe that.
