Stupid questions regarding the Democrat party structure.

[Taxloss]

Forgive me, I am a Brit and not only find American politics increasingly fascinating, I feel it has vast import for the future of my country and the world. Regarding that, I have a few questions:

1. What is the exact role of the DNC?

2. What is the role of the DLC?

3. People seem to hate the DLC, and I can see why from what they say about it. In that case, why does it exist?

4. What democratic accountability does the party have? Does it have a paying membership that votes on issues? What checks and balances are there?

5. Why bother with the primary system? If it requires voters to state affiliation at registration, it seems that the secret ballot is breached - it's a gaping whole for fraud. Wouldn't abandonning primaries be a good first step towards electoral reform?

Thank you in advance for your time.

[Lautremont]

1. I'm a Canadian, and what he said.

I have the same stupid questions.

[pinto]

2. some brief sloppy notes:

political National Committees (the DNC, RNC among others) primary role is to unite the various State Committees on a national (presidential) ticket, garner support, mobilize resources and, in a quid pro quo, support the State Committees choice of local candidates.

Maybe a step back is in order.

We have a level of separation between the States and the Federal governments, in laws, elections and local procedures.

States have two federal Senators, each, regardless of population, and a number of federal Representatives depending on population.

Plus, we have an Electoral College national election process, which you are probably aware of, that allocates a certain number of "electors" for each state in the presidential election, based on each states federal representation.

Total national vote matters less than state vote and state electors committed to a candidate for president. The candidate with the most state electors - the one that wins the most states - gets the presidency.

Soooo, the DNC works to make this system work. It is unwieldy and cantankerous at times, and it's the one we've got.

[Taxloss]

3. So the DNC's role is coordination -

-how do rank and file Democrats influence the DNC? Do you all get a vote for chairmanship?

[papau]

4. 405 votes in DNC - made of heads/leaders of state parties in general

The DLC is a lobbying group - pushing what most at DU see as a corporate viewpoint -

but Clinton wanted real results rather than DU purity - and was a head of the DLC and worked with the DLC as President.

[papau]

18. Sorry - 440 votes

:-(

[papau]

24. Dang - it's 447 votes!

:-(

[Dickie Flatt]

5. chair vote

The 440 members of the DNC each get a vote for party chair. From the DNC website:

Membership on the National Committee is composed of individuals selected by the Democratic Party organizations in each state (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico), the U.S. Territories (American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands), and Democrats living outside the United States and those Territories listed above (Democrats Abroad).

Each jurisdiction is represented by its Chair and the next highest ranking officer of the opposite sex. An additional 200 votes are distributed to the states and territories based on population, with each receiving a minimum of two additional seats. Each delegation must be equally divided between men and women.

If we want to influence the party chair vote, we can contact our local DNC members, as their names are public. Some state parties have also held DNC listening sessions, where anyone can come and talk to the state's DNC members.

[sherilocks]

6. In theory, this is how it is supposed to work

County (local Democratic Executive Committee) Voting membership is limited to local elected officials and precinct leaders, who are elected if there is any competition or appointed. These people are the grass-roots of the party who organize at a precinct level.

Two members, a man and a woman, are elected from the local DEC to represent them at the state DEC (commtteeman and committeewoman, along with the local DEC chair.

The state DEC elects representatives to the Democratic National Committee.

That's a brief description, so if anyone wants to add more, please feel free.

[Taxloss]

8. So the DNC is elected locally - what influence does it have over

senatorial or presidential candidates?

[Dickie Flatt]

12. candidates

(Disclaimer: This is all to the best of my knowledge, and no more.)

Technically, the DNC should take no position on candidates during the primaries. Once the primary winner is clear or finally nominated at the convention, the DNC provides support for the candidate through paid media, grassroots organizing, sending Democrats to talk to the media, and other such things.

Generally, Senatorial matters are handled by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee handles House races.

[sherilocks]

13. No, the Democratic National Committee

is elected by the state committee, who are elected by the local committees. If the local committeman and woman are doing their job, they are canvassing their local DEC to find out who they support.

The influence of the DNC over the senatorial or presidential candidate is supposedly in a supportive role, i.e. money, money, money, and the tools necessary to wage an effective campaign. For instance, I can decide to run for the senate as a Democrat, fill out the paperwork, pay the fee, open a campaign account and put myself in the Democratic primary for senate. In theory, the DNC is not supposed to support anyone in a contested primary. When there is a decided Democratic candidate, the DNC plays a supportive roll for that candidate.

[sybylla]

20. Not necessarily the same in each state

Each state has a say in how it's leadership is chosen and what they are charged with.

In Wisconsin, members are organized into counties as you mention, but they elect their county party executive committee. They may or may not be local elected officials but they are not automatically given leadership. The entire membership of the county elects delegates to represent them at the congressional district level and at the state level. Again, they may or may not be local elected officials. Those delegates in turn have input on the development of the platform and resolutions, elect the DNC representatives, the state party executives, the congressional district executives and the delegates to the national convention where the Presidential candidate is chosen.

[MaineDem]

23. Apparently each state elects DNC differently

Here we elect delegates to the state committee at municipal level.

Delegates to the state committee elect our 2 DNC members.

The Chair and Vice Chair of the Party are also members of the DNC.

[pinto]

11. (thanks for your help, papau & Dickie Flatt)...n/t

[Taxloss]

14. Yes, absolutely, thanks for your time. n/t

[KT2000]

7. It starts in the neighborhood

Precincts are neighborhood sized areas within a county. Precinct members elect a rep to serve in the county Democratic Party. The counties elect a person to lead their county and represent them at the state Democratic party. The county reps elect the leader of the state Democratic Party. The state Democratic Party reps elect the head of the national Democratic Party which is the DNC. At least that is the "people's" Democratic Party.
By the time we get to the national level I would assme that there are more voting members - like all Democratic elected officials? and some others?
Usually, this is where the grass-roots looses control of the party and its issues and the establishment Democrats keep control.
As you can see, checks and balances sort of exist at the more local levels.

[Taxloss]

9. Who are the "precinct members"? How do they join up?

And THANK YOU for all your help.

[pinto]

10. Locally, locally, locally, locally. (I've got a point here, no?)

Thanks for your query, it really helps frame the picture.

[sherilocks]

15. You are a precinct member if you are a registered

Democrat. Find your local DEC chair and ask when the DEC meetings are and if there is a precinct captain in your precinct. If there isn't you can volunteer and try to get appointed. You can also get on the primary ballot to get elected from your precinct. You then would go from door to door campaigning for votes. But it's too late now to do that.

[sybylla]

21. Some states don't require voter registration by party

Sorry to confuse things for the foreigners. While all states register voters, not all states require party affiliation.

In your example, a voter goes to the county clerks office and registers as a democratic or republican voter in the county. Automatically, these registered voters were members of the party and the resulting heirarchy you describe quite well comes from that.

There are a few states, numbering around 10, I believe, that don't require registration by party. In these states, to be a member of the party, you actually have to complete a form and probably send in a membership fee. This is true in my state of Wisconsin. The fact that we have to recruit membership changes the dynamic a little. We basically operate like any other non-profit organization in that we have to expend a great deal of resources on membership recruitment while we rely heavily on volunteers to get our work done.

[sherilocks]

22. I never knew how states without

registered party affiliation got the deed done. Thanks for explaining it. Looking on the bright side of what looks like a chore for these states, at least you don't have nearly as many DINOs on your list as we do in Florida.

[sybylla]

25. True, you can generally spot the dinos pretty quickly

I like the open registration/open primary system here and I understand it's purpose in reducing the power of the political machine, but I think it would be nice to find some kind of middle ground. Seems odd it has to be all or nothing.

[Orangepeel]

16. the democratic party is run like a republic

Each state sets the rules about how things are done, but here is how it is done in my state (Florida).

Each county is organized into precincts. In my county, there are about 2000 voters per precinct, but that probably varies. Each precinct has a man and a woman precinct committeeperson (or two of each if there are more than 1000 registered dems in the precinct). These people are elected during the Democratic primary and, together, they make up the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC) of the County (after the primary, precinct leaders can be elected into empty precincts by the DEC itself). So, these people are elected by all registered Democrat (all you have to do to be a Democrat is register as one).

then, each county DEC elects one man and one woman to be state committeepeople and represent their county at the state level. they get weighted votes depending on the number of registered dems in the county and the performance of the last presidential and senate candidates in the county. These people elect representatives to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

[DavidDvorkin]

17. "Democratic"

That's the adjective.

[oscar111]

19. Taxloss-in brit, i once read that a candidate for MP would door2door and h

help folks with any type of problem .. any type. Finances, jobs, health... any type. Part of getting elected.

Was this true? read it ten or more years ago.

Is it still true?

and Americans... was this sort of thing really true in Chicago ... when wardheelers would look after voters there, decades ago?

[ben_packard]

26. Yeah generally so

Of course they tend to make themselves a lot more available prior to elections. Nonetheless they usually hold a surgery every week or so where constituents can raise an issue, and ocassionally you'll even hear them relayed verbatim to the PM at PMQs.

[Taxloss]

29. They are obliged to hold weekly surgeries. Some do more.

Even Blair has constituency business.

[Dickie Flatt]

31. Wow - weekly!

Sounds dangerous.

(i know, i know)

[mattclearing]

27. Democrat is not an adjective.

It's the Democratic Party. Always has been, always will be.

Republicans snidely refer to it as the Democrat Party in order to imply that we are somehow less than democratic.

It's important that we avoid letting their language creep into our speech. It legitimizes their warped point of view.

[Taxloss]

28. An honest mistake. Sorry. nt

[mattclearing]

30. I assumed as much. It's just important to be aware of.

No offense taken, but I just feel the need to spread this around as much as possible, because it should never be accepted.

I also correct people when they refer to the local DC airport as "Reagan Airport."

:D

[trezic]

33. Damn right, it's National!

[TankLV]

32. 1st off - it's D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-I-C party.

DEMOCRATIC.

Democratic is the proper adjective.

I'm a Democrat, but I vote Democratic.

Get it?

Only repukes and those that want to insult and ridicule us use the improper term.

OK?