Chris Redfern is our new party chairman

I plan to work with him to elect Democrats to office. He may not have been my choice, but I will support him unconditionally.

Supporting Redfern is like supporting the Ohio GOP. Good luck, but these races are over. If, by some miracle Strickland does win, he will be indebted to some of the most corrupt politicians in Ohio, both R and D.

Redfern will get the Red out!!!!!! I love Denny too, but I have to say, the Party members across the state all know Chris and his abilities more than Denny.....

the rules for balloting. Ms. McLin had drafted a voting process using paper ballots. Mr. Redfern's supporters moved for a stand-and-be-counted vote.

A series of shouting matches and procedural votes ensued. At one point, Ms. McLin compared the move by Mr. Redfern's supporters to controversial rulings on presidential vote-counting in 2004 by GOP Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

"It's really sad to know that we're going to come to this last moment and act like a Ken Blackwell and try to change the rules," Ms. McLin said, as several members of the crowd gasped.

Supporters of Mr. Lieberman, including U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Cleveland, said some executive committee members had reported threats of losing their government jobs if they did not support Mr. Redfern. Mr. Lieberman said others feared they would hurt Mr. Strickland's candidacy if they did not support Mr. Redfern..."

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051220/NEWS09/512200421/-1/NEWS

for the thugs Redfern is associating with - Pat O'Malley, Bill Mason and Dean DePiero. All are renowned for laundering Republican money to Dem elected officials to do the Ohio GOP's bidding. These are people who agree with Ken Blackwell, whose political attacks are aimed only at Dems, not Republicans.

Dems didn't win last night, the Ohio GOP won. Redfern has ruined his career by becoming associated with these thugs.

how to hold the election...

...Redfern got 88 votes, Lieberman, 31. Steve Reece, a Cincinnati businessman, got a single vote...

...behind-the-scenes struggles have badly splintered the party...

Many Democrats feared that a Redfern loss would severely hamper Strickland's candidacy ...

Rhine McLin, Dayton's mayor and the party's interim chairwoman, compared the party of the past to a malfunctioning car, and it didn't get far last night before sputtering. Catcalls, boos and angry raised voices drowned out speakers. U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Lieberman supporter, and others said some committee members had been intimidated about losing their jobs if they voted the wrong way...

...Democrats stood and were counted with no record kept...

...Redfern is the chairman," Lieberman said. "One thing about Democrats, we can yell and call each other names, but on the issues we are all there."...

...Redfern's leadership will be crucial in gaining seats statewide...

...party's old-guard leaders...threw their weight behind Redfern...orchestrated by
Ron Malone, an informal adviser to Strickland...

...Lieberman backing from minority leaders, some labor leaders and big-city Democrats..."

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/113507123787690.xml&coll=2

12/19/05

"I am happy and grateful that the Ohio Democratic Party executive committee has selected Rep. Chris Redfern to serve as our next state chairman. Chris will provide the leadership, commitment and passion necessary to make 2006 a winning year for Ohio Democrats.

"I congratulate Chris and I look forward to working with him and all Democrats as we build a strong Democratic Party organization ready to take on the Republicans and their culture of corruption. This is no small task but I am fully confident in Chris' ability to get the job done.

"Today more than ever, we need leadership that will unite every corner of the state to move Ohio forward. Working together, we will rebuild the state's economy so that every Ohioan can find a living wage job. We will revitalize our schools so that they set the pace for the rest of the nation. And we will return to the good people of Ohio a government that is as honest and as decent as they are.

"Chris Redfern and I will work together to unify the Democratic Party and lead Ohio forward."

I know this crowd all too well and Ted has made a very big mistake by aligning himself with them. At this point, Ted's candidacy is no longer inevitable and he's lost a great deal of support, including mine. While I like him and have found him to be good on the issues, he's show incredibly poor judgement in this case. If he's so willing to sell out to Republicans in this case, he'll do the same if elected. The Ohio GOP isn't going to allow him to win, even if he's now in bed with them.

On edit: Strickland and Redfern both now have three of the most powerful Dems in Ohio working against them - Cong. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Cong. Marcie Kaptur and Cuy Co Chair Jimmy Dimora.

This now becomes a battle among the urban areas of Ohio and the rural areas. Good luck to Ted and Chris winning any races with only the rural Ohio voters.

I guess none of us can possible win. That's it. I quit. I guess I'll just register Republican in the next primary.

Its worth rebuilding even though we've experienced a setback. Start working today to get Redfern out of office and support Dem candidates who aren't part of his crew.

Redfern's leadership and candidates aren't going to win. But there are other candidates who can.

Why not focus on supporting Rep. Marcy Kaptur for governor?

Redfern is going to have a lot of very powerful Democrats working against him. I'd rather throw my support to them, where there's hope for rebuilding the party. I seriously doubt you'll find them getting much support from Howard Dean. They don't like him, they're DLC.

She serves us better right where she is. It would be a huge loss for us if she left the house. I am not a Deanie, never have been, never will be. I would support him if he were running for office, but can honestly say right now that he does not inspire me. I have no quarrel with him, Redfern or the DLC. It take all of us working together to win.

in both urban and rural areas. Recall, she had a lot of support as a presidential candidate.

She also has a strong base of support in Toldeo that would help elect someone to replace her if she won as Governor.

It's not that Marcy can't be replaced. Her seniority is what matters.

for the male dominated Dem party in Ohio to accept the idea of a woman candidate for governor, but its time we start moving forward in this area.

Kaptur's seniority, etc. is no more of an issue than is Ted Strickland's. If she wants to run, she should.

On what information are you basing this statement?:
"Redfern is going to have a lot of very powerful Democrats working against him."

Is it just that he wasn't some people's first choice for party chair or do you have some extra information that you're not sharing? You make it sound as though anyone running for chair who doesn't get 100% of the votes is doomed. Do you recall that Dean did not get 100% of the votes for national chair? Do you recall that Kerry did not get 100% of the votes in the primaries? There's no reason to doubt that every powerful Dem in Ohio will be rooting for Redfern to do well now that he is the state leader. And he did get 3/4 of the votes. That's actually pretty much a landslide. I think what you really meant is that YOU will not be supporting Redfern. I think he'll survive without your support.

In regards to your post about the rural, urban thing:


I live in Redfern's district. We are a rural district. Redfern knows how to connect with his constituents!

Redfern's vision has always been to model a Dem party in Ohio that DOESN'T rely on urban counties and DOES rely only on rural and suburban voters. I had a discussion about it with him once.

He's very much against supporting urban Dem constituencies, but that's to be expected since he's a conservative Dem and DLC.

Its a pipe dream and I doubt he can pull it off. A similar strategy has been used in presidential races in Ohio during the last two races, and you know how those turned out.

They collected huge quantities of new voter registrations. That's classic grassroots Paul Wellstone politics.

and I have a feeling we'll need to rely on them again for the next election.

constituents across the State of Ohio. I have seen him work his magic. He gives me HOPE!

be specific but suggested that members were intimidated to vote for Redfern.

"You know people work for other people and they have to do what they're told. That's the way it works," Lieberman said.

Pressed for details, he said "I'm not prepared to tell you anything in detail."

"The battle's over. Chris Redfern is our chair," Lieberman said...."

http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/1220dems.html

with people who work for or are related to people who work for Cuyahoga County government. Pat O'Malley, who is Cuy Co Recorder and his best friend Bill Mason, who is Cuyahoga Co Prosecutor. They started on their strong arm campaign to get Redfern elected months ago. They bully any committee member who doesn't vote their way with loss of their or a friend or family member's job.

They've been doing this in Cuyahoga County for years, they're masters at it. They offer jobs and patronage to other elected officials in exhange for their agreement to intimidate their employees who are on the committee.

Run for State Executive committeeperson....

I like it best on the lowest rung of the ladder.

Sometimes it's nice to be a little fish in a big pond. Kinda soothing down there away from the waves.

Most of the people on this forum would be qualified to serve and probably have comparable or better knowledge of politics and government.

The only members of these committees who get under pressure in these situations are people who have patronage jobs or work in government jobs, especiall those whose bosses are elected officials. They're usually placed in those positions by people who expect them to vote as they're told. There are a few bad apples who threaten job security, like those at the meeting the other night.

If you don't work in a government job you're free to vote as you choose. I've voted against a number of these "tough guys" as an executive committee member and ward leader with no repercussions.

We need fresh faces in precinct, county executive and other committees so please consider it.

I know a few, including mine. Problem is, some of us (inlcuding me) have more time than money to give.

Just try walking into Dem HQ without a bunch of money and see the reception you get. Bottom of the barrel. I can deal with it because I feel as cmd does, but lots of folks can't.

So I joined another grassroots issues group to become involved. I still have scant involvement with this county party. Make that zero involvement.

I left many voice messages on the local Dem HQ phones and never heard from them.

Then I sent email messages. No response.

So much for the fresh faces -- mine won't show up.

He recognized the people who worked so hard on the Kerry campaign and reached out to them. I was asked to be a member of the executive committee, I worked at HQ one day a week and I was called to work for the Board of Elections on election day. I can't say enough good things my local party. The Young Dems are very active and ran two winning campaigns in November. The Women Dems are there anytime we need something. Our chairman is one of the best Democrats I have ever known.

Just curious.....

You, too, have a Dem party that is active and growing. Be sure to check out Zack Space's website at http://www.zackspace.org/
There is a link to your local party there.

Every county is different.

If anyone wants to volunteer or be active and doesn't get a response from their county party, try contacting the campaigns of individual candidates in your area. Once you get on someone's volunteer list and become involved, you'll start hearing from other candidates and party members. Also, call your local board of elections and find out who your precinct committeeperson is. Call them and offer to get involved in your city.

http://livefromdayton.org/2005/12/20/do-you-know-where-your-central-committee-members-are

To be honest, I’m not quite sure what the ODP Central Committee does, other than vote for the Chairman. I do however know that the responsibility to choose a chairman of the ODP is a significant part of their job. That said, the following people neglected their duty to the ODP this evening. These people were absent from the ODP Chairman Elections. Now, some of them might have valid reasons for their absence (IE death in the family, emergency, car trouble, alien abduction, etc.) However, if they have no such reason, and I lived in their region, I’d be seriously considering challenging these folks for their seats in May:

Absent from ODP Elections:

Jonathon Varner Ohio Young Dems Prez

Deborah Bendiss Niles, OH
Hubert Brown Harrison, OH
Jane Campbell Cleveland, OH
Kathleen Cotter Painesville, OH
Kathleen Duzzney Youngstown, OH
Peggy Fisher Shaker Hts., OH
Marc Guthrie Newark, OH
Jean Hatcher Kenton, OH
Ken Lortz Maumee, OH
Lloyd Mahaffey Maumee, OH
Jennifer O’Donnell Cincinnati, OH
Richard Sensenbrenner Columbus, OH
Thomas Smith Elyria, OH
Danny Thomas Struthers, OH

That would explain Niles, Struthers, and Youngstown.

At least one absence has been explained, already.

This meeting was called on short notice in the middle of the holidays.

Several of these people are appointed (so no one can "run against them.")

A statewide meeting, on short notice, in middle of a harsh winter -- with 100% attendance?

to do with their precious selves.Ooh,statewide,in the middle of a harsh winter.Let's see,what do you think it is,1840?And to what overpriveleged POS is December 19th "the middle of the holidays".It would probably take about 10 minutes of checking to find out that that one explanation is one crock of bullshit.

Its an important election, one of the most important for ODP in the last few years. If they didn't have a really good excuse (like being out of the country or ill) they should give up their seats.

Well, if that's all it takes, I wonder why you don't do that 10 minutes of checking yourself instead of throwing careless accusations around? Denny White did not even announce he was leaving until late November. Yes, that is very "short notice" when people have already bought nonrefundable airline tickets or made other vacation plans. Or didn't you know that most people who work in politics (that's *work* as opposed to griping on Internet message boards) typically plan their vacations for the end of the year, after the November elections and before the primaries start getting revved up? But I guess that makes them overprivileged - sorry, I mean "overpriveleged" - do-nothings because 15 of the 137 didn't cancel their vacations or spend their own money on airline tickets to fly back for a vote that wasn't even close. You do realize these people are not paid to serve on this committee, don't you? Also, there are parts of Ohio that are three or more hours drive from Columbus in the best of conditions - much longer in winter weather less than a week before Christmas when everyone is traveling.



Redfern won by 57 votes, so those 15 votes didn't make a lick of difference. And if you think those 15 people who missed the vote didn't have any clue ahead of time about how the votes were going to stack up, then you don't know much about how these things work. If you think you can do better job than these people, maybe you should do what they've done and spend many years working and volunteering and generally "paying your dues". Then perhaps you can have a spot on the committee and have the honor of having anonymous Internet surfers call you names, question your integrity, and chastise you for missing a vote in which the second-place candidate received a mere quarter of the votes. Better yet, why don't you and OzarkDem start your own little party since you think ODP is so corrupt and ineffective?

Or Mr. Redfern? My all you guys are getting thin-skinned.

Get over it. No one knew what the vote would be until it was taken, though I'm sure many committee members received lots of calls pressuring them and telling them the vote was a "done deal". I've been on the receiving end of those pressure campaigns and know many people opt out by not showing up at all.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm a lifetime Democrat. The party belongs to Dem voters, not just to the group currently in power. We'll be sticking around and we'll support you if you're good and replace you if you aren't. If ODP continues to be corrupt and/or inept, we'll expose you and work harder to help you find the door out.

These races and power plays aren't about jobs, influence or patronage. They're about making a real difference in people's lives and supporting good government and good public policy. Those are the values of the Democratic party that my ancestors supported and will outlast any party machine, not matter how corrupt or misguided. You've got a lot of work ahead of you and a lot of people will be watching.

Sideways.I wonder if royalty in the old days would've ever lowered themselves to griping on internet message boards about peasants' comments on internet message boards if there were internet message boards then.

Just ask Judge Klammer!

Seriously. That's my county.

national security and all.....

They endorsed Joe O'Malley for Westlake Mayor. O'Malley ran THE sleaziest campaign I've ever seen.

I'll contribute to individual candidates, but the ODP won't get a cent from me.

But been ignoring the ODP. I can't give to everybody: every candidate, every cause and DU, too.

Does this bother anyone? http://www.acluohio.org/issues/safe_&_free/SB9Cheers-n-Jeers.pdf

Most of the money donated goes to salaries and operating expenses. About all they do for candidates is give them free mailing lists, etc.

OTOH, the Ohio GOP has always run a very efficient coordinated campaign that raises lots of money. They use it to buy large chunks of tv ad time (early in the season at low prices) in all major media markets, which is then allocated to candidates who have the most challenging races. Its a brilliant strategy that works well.

They also do internal polling on all their major races, saving candidates the high cost of doing their own. It allows them to keep track of all the races and coordinate media campaigns and allocate funds.

ODP has never done anything this good.

19 electoral votes, the whole executive branch of government and 2/3 of the House seats. This in a state that voted for Clinton twice and barely sent bush to the white house. Gasp

excerpt:
Redfern's ascendancy was not met with unbridled confidence. In some ways, the voice vote was a referendum on Ted Strickland, front-runner in the Democratic primary for governor. Strickland, a U.S. House member from Lisbon, openly endorsed Redfern, putting members of the executive committee in a difficult position. Lieberman correctly said the race should have been neutral.
More telling were calls from Lieberman and others that the next party chairman should make the job a full-time commitment. Redfern, of Catawba Island, will give up his leadership position in the Ohio House, but not his legislative seat. Can the Democratic Party afford the divided attention?
Redfern should reconsider. Backed by labor's old guard, he also should reach out to those who backed Lieberman, among them Clevelanders Dennis Eckart (who withdrew from the race for chairman) and Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Eckart, a former U.S. House member, and Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to hold a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, had offered Lieberman support with speech-making and fund-raising. Together, the three represent vital skills and energy the party desperately needs. Lieberman also was backed by some labor leaders who have broken with the AFL-CIO.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/editorial/13463591.htm

They were very kind to Redfern and gave him the benefit of the doubt. He has lots to prove, and quickly, too.

After reading some of the other posts, I think you might be right.

Say do you guys have any idea why he voted for Ohio's Patriot Act?

:toast: