Candace
Talmadge
Read Candace's bio and previous columns
March 31,
2008
Democracy,
Texas-Style
“I belong
to no organized party. I am a Democrat.” - Will Rogers
The chaos
of the March 4 Texas primaries and caucuses carried over to the Dallas
County Democratic Convention this past weekend. It was really five
separate mini-conventions based on state senatorial districts within the
county.
The Senate
District 2 confab was at H. Grady Spruce High School in Pleasant Grove,
one of the poorest parts of Dallas. There are no glitzy shopping malls,
high-rise office buildings or even just decent supermarkets on this side
of town. There are mom-and-pop stores in rundown strip malls and aging
housing stock consisting of tiny frame homes and dilapidated apartment
complexes with banners proclaiming, “Se Renta.”
There are
also plenty of beautiful mature trees – always the first victims of the
economic development bulldozers that have yet to reach the area.
When we
walked inside the doors at 8:30 a.m., the high school was so packed it
took a while to find our proper registration tables, which of course
were on the far side of the hall. After waiting more than an hour to
sign in and receive delegate credentials, we then joined the rest of
Precinct 3808 to sort out a number of credentials challenges. That took
a lot more time, all the while navigating crowds, noise and confusion
that required patience and a hefty dose of humor. You simply can’t hurry
love – or democracy.
Then we
trudged upstairs to the auditorium balcony where our precinct was to sit
– and waited. And waited and waited and waited, along with the rest of
the delegates on the floor. We put up “Obama ’08” signs. We told lots of
jokes and got to know fellow precinct delegates a bit better. We
scrounged lunch from the food truck outside or brought in sandwiches
that we bought elsewhere. One precinct ordered a stack of delivery
pizzas that vanished rapidly.
Democratic
candidates for various county posts – some of them facing runoffs on
April 8 – made the rounds of all five conventions and asked for our
support. The incumbent county sheriff, a tiny woman with an imposing
presence named Lupe Valdez, received a standing ovation. She could not
have left quickly had she needed to because so many people wanted to
shake her hand and pose with her for cell phone photos.
Originally
scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., our convention was called to order at 2
p.m. Never let it be said that Democrats squander their resources on
trifles. From a distance, the “gavel” appeared to be a large roll of
clear strapping tape.
The delay
was caused by the sheer number of credentials challenges. Our
credentials committee ruled most of them void because they arrived too
late. The convention chair informed us that while our meeting was under
way, other conventions were still wrestling with credentials challenges
well into late afternoon. We also learned that normally, maybe as many
as 160 people attend District 2 conventions. This year, there was almost
10 times that number.
The two
most important items of the day were the delegate presidential
preference poll and the elections of state delegates and alternates. The
precinct chairs were given packets that had sheets with delegate names.
We had to sign by our name and indicate which candidate we support. Our
precinct caucused 25 to 1 in favor of Obama; all of our delegates put
down his name.
Electing
state delegates and alternates to attend the June convention is
democracy at it rawest and most personal – looking fellow delegates in
the eye and asking them for their support. All over the floor and the
balcony, precincts gathered in tight groups and started talking and
gesturing with uncharacteristic intensity. Our precinct, allotted two
state delegates and two alternates, managed to sort it all out in fairly
short order. Many who were not chosen as precinct delegates applied to
be one of the 25 at-large delegates and 25 alternates the convention
will also send to the state meeting.
Those
crucial tasks accomplished, we began to vote on the various proposals
for Dallas County Democrats to put before fellow party members statewide
in June. One of them was a proposal to fund state elections with public
money. This is known as a “clean election” law. It has been enacted in
other states and has enabled political non-insiders to run for and win
state office. It passed handily.
Delegates
were free to depart even before the meeting adjourned, unless they had
applied to be one of the at-large state delegates/alternates and wanted
to make their case in person to the credentials committee. More
consuming hours of work to complete before the day ended.
Next stop:
Austin as an alternate, with at least one pilgrimage to El Patio, one of
the top Tex-Mex restaurants in the Lone Star State.
© 2008
North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.
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