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Divernan

(15,480 posts)
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 10:27 AM Aug 2015

"Tired of fighting w/Wolf, Penn. Dem. chair Burn to step down."

(This story is dated July, but for some reason just popped up on my FB feed - and it was news to me.)
Tired of fighting with Wolf, Pennsylvania Democrats chair to step down
In a video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, Jim Burn said he'll submit a resignation letter at the party's Sept. 12 meeting in Gettysburg. (Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Democratic Party chairman says he's stepping down, a year after a fight with Gov. Tom Wolf over the job. In a video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, Jim Burn said he'll submit a resignation letter at the party's Sept. 12 meeting in Gettysburg.
on July 21, 2015 at 11:25 AM, updated July 21, 2015 at 11:26 AM

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Democratic Party chairman says he's stepping down, a year after a fight with Gov. Tom Wolf over the job.

In a video uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday, Jim Burn said he'll submit a resignation letter at the party's Sept. 12 meeting in Gettysburg.

Burn says he wants to move past the persistent questions and concerns over his decisions last year, although he didn't say what those decisions were.

Wolf had just won the party's gubernatorial primary when he sought to replace Burn with Katie McGinty.

But Burn refused to step down and was re-elected by committee members to serve another four-year term. As a result, Wolf started a political action committee headed by McGinty called that fulfilled many of the coordinating activities the party normally undertakes during an election year.

http://www.pennlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/jim_burn_resign_democrats.html


This comment following the article really lays it out as to the incompetence of the Old Guard-controlled state Democratic party. There are far too many state and local committeemen and women whose involvement is limited to attending parties/state conventions and obtaining political patronage and other favors for themselves and their friends and families.
They do nothing to get out the vote. They don't welcome newcomers and get them registered. They don't go door to door campaigning. They don't put together lists of places for candidates' yard signs. They don't phone bank. They don't find/encourage other Dems to run for local offices. And they don't even work the goddamn polls on election days. No wonder that even though Pennsylvania Democrats have an approximate 1.1 million registration edge (as of 2012), the GOP controls both chambers of the legislature! http://articles.mcall.com/2012-01-19/news/mc-pa-republican-voter-gains-20120119_1_voter-registration-registration-gap-new-voters

The ineptitude of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party would seem to suggest that changes do need to be made. Imagine a party with a substantial registration edge being unable to get their people out to vote in off year elections and losing the PA legislature time after time again, this time to the point where the GOP has the largest House margin since 1958. The Democratic Party in PA seems to be going in reverse instead of going forward. The record is appalling and pathetic. They have allowed the minority Republicans to rule the legislative roast because somehow they cannot even inspire their constituency to get off their duffs and go to a polling station. Something needs to be done fast, because this PA Republican Party is no longer the moderate Republican Party of your father's day where people like Bill Scranton and other GOP moderates from SE PA's philly suburbs ran things. The radicals of the far GOP right are now filtering into the state party (people like Daryl Metcalfe) and there is no one to stop them in this blue state except Democrats. Yet, this party continues to display breathtaking incompetence in legislative politics. No wonder the Governor started his own organization.
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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"Tired of fighting w/Wolf, Penn. Dem. chair Burn to step down." (Original Post) Divernan Aug 2015 OP
Sounds a lot like Wisconsin ... Scuba Aug 2015 #1
Maybe a new leader could give the party a kick in the arse. femmocrat Aug 2015 #2
I'm really wondering who has been pre-ordained to take over from Burn. Divernan Aug 2015 #3
No doubt! femmocrat Aug 2015 #4
Me also. Divernan Aug 2015 #5
That is so true in our county, Curmudgeoness Aug 2015 #6
 

Scuba

(53,475 posts)
1. Sounds a lot like Wisconsin ...
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 10:30 AM
Aug 2015
They do nothing to get out the vote. They don't welcome newcomers and get them registered. They don't go door to door campaigning. They don't put together lists of places for candidates' yard signs. They don't phone bank. They don't find/encourage other Dems to run for local offices. And they don't even work the goddamn polls on election days.





femmocrat

(28,394 posts)
2. Maybe a new leader could give the party a kick in the arse.
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:00 PM
Aug 2015

Good luck to whomever.

Our county has gone pretty much solid republican in the past few election cycles.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
3. I'm really wondering who has been pre-ordained to take over from Burn.
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 12:20 PM
Aug 2015

I'm sure there's been mucho wheeling and dealing (1) to get Jim to step down and (2) to have a back-room selection of the new state chair. I expect Rendell & possibly even Debbie Wasserman Schultz have been actively involved to get someone who will push McGinty over Sestak in the primary.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
5. Me also.
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 01:07 PM
Aug 2015

It will be interesting to see what Ed Rendell does should Sanders and/or Sestak win their primaries. Especially as to Sestak. Will Ed put getting a progressive Democrat elected to the Senate ahead of his personal lobbying BFFs and corporate law clients ($$$). I very much doubt it. And you know what, I doubt that Sestak has much use for Rendell, which is fine with me. Rendell is old school, schmoozing, slick-talking, wheel & deal, 3rd way. The sooner that whole crew goes the way of the dinosaurs, the better.

Curmudgeoness

(18,219 posts)
6. That is so true in our county,
Thu Aug 27, 2015, 01:38 PM
Aug 2015

with committee members who do absolutely nothing. They never even show up at the Democratic functions and meetings. Frankly, I have no idea what they do except show up when there is good news for the party and go to the state conventions---sometimes. Often, they don't even make it there.

I see Burns as just another Third Way Democrat, and that is not moving the party forward. Can't say that this is bad news. Too bad he couldn't get along with Wolf.

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