Becoming a Delegate to the DNC is a Worthy Goal
Last night I attended a workshop conducted by the Urban League Next Philadelphia group. It is a network of young professionals in the 21 - 44 year old range that are reaching out to individuals to inform them about the process of becoming a Delegate for the Democratic Party when the national convention is held in July of this year. I learned a lot about the process and I am considering pursuing an opportunity to be among the thousands who will nominate our next Presidential candidate.
The overview of the process from the Pennsylvania Democrats was given by Bradley Kirsch who is the Chairman of the State Committee Senior Caucus. The event was held at the office of 1199C on Locust Street. Potential candidates have to submit a pledge form to a specific candidate. I pledged to support Hillary Clinton. I would like to find out more about Martin O'Malley as the process moves forward with the state caucuses. Mr. Kirsch mentioned that one of the objectives of the outreach was to diversify the pool of candidates for delegate. A person could classify as a youth, senior, disabled, LGBT or a labor supporter. They had every race mentioned except white. Also, one must be aware of the congressional district that they lived in.
The next interesting presentation came from Omar Woodard. This upcoming convention will be his 4th. He attended conventions in Boston, Charlotte and Denver. He mentioned that the last nominating convention in Philadelphia was held in 1948. This fact alone made me want to throw my hat in the ring. He mentioned the role fo delegates and also volunteers. Most of the action will take place in the Wells Fargo center in South Philly. He also mentioned what will happen if a brokered vote takes place. It happened in 1968 and Richard Nixon was elected. This young man was a walking history lesson.
I would like to see some of the delegates spend time in the neighborhoods of the city. I know that time is probably extremely compressed for the attendees. I did mention that the 36th Ward had been discussing the possibility of hosting an event. Some members in attendance included Barry Gabbadon and Tiphanie White. Mr. Woodard indicated that the Monday of the Conference was probably the best day to host. He indicated that the DNC has a downtown office. I will be calling them this week. Our Ward leader was there. He didn't have too many things to say. Harold James is a man of few words in public forums. We are waiting on out first meeting of the year in this exciting time.
The time frame for the process is tight. A potential delegate can fill out a pledge form at www.padems.com. It only takes a few minute. You need 250 signatures in your congressional district to complete the process. It still could be a favoritism contest if elected officials decide to get involved. Pennsylvania will have a total of 215 delegates. We are one of the largest states, population wise, in the United States. Who knows which way our state will vote as a whole in November. Applicants will be notified on January 27th if they are selected for the process. The time frame for signatures coincides with PA State Representatives and the Congressional candidates in Philadelphia. Let the games begin.
P.S. I did not get selected in the first round. There might be an opportunity to contribute as a volunteer.
The overview of the process from the Pennsylvania Democrats was given by Bradley Kirsch who is the Chairman of the State Committee Senior Caucus. The event was held at the office of 1199C on Locust Street. Potential candidates have to submit a pledge form to a specific candidate. I pledged to support Hillary Clinton. I would like to find out more about Martin O'Malley as the process moves forward with the state caucuses. Mr. Kirsch mentioned that one of the objectives of the outreach was to diversify the pool of candidates for delegate. A person could classify as a youth, senior, disabled, LGBT or a labor supporter. They had every race mentioned except white. Also, one must be aware of the congressional district that they lived in. The next interesting presentation came from Omar Woodard. This upcoming convention will be his 4th. He attended conventions in Boston, Charlotte and Denver. He mentioned that the last nominating convention in Philadelphia was held in 1948. This fact alone made me want to throw my hat in the ring. He mentioned the role fo delegates and also volunteers. Most of the action will take place in the Wells Fargo center in South Philly. He also mentioned what will happen if a brokered vote takes place. It happened in 1968 and Richard Nixon was elected. This young man was a walking history lesson.
I would like to see some of the delegates spend time in the neighborhoods of the city. I know that time is probably extremely compressed for the attendees. I did mention that the 36th Ward had been discussing the possibility of hosting an event. Some members in attendance included Barry Gabbadon and Tiphanie White. Mr. Woodard indicated that the Monday of the Conference was probably the best day to host. He indicated that the DNC has a downtown office. I will be calling them this week. Our Ward leader was there. He didn't have too many things to say. Harold James is a man of few words in public forums. We are waiting on out first meeting of the year in this exciting time.
The time frame for the process is tight. A potential delegate can fill out a pledge form at www.padems.com. It only takes a few minute. You need 250 signatures in your congressional district to complete the process. It still could be a favoritism contest if elected officials decide to get involved. Pennsylvania will have a total of 215 delegates. We are one of the largest states, population wise, in the United States. Who knows which way our state will vote as a whole in November. Applicants will be notified on January 27th if they are selected for the process. The time frame for signatures coincides with PA State Representatives and the Congressional candidates in Philadelphia. Let the games begin.
P.S. I did not get selected in the first round. There might be an opportunity to contribute as a volunteer.
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