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DPVA Steering and Central Committees to Meet on June 11-12

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The Democratic Party of Virginia will hold its quarterly meetings in Charlotesville – Steering Committee will meet at 7:30 on friday night, June 11 and Central Committee will meet at 10:00 am, saturday June 12.  The meetings will be held at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business’ Sponsors Hospitality Center in Charlottesville.  The Democratic Black Caucus will also be holding its Juneteenth Luncheon at 12:30 on Saturday, June 12. Read More »DPVA Steering and Central Committees to Meet on June 11-12

DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee Meeting UPDATE

The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting today at the Capital Hilton in DC.  Here are the highlights, which I will update over the course of the afternoon.

Patrice Taylor set forth the calendar for now to 2012 (to be posted later).  The RBC will meet today and tomorrow and then on July 9-10, 2010 in DC to finalize the Convention Call, which will be approved at the DNC meeting in St. Louis on August 21, 2010.

DNC Co-Chair James Roosevelt reported that the RNC Committee on delegate selection had issued at least an initial report. The Committee’s proposed calendar tracks the DNC Change Commission recommendations – only IA, NH, SC, NV may have primaries/caucuses in February, others must be in March or later. To encourage early processes, in contests held before April, delegates will be awarded on proportional basis, not winner take all has been their usual procedure. (All Democratic contests are proportional, of course.)

The RBC then reviewed the proposed rules seriatum, and then approved or decided to discuss in more detail later.  [periodic updates to follow.]

UPDATE #1 :Clarified that votes taken today are “final,” but can still be amended between now and the final adoption of the whole set of rules.  (I will post draft rules ater today.)  The draft rules have the same structure as the 2008 rules.  Specific rules addressed below.Read More »DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee Meeting UPDATE

DNC Talking Points: Selecting a Supreme Court Justice

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From the DNC:

*         As President Obama considers candidates to succeed Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, he will look to individuals who think independently, who have a proven record of excellence, who are dedicated to upholding the rule of law, and who have a clear understanding of the effects of the law in Americans’ lives.Read More »DNC Talking Points: Selecting a Supreme Court Justice

DNC Change Commission Report

Hot of the presses!  Here’s the report of the DNC Change Commission which recommends pushing back early primary and caucus dates and clustering states, making superdelegates pledged to candidates, and improving caucuses.  The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee will consider the recommendations and incorporate them (as appropriate) in the 2012 Democratic National Convention Delegate Selection Plan.   Chairman Kaine’s cover letter is below the fold. 

  DNC Change Commission Report (513.3 KiB, 1,653 hits)

Read More »DNC Change Commission Report

A Good Health Care Bill

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Jeepers. You wouldn’t think it would be necessary to remind folks about all the good provisions in the current health care bill. Others have looked at the bill in great detail and provided useful analyses.  See, e.g,  Paul Krugman, Bill Clinton, Victoria Kennedy, Nate Silver, and Nancy-Ann DeParle (Director of the White House Office of Health Reform).

My point is that President Obama has focused intensely on this issue and succeeded in getting support from a supermajority in the Senate for a bill.  This necessarily involved compromises – that’s how governing works.  And, of course, this isn’t the final bill and, if the Senate passes it, the conference committee can work on further improvements.  If the bill dies, it will be another 20 years before another Democratic President summons the courage to try to fix the system.  And sure, from a political perspective, delivering on health care reform before moving onto the other issues on the agenda is a good thing for Democrats.Read More »A Good Health Care Bill

DNC Fall Meeting – Rez & Pix

Here are the resolutions adopted at last weekend’s DNC meeting and pictures of Chairman Kaine, the Texas BBQ, and the Texas Capitol dome.