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DNC Winter Meeting General Session

Chairman KaineThe DNC held its General Session meeting on Saturday morning.  Highlights:

  • DC Mayor Vincent Gray welcomed the DNC, pointed out DC’s lack of democratic representation in Congress, and endorsed Statehood for the District.
  • New White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley discussed the President’s plans to balance the budget, but cautioned against “balancing the budget by sacrificing the future” and noted that:  “We’ve got elections to win, but more importantly, we’ve got big things to do.”
  • Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis (the first Latina cabinet member ever) gave a very good talk, addressing  job growth under the Obama administration and expressing support for state workers in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Secretary Solis
  • The DNC accepted the Budget Committee recommendations which included a renewed focus on minority contractors in connection with the DNC and the national convention.
  • Governor Kaine gave a strong speech, and was only interrupted once by chants of “Run Tim Run” (which may have originated from the Virginia delegation).   He said, among other things, that “the re-elect” campaign would learn the lessons from 2010, promised that the 2012 “People’s Convention” would not accept any PAC/lobbyist money, discusses the accomplishments of the Obama administration, and mocked Republicans for calling health care reform “Obamacare,” stating that he was glad that Obama cares. 
  • The DNC adopted the resolutions endorsed by the Rez Committee, and an additional one regarding Egypt.  (I will post the final versions.)  AFSCME President Gerald McEntee, joined by other labor leaders, gave a rousing endorsement of the resolution supporting Wisconsin workers, which was unanimously endorsed by the DNC members.