Sanders: DNC Stacked Platform Committee with Lobbyists While Rejecting Labor Leaders

[Cheese Sandwich]

The Democratic National Committee forbade the Bernie Sanders campaign from appointing a labor union leader to the Platform Drafting Committee, according to Sanders himself.
...

Sanders is now blasting the DNC for rejecting Rose Ann DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, for the platform committee on the grounds that the party didn’t want too much influence from labor...

“What we heard from the DNC was that they did not want representatives of labor unions on the platform-drafting committee,” Sanders said.

The DNC’s defense is that labor is already adequately represented in Clinton campaign appointee Paul Booth, an executive assistant at the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees — a labor union backing Clinton. DNC spokeswoman Dana Vickers Shelley told the Washington Post that Booth’s appointment meant “no union leadership would be represented on the platform drafting committee.”

“Labor built this party. Labor built this country. One person is enough to represent all of that?” DeMoro said. “If you look at the composition of who they chose, besides Bernie’s choices, K Street’s far better represented than the labor movement.”

Indeed, corporate lobbyists appointed by the Clinton campaign and DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz appear to have an outsized influence on the committee. Former Congressman Howard Berman, a DNC appointee to the committee, left Washington to become a lobbyist for Covington and Burling, LLP. Clinton appointee Wendy Sherman, a former deputy Secretary of State, is now a top lobbyist for Albright Stonebridge Group. Carol Browner, another Clinton appointee, works at the same lobbying firm. Bonnie Schaefer, another DNC appointee to the platform committee, is the former co-CEO and co-chair of Claire’s, a clothing and jewelry chain catering to teenage girls.

http://usuncut.com/politics/bernie-sanders-dnc-platform-committee/

[Ned_Devine]

1. Shocker!

This is what happens when the conservative corporatists take over the party.

[Cheese Sandwich]

15. They have been took over for a while

[msongs]

2. another meme being posted on some sort of rotating schedule. nt

[DJ13]

8. When did the truth become a meme?

[rhett o rick]

10. Some here support the wealthy and turn their backs on those suffering. Why? Because they

idolize the wealthy? Shame

[zappaman]

12. Like who, Rick?

DUers seem to be pretty good-hearted IMO.

[Cheese Sandwich]

13. easy way to avoid this criticism/meme

Don't fill the Democratic Party committees with corporate lobbyists

[Renew Deal]

3. It could have been different if he won.

Personally, I think Bernie has too many seats on the committee

[arikara]

4. Sure, and why not put in some more

lobbyists and a bankster or 2.

[Cheese Sandwich]

16. LOL

Needs more lobbyists.

[rhett o rick]

11. Only because you revere the Wealthy over those among us struggling.

[Triana]

5. There goes that pesky Sanders, telling the TRUTH again.

How utterly silly and unfair of him, eh?

[Cheese Sandwich]

17. It's so cool how he's like exposing all the crooked ways.

and omg I hope this platform committee thing is open to TV cameras

[jonmac511]

24. funny thing

Somehow, exposing truth in the party is burning bridges. Why do I feel like one of the very few that sees that as a bad thing? Truth in politics has become frowned upon by party voters. Sad.

[brush]

6. Did you know one of Clinton's appointees is a union rep.

Why didn't Sanders appoint a union person when he had the chance?

[DJ13]

9. He tried to appoint a nurse union rep

That was turned down by the DNC.

[Recursion]

22. SEIU and AFSCME reps have been vilified as "lobbyists" in GD-P

And, yes, they certainly are registered lobbyists, that being their damn job. Anyways...

[imagine2015]

32. Paul Booth was not originally appointed to the Platform Drafting Committee.

He was appointed to the bigger none-drafting platform committee that will look at the platform drafted for them.

In response to Bernie Sanders objecting to the refusal of the DNC to appoint one of Sanders picks, the head of the nurses union, the DNC slipped in Paul Booth at the last minute.

...DNC platform committee spokeswoman Dana Vickers Shelley confirmed that the DNC had not wanted labor leaders on the platform drafting committee, limiting labor's presence to Paul Booth of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union.

“Because union leadership was represented on the full platform committee, a decision was made no union leadership would be represented on the platform drafting committee,” said Vickers Shelley. “That was communicated to the campaigns, and they understood our rationale.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/01/sanders-dnc-vetoed-union-leader-pick-for-platform-committee/

[Beowulf]

7. Straight out of the DLC/Third Way/ Neoliberal Handbook

I wonder how all those unions who declared for Hillary feel now. I assure you at Clinton headquarters someone is rationalizing this by stating "where they gonna go?" Maybe Debbie can find a lobbyist for payday loans. That would seem more in line with the value system Hillary and Debbie adhere to.

[jwirr]

30. I also wondered about those Unions who endorsed Hillary

and how they feel now. It is a good thing that the rank and file had enough sense to fight back - at least Bernie got to appoint a few Union people.

[AzDar]

14. K & R

[senz]

18. The "new Dems" choose management over labor.

"New Dems" are Republicans.

[CobaltBlue]

20. senz—They always were.

[highprincipleswork]

19. Disgusting, and something everyone who supports Hillary should notice.

[onenote]

23. Here is the complete list

Chair: Elijah Cummings (Member of Congress from MD).

#Hon. Howard Berman (former member of Congress from CA, currently lobbyist at Covington)
#Rep. Barbara Lee (current member of Congress from CA)
#Bonnie Schaefer (business woman, philanthropist)
*Bill McKibben (environmental activist, journalist)
*Deborah Parker (Native American leader, activist)
*Dr. Cornel West (Academic, activist)
*James Zogby (Pres. Arab American Institute)
*Rep. Keith Ellison (current member of Congress from MN)
**Paul Booth (AFSCME Official)
**State Rep. Alicia Reece (Member of Ohio legislature)
**Rep. Luis Gutierrez (current member of Congress from IL)
**Hon. Carol Browner (former EPA official, currently @ Albright Stonebridge, not registered as lobbyist)
**Ambassador Wendy Sherman (former State Dept. Official, lead negotiator on Iran deal, currently @ Albright)
**Neera Tanden (Pres. Center for American Progress)

#=DNC; *=Sanders **= Clinton

As best I can tell, one out of 15 (and one out of of the 4 DNC appointees)is a registered lobbyist. Two others (both appointed by Clinton) work for consulting firms but are not themselves registered lobbyists. Five are elected officials. There are 7 women; nine religious or ethnic minorities. It's a pretty diverse group if you ask me.

[randome]

25. Killjoy.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[upaloopa]

26. Bernie whines now to get more support from his people. The whole damn world is unfare to Bernie.

That attitude does not inspire people and will not get super delegates to flip.

[Cheese Sandwich]

31. But they should have more labor representation there.

There was no good reason to boot Roseanne DeMoro.

[beachbum bob]

27. bold face lie and sanders knows it

labor has representation proportional as always been...sanders doesn't like it as its "not his backer"


so glad when sanders back in obscurity or on foxnews as a new host

[Triana]

28. . . .

LINK: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/01/sanders-dnc-vetoed-union-leader-pick-for-platform-committee/

[randome]

29. Disingenuous framing. They didn't want Sanders' pick, that's all.

Look at the list above: Paul Booth (AFSCME Official).
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]