I first wrote about Alan Mairson’s podcast series, “Searching for Bernie” last summer while GMD was still officially in hiatus.
If you haven’t yet listened to any of the episodes, you are missing some truly original perspectives on the Sanders campaign and its message from economists, entrepreneurs, political analysts, and ordinary folks like you and me.
Episode 15: “The Party Decides,” just released, focusses on the Democratic National Committee and recent controversy over its preferential treatment of the Clinton Campaign.
The long and short of it is that, yes, the DNC will do everything in its power to ensure that Hillary Clinton is the nominee. Apparently, it is well within its rights to do so. “Fairness” doesn’t even enter into the equation. If Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and the powers that be do not believe that Bernie has the best chance of winning the White House, it doesn’t matter how much public support he has, he will not be nominated to represent the party.
As a lifelong member of the Democratic National Committee, Mairson attempted to engage Louis Miranda, the Communications Director of the DNC, way back in October, for an interview to discuss how the DNC is structured and what are its operating guidelines.
At first the Communications Office responded immediately, offering possible dates for the interview; but, as the weeks passed, every date that Mairson agreed to had to be cancelled unexpectedly.
Finally, after six weeks and endless email exchanges, he telephoned as instructed on the appointed day only to be emailed my Miranda himself with a canned message about DNC neutrality and how he could not go on record in support of any one candidate. When Maison responded that it wasn’t his intention to discuss Bernie in particular and would just like some insight into the workings of the DNC…his DNC…he received no response and no further communication from the Communications Office.
Being unable to get the Communications Officer of the DNC to communicate with him, a DNC member, raised some new questions in Mairson’s mind like who exactly the DNC works for, and with whom does Miranda “communicate,” if not with loyal party members like himself?
For answers to those and other pithy questions, Mairson turned to Associate Professor Hans Noel from the Government Department of Georgetown University, and author of the book, “The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform.”
Professor Noel provided all kinds of eye-opening insight, which I will leave you to discover by listening to the podcast.
Suffice it to say that my response to those revelations may be described in a single word…disheartening.
I was raised in Richard J. Daley’s Chicago so I know something about the “Democratic Machine.”
Have a listen: http://searchingforbernie.us/#
I find it an outrage that DNC is rolling out the red carpet solely for the Clintons like they’re royalty basically installing Helery, and choosing just one person out of any other possibilities.
Had my fill of Bernie and didn’t watch last debate the way the party is running the show renders it a sham.
They had to have put the word out to the party that only HRC need apply, the debates are just ‘show debates’ designed to showcase their choice. The others merely serve as functionaries and stage decor. Had to have someone to debate with, they simply flank her and act as props. Depressing.