New bylaws passed, but will DNC accept them?
Alabama’s State Democratic Executive Committee has voted 80 to 73 to adopt new bylaws supported by the party chairwoman at a contentious meeting in Montgomery. But the Montgomery Advertiser reports that the bylaws approved Saturday have not been adopted by the Democratic National Committee. Opponents of chairwoman Nancy Worley said the adoption of the latest bylaws comes well after a key deadline. Backers of another set of bylaws had succeeded in getting them adopted on Oct. 5 — the DNC submission deadline. Bur Worley contends that the Oct. 5 meeting was illegitimate. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Nancy Worley could lose DNC credential after missed deadlines
Alabama Democratic party leaders will lose their seats on the Democratic National Committee after the state party twice missed deadlines for new leadership elections, under a recommendation made Thursday. The DNC’s credentials committee recommended revoking the credentials of Alabama Chairwoman Nancy Worley and Vice-Chair Randy Kelley. The full DNC will have to approve the recommendation on Saturday, but typically accepts the recommendations. Worley and Kelley would stay in their state roles, but won’t have a seat on the DNC. National party officials in February ordered new elections after finding procedural irregularities with Worley’s and Kelley’s election last year. Party officials also ordered the state party to develop an affirmative action plan and revise bylaws to provide representation of more minorities — not just African Americans. Committee member Harold Ickes, who helped lead the negotiations between the state and DNC, said the state party has “stalled this process.” “This has been sort of a textbook example of delay, delay, delay, delay. We’re mystified by it,” Ickes said. Worley said the challenge was filed by people unhappy with her election and suggested it was an effort to minimize the influence of African Americans. Worley said there is a “special circle in hell that is going to be as hot as it can be” for people who try to strip black voters of their voting rights, and told members they will need water, “cause you are going to be burning in hell for taking away people’s voting rights.” A committee member responded that the party takes its commitment to diversity seriously and that this came about because of the “flagrant irregularities” in Worley’s election last year. There have been calls for new party leadership after internal disagreement over management and decisions. Democrats for a decade have lost all statewide elections in Alabama with the exception of the 2017 election of U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. He is the only Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama.
National democrat party officials reject Alabama state party bylaws
National party officials are expressing concern that the Alabama Democratic Party isn’t doing enough to attract more non-black minorities. The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee on Tuesday rejected the state party’s proposed bylaws. The national party in February ordered the Alabama party to hold new elections for party leaders and to revise bylaws and encourage participation by more minorities. The directive came amid challenges over the re-election of Nancy Worley as chair of the state party. Committee member Harold Ickes says the party’s proposal did not comply with the DNC directive. Ickes also says the party’s internal elections last year made the “Keystone Cops look organized.” Worley told the panel that people unhappy with her election are “refighting the civil war” with the challenges. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Dems pick Milwaukee for 2020 convention over Miami, Houston
Democrats selected Milwaukee to host their 2020 national convention Monday, setting up the party’s 2020 standard-bearer to accept the presidential nomination in the heart of the old industrial belt that delivered Donald Trump to the White House. Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez chose Milwaukee over Houston and Miami after deliberations lingered longer than party leaders or officials from the three finalist cities had expected. The convention is scheduled for July 13-16, 2020. It will be the first time in over a century that Democrats will be in a Midwest city other than Chicago to nominate their presidential candidate. Instead, the political spotlight will shine for a week on a metro area of about 1.6 million people. Once dubbed as “The Machine Shop of the World,” the famously working-class city also is known for its long love affair with beer and as the birthplace of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Republicans are set to gather in Charlotte, the largest city in battleground North Carolina, on Aug. 24-27, 2020. Democrats see plenty of symbolism in Milwaukee after a bitter 2016 election defined by Hillary Clinton being nearly swept in what her campaign aides had confidently called a “Blue Wall” across the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. That band of states twice sided with President Barack Obama, but Clinton held only Minnesota, ceding Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania — a combined 64 of the necessary 270 electoral votes — as white working-class voters flocked to Trump. The president won Wisconsin and its 10 electoral votes by about 23,000 votes out of almost 3 million cast, the first time since 1984 that Republicans claimed the state in a presidential election. Afterward, Clinton took withering criticism for not once visiting Wisconsin as a general election candidate. Since then, Wisconsin voters have re-elected Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, ousted Republican Gov. Scott Walker in favor of Democrat Tony Evers and the state’s first black lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes. Wisconsin Democrats pointed to those midterm election results as they lobbied Perez and DNC officials, and presidential candidates already are paying attention. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar came to Wisconsin in one of her first trips as a declared candidate. “A lot people feel that we lost (in 2016) because this area had been ignored — whether it’s from a political standpoint or whether it’s from a governing standpoint,” said Barnes, one of the members of the convention bid committee. Holding the convention in Milwaukee, Barnes added, says “we are ready to reinvest in the Midwest, that the Midwest matters again.” In a political twist, Milwaukee officials have said the Republican Walker was instrumental in winning the convention. Democratic Party proceedings will play out in the new 17,500-seat arena that Walker helped build for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks by securing public financing from state lawmakers. Walker later lobbied GOP-leaning business leaders and donors to support Milwaukee’s effort to land the DNC. Democratic officials in Washington said picking a convention site is as much about logistics as anything else, even as they acknowledge political optics and potential story lines. On the logistics front, Milwaukee may have pulled somewhat of an upset, given its small footprint compared to Houston and Miami, cities long accustomed to hosting major events. Houston put on the Super Bowl as recently as February 2017. Milwaukee organizers pitched their city — the Democratic stronghold of Wisconsin — as a resurgent downtown beyond just the arena and convention facilities. Home to some of the country’s biggest brewers, including Pabst, Schlitz, Miller and Blatz, the metro area has a redeveloped downtown, a hotel capacity exceeding 17,000 rooms and a new downtown streetcar line that opened in November. Still, the city had to prove it has the overall capacity to satisfy the demands of tens of thousands of delegates, party activists, donors and media that will descend next summer. DNC officials have said that the question wasn’t about hotel rooms, but whether Milwaukee has requisite venues for other convention staples, from daily sit-down breakfast meetings for 57 state and territorial delegations to evening events put on by state parties, corporations, lobbyists and donors. Even as Milwaukee officials insisted they have the venues, some deep-pocketed Democrats in nearby Chicago — a 90-minute drive — stepped in to note their proximity. Houston and Miami, meanwhile, faced their own challenges. Miami has an impressive concentration of luxury hotels, but many are in Miami Beach across bridges from downtown. That raised the prospect of delegates spending hours in traffic jams trying to get to convention facilities. The city’s arena also is not as new as in Milwaukee. Houston had few if any logistical barriers. But according to party officials with knowledge of the process, the city’s organizing committee struggled to come up with the necessary financing without resorting to the oil and gas industry. That’s the city’s bread and butter, but it’s become anathema in Democratic politics because of the fossil fuel industry’s part in climate change. The city’s mayor also is embroiled in a long labor dispute with Houston firefighters — raising worries. Also, though Houston and Miami are Democratic anchors in their states, Texas and Florida have no Democratic governor or senator between them. Barrow reported from Atlanta. Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
DNC orders Alabama Democratic Party to hold new election for chair, vice chair
The Alabama Democratic Party has 90 days to hold an election for its chairman and vice chairman positions. That’s according to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), which has vacated the state party’s 2018 officer elections following a vote by the credentials committee on Thursday afternoon. Current Party Chair Nancy Worley and her Vice Chair Randy Kelley will also be allowed to continue serving in their respective roles until the election, which will be overseen by the DNC, takes places. The DNC’s decisions follows an evidentiary hearing held Monday regarding two complaints lodged against the 2018 officer elections. “With (Worley) and (Kelley) presiding over the meeting,” one complaint read. “The elections were conducted in a sloppy and haphazard manner that was easily susceptible to manipulation. The elections were deliberately manipulated in order to favor Worley, Kelley and all other incumbent SDEC officers.” Worley had won re-election in August by a narrow margin of 101-89 against a challenger who was backed by U.S. Sen. Doug Jones. According to the AP, one challenge alleges that, while these 190 votes were recorded only 142 state committee members signed in to the meeting.
House GOP campaign arm targeted by ‘unknown entity’ in 2018
Thousands of emails were stolen from aides to the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2018 midterm campaign, a major breach exposing vulnerabilities that have kept cybersecurity experts on edge since the 2016 presidential race. The email accounts were compromised during a series of intrusions that had been spread over several months and discovered in April, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. At least four different party aides had their emails surveilled by hackers, said the person, who was not authorized to discuss the details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The committee said an “unknown entity” was behind the hack but provided few other details. A cybersecurity firm and the FBI have been investigating the matter, the committee said. The FBI declined to comment. Politically motivated cyberespionage is commonplace across the world, but Americans have become particularly alert to the possibility of digital interference since Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. The theft of Democrats’ emails is still fresh in the minds of many political operatives and lawmakers, who have stepped up defensive measures but still struggle to protect themselves. Foreign spies routinely try to hack into politicians’ emails to gain insight, ferret out weaknesses and win a diplomatic edge. But hackers often launch sweeping spear-phishing campaigns to gain access to a variety accounts — with no political motivation. With no immediate suspects and few technical details, it’s unclear what the significance of this latest incursion is. In August, the Democratic National Committee thought it had thwarted an attempt to break into its massive voter database — but the effort turned out to be unauthorized test that mimicked what an attack would look like. CrowdStrike, a California-based cybersecurity company, said Tuesday the NRCC asked the company in April to “perform an investigation related to unauthorized access” to the committee’s emails. Before that, the company had been helping the committee protect its internal corporate network, which wasn’t compromised. “The cybersecurity of the committee’s data is paramount, and upon learning of the intrusion, the NRCC immediately launched an internal investigation and notified the FBI, which is now investigating the matter,” the committee said in a statement. The hack was first reported by Politico. Earlier this year, NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers said the committee — which raises money to support Republican candidates for the House — hired multiple cybersecurity staffers to work with its candidates and promised to do more. “We’re starting to advise campaigns, but we’re not ready to roll the whole thing out. We’re working on it,” Stivers said in March. “We’re working on the technology-based stuff to try and make sure that we know what’s out there — which is hard, too — and then we try to defend against it the best we can.” During the 2016 presidential campaign, Russian state-aligned hackers organized the leak of more than 150,000 emails stolen from more than a dozen Democrats. The FBI later said that the Russians had targeted more than 300 people affiliated with the Hillary Clinton campaign and other Democratic institutions over the course of the presidential contest. Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating the whether people close to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had advance knowledge of WikiLeaks’ plans. U.S. officials have expressed concern about foreign interference in U.S. elections. This weekend, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused Russia of trying to “muck around” in the November midterm elections. Mattis did not offer specifics and would not elaborate. In October, the Justice Department unsealed criminal charges detailing a yearslong effort by a Russian troll farm to “sow division and discord in the U.S. political system” by creating thousands of false social media profiles and email accounts that appeared to be from people inside the United States. The complaint provided a clear picture that there is still a hidden but powerful Russian social media effort aimed at spreading distrust for American political candidates and causing divisions on social issues such as immigration and gun control. The campaign season saw several examples of digital mischief, although none with the impact of the 2016 hacks. In August, Microsoft alerted the public to attempts by government-backed Russian hackers to target U.S. conservatives’ email by creating fake websites that appeared to belong to a pair of think tanks, the Hudson Institute and International Republican Institute. It also confirmed an attempt similarly attributed to Russian hackers to infiltrate the Senate computer network of Sen. Claire McCaskill, the Missouri Democrat who lost a re-election bid in November. Google later confirmed in September that the personal Gmail accounts of multiple senators and staffers had recently been targeted by foreign hackers, though it did not specify the cyberspies’ nationality nor the party affiliations of the targets. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
JeffCo Democrat files complaint with DNC over Nancy Worley re-election
A Jefferson County Democrat has filed a complaint with Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials over the Alabama Democratic Party’s election of officers earlier this month. Ralph Young, a member of the Jefferson County Democratic Party, filed a seven-page complaint that Alabama Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley did not follow proper procedures when calling the meeting that led to her re-election. Young claims she gave inadequate notice and failed to comply with diversity requirements for officers. “I’m a bit of a rules wonk and I have concerns about how the election was done,” Young told the Montgomery Advertiser. “I don’t believe it was done in a fair fashion. I think there are a number of procedural issues that could have decided differently.” Jones has found herself under fire recently. On Monday, Susan Cobb, chairwoman of the Marion County Democratic Executive Committee, announced that she is suing Worley for allegedly removing her from the party’s website and restructuring the committee, effectively removing Cobb from office. The DNC confirms the complaint has been received and has been passed along to the Credentials Committee.
Birmingham out of the running host 2020 Democratic National Convention
It’s official, Birmingham is out of the running for the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In May, media outlets reported the DNC narrowed down potential host cities to Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Miami Beach, Milwaukee, New York, and San Francisco. But the mayor’s office said Birmingham never submitted a bid for consideration. “We were honored to receive the encouragement from (Democratic Party) Chairman Tom Perez and Deputy Chairman Rep. Keith Ellison to submit a proposal for Birmingham to host the DNC in 2020,” Rick Journey, director of communications for Mayor Randall Woodfin, told AL.com in an email. “After a closer look, we recognized the huge amount of resources needed to prepare the city to be competitive in the selection process, and successful if we were to be selected as the host. “At this time, we have determined that we must keep our focus first and foremost on our priorities to the people of Birmingham through neighborhood revitalization, workforce development and business growth,” he added. In 2016, the city spent $275,000 to hire a team of consultants to organize and promote the its convention bid. Ultimately Philadelphia was chosen. POLITICO reported on Wednesday the DNC narrowed its 2020 convention locations to Houston, Miami Beach, Milwaukee and Denver. Since that time, Denver has withdrawn its bid. The convention is scheduled for July 13-16, 2020. The site selection committee is expected to visit Houston, Miami Beach, Milwaukee over the summer and announce the host city this fall or early in 2019.
DNC lied about how much it spent to defeat Roy Moore
Following Democrat Doug Jones‘ victory in December, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) claimed they aided his campaign tremendously; declaring they spent $1 million dollars of their own money towards defeating Republican Roy Moore. Last year’s heated senate race between now Senator Jones and his opponent, former Alabama Chief Justice, Moore had everyone in Alabama on edge. The race garnered national media attention and even the attention, and endorsement, of President Donald Trump. What a great opportunity for the DNC to show it’s power and wealth. Well, maybe not. Although the committee did contribute aides, organized voter-outreach plans, and campaigned via text, calls, and volunteers, the committee only spent $250,000 of their own money towards the campaign. The cash was used to fund more than two dozen staffers in Alabama who organized outreach to African-American voters. The rest of the $1 million that the DNC claimed actually came from voters and donations that the DNC solicited for Jones campaign. “For the first time in its history, the DNC used its email list for split fundraising to directly raise money for and invest in campaigns across the country in 2017,” Michael Tyler, DNC spokesman told McClatchy. “While the RNC cut blank checks for an accused child molester, we’re proud that tens of thousands of Americans contributed $5 and $10 at a time to fund the Doug Jones campaign’s organizing efforts.” The DNC has filed reports with the Federal Election Commission showing $87,000 and claims they will be able to show another $163,000 when records of their spending are received. The remaining $679,000 they raised through e-mail fundraising will not have to be reported with the FEC since the money never actually passed through the committee. Jones is already working on paying the committee back, at the end of December he sent an e-mail to former Vice-President Joe Biden‘s PAC, American Possibilities asking for donations for democratic candidates in 2018.
Mike Rogers: What is the real Russian influence?
As most folks across East Alabama may have seen recently in the news, Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to investigate the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign, has been in the spotlight. Mr. Mueller has a very important job to do and he must do it fairly and in a nonpartisan manner. Details have come out in the past few weeks about Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democrat National Committee (DNC) role in funding a dossier on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The dossier was full of information that was unverified and painted Mr. Trump in a negative light. The dossier was put together by a man named Christopher Steele, a foreign intelligence agent, and is sometimes referred to as the Steele Dossier. The DNC and Clinton campaign hired a company called Fusion GPS, which has very deep ties to Russia, to conduct some of the research. We now know that some of the information used in the dossier may have been the basis of the Obama Administration’s decision to begin spying on members of the Trump campaign – spying on Americans. This should raise more than just eyebrows. It is more than troubling. The liberal media elite is obsessed with Russian meddling and President Trump, but there are real questions about Secretary Clinton and the DNC’s involvement with Russia during the 2016 presidential election. I believe that there should also be an investigation into then-Secretary Clinton’s involvement in the approval of the Uranium One deal and donations made to the Clinton Foundation. Robert Mueller, or another appropriate special counsel, needs to dig deep in to the details of this matter that could be the real heart of Russian influence. The American people deserve to know the truth and learn more beyond what the liberal media elite and the Democrat spin cycle chooses to believe and to report on. I want to hear from you on this or any issue. ••• Mike Rogers is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District. Sign-up for his e-Newsletter by visiting www.mikerogers.house.gov. To stay up to date, you can also like him on Facebook at Congressman Mike D. Rogers, follow him on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram at RepMikeRogersAL, on Tumblr at www.repmikerogersal.tumblr.com.
Jeff Sessions addresses group representing baker who refused to serve gay couple
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday delivered a speech to the religious freedom group that is representing a Colorado baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple in 2012. Sessions’ attendance at the closed-press Alliance Defending Freedom‘s (ADF) Summit on Religious Liberty in Orange County, Calif. is drawing criticism as advocacy groups and Democrats across the country are questioning why the leader of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agreed to speak at the ADF group at all. Founded by Dr. Bill Bright, ADF is best known for supporting socially conservative causes and advocating on behalf of religious freedom. Recently, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case in which ADF is representing Colorado baker Jim Phillips. Phillips made national headlines in 2012 when he refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. He is now challenging Colorado’s nondiscrimination law, saying he should be allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples due to his religious beliefs. A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) criticized Sessions’ decision to speak to the group. “You can judge a person by the company they keep and tonight – Attorney General Jeff Sessions is choosing to spend his time speaking in front of one of the country’s leading anti-LGBTQ hate groups,” Joel Kasnetz said. “Sessions’ appearance at this event, as the top law enforcement official in the country, brings into question whether the attorney general intends to protect all Americans.” “ADF has been extremely active in pushing for so-called ‘religious liberty’ laws around the country that allow Christians to discriminate against LGBT people,” said the Southern Poverty Law Center who in 2016 designated the ADF as a hate-group, on their website. “The nation’s top lawyer rallying with an anti-LGBTQ hate group? Outrageous,” the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a civil rights group promoting LGBTQ equality, said in a blog post Wednesday. HRC was also troubled by the DOJ’s decision to keep Sessions’ remarks private. “The attorney general has every right to speak to a group like Alliance Defending Freedom,” commented David Stacy, Government Affairs Director of HRC. “What troubles us is that his remarks are being kept hidden from the public at the same time he has been tasked by the President with issuing religious discrimination policies that ADF has long promoted.” The DOJ did not respond to questions about whether the speech was in support for Phillips’ case.
Terri Sewell named Vice Chair of group to ‘protect’ voters from Donald Trump
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched a new group on Thursday that aims to “protect” American voters from President Donald Trump. Formed in direct response to the Trump Administration’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, the Commission on Protecting American Democracy from the Trump Administration aims to will investigate voter suppression, the “voter fraud” myth, and strategies for modernizing the voting process to expand voting rights. “President Trump’s commission is nothing but a sham to justify the GOP’s voter suppression efforts across the country,” DNC Chairman Tom Perez said in a statement. “While Trump’s misleading claims about voter fraud were probably made to mend his bruised ego after losing the popular vote, he created an opening for Republican politicians to nationalize their efforts to complicate voting and suppress eligible voters.” Jason Kander, President of Let America Vote and a former Missouri secretary of state, will chair the 13-member commission along with Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell who has been named vice chair. “When it comes to protecting voting rights for all Americans, we cannot trust the Trump Administration to get the facts right,” said Sewell. “Time after time, President Trump has chosen to recite baseless ‘voter fraud’ claims rather than taking on real issues like voter suppression.” “Our Commission will document and report on today’s wave of voter suppression tactics and provide recommendations for strengthening access to the polls for all Americans. One person, one vote is a fundamental principle of our democracy, and I am proud to be part of a Commission that seeks to protect and advance voting rights.” The other members of the commission include: New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro; Colorado House Speaker Crisanta Duran; Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes; Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes; Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey; New York Representative Grace Men; Wisconsin Representative Gwen Moore; California Secretary of State Alex Padilla; DNC Vice Chair Karen Carter Peterson; and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine.
