MDP Rule Change - Part 1
November 11th, 2005 | by christine |When it comes to the Michigan Democratic Party, I?m no guru. I have no interest in state party business and little memory of Robert?s Rules of Order. I?ve never been to a convention or to a committee meeting because I can?t think of anything more excruciating than spending a Saturday feigning interest in the administrative minutiae of the party apparatus.
And then along came this little thing called the 30-day rule.
For a better understanding of the 30-day rule, let?s start with the way things used to work:
Under the old system, the Democratic voter elected Precinct Delegates. Precinct Delegates then, at the county and district levels, nominated their delegates to the State Convention. The local counties and districts could choose the method by which they would decide who would be a voting delegate to the State Convention. Shiawassee County, for example, would allow any member in good standing to be a delegate to the convention. Members could become delegates as long as they attended the meetings and asked to be added to the list along with the Precinct Delegates. Our county was one of many that had a very open policy towards sending delegates to the State Convention. It was through the Precinct Delegates and the liberal policies like those of Shiawassee County, that the Democratic voters most directly and most powerfully had control of their party.
Now for the new and improved system:
Simply put (due to my simple understanding), the 30 day rule allows anyone who joins the Democratic Party 30-days prior to the State Convention, to vote at the convention. Admittedly, that doesn?t sound so bad. After all, isn?t the Democratic Party the party of the people? Don?t we want open participation? Why should Democrats have to elect representatives to elect representatives to vote for them? Isn?t it better to allow everyone to vote, rather than just a few?
Sure, it?s all good, except for one tiny wrinkle: a staunch and active Republican who sends in the form and ?joins? the Michigan Democratic Party in time now gets to vote at the Michigan Democratic Party State Convention. Under the old system, the local parties could preserve the integrity of the Convention because control over the delegation was local. Members in good standing generally know each other. It would take a lot longer for a Republican to get into our State Convention if he had to become a member in good standing of a local organization.
Ok, so who cares if one Republican crashes our convention? What harm can one Republican do?
How about 200 Republicans?
How about 200 Focus On The Family Republicans?
Or 200 Zell Miller Democrats?
This isn?t the first time that the party has operated under such a rule. A similar rule was in place in 1968, when the Michigan Delegation to the Democratic National Convention cast its vote to George Wallace. Just prior to the Democratic National Convention, there had been a surge of new members in the Michigan Democratic Party.
All of these new members joined just in time to vote at the State Convention.
All of these new members voted for George Wallace.
Next time ? MDP Chair Mark Brewer responds to criticism of the 30-day rule.
