July 22, 2006

Live From The DNC's RBC Meeting: Michigan 4-State Addition Defeated

Swarms of media, politicos from around the country and DC Dem activists descended upon the Capitol Hilton today to decide the fates of several states vying for a coveted spot early in the '08 Dem nominating process. Every member of the DNC Rules & Bylaws committee, save DC's Ben Johnson, arrived bright and early, and the meeting only started 45 minutes late.

The two open windows -- one caucus immediately following Iowa and one primary after New Hampshire -- drew proposals and submissions from across the country, thoiugh by yesterday, only AZ and NV were considered finalists for the caucus slot, and only SC and AL -- finalists, for the primary. (A few other states (like Colorado and Mississippi) were mentioned this morning.)

In the days before the meeting, states furiously lobbied committee members for their votes. Members said their cell phones were full, as elected officials from each of the contending states called non-stop on Friday.

Arizona sent Gov. Janet Napolitano to make phone calls, and Rep. Raul Grijalva and AZ Dem chair David Waid attended today's meeting. Waid said he was "nervous and excited" to learn his state's fate.

Arizona's effort has paid off, as the battle for the western caucus, many agree, is between the Copper State and Nevada. Virginia's Mame Reiley, a member of the RBC, says that, had they started earlier, Colorado would have been the front-runner.

New Hampshire, which will lose much of the influence it has traditionally enjoyed in the nominating process, had hoped that the District of Columbia might be chosen to hold caucuses between Iowa and the Granite State. DC Dems sent more than a dozen activists to the meeting, and after passing out flyers to meeting attendees, District denizens took front-row seats, applauding at the first mention of DC and when members of the committee voiced support for their bid.

As the meeting began, many members voiced appreciation and support for the passage, earlier this week, of the Voting Rights Act.

The unanimity with which the VRA was applauded quickly vanished, though, as MI Dem chair Mark Brewer, an RBC committee member, voiced support for a motion to reconsider the number of primaries in the pre-window. The motion was defeated. (Sources assume he did what he had to do for reasons of state politics. His motion had no real shot of being approved.)

Another motion to focus the committee's attentions on a few Western states which applied to hold caucuses and a few Southern states which applied to hold primaries passed, over the strong objections of Brewer, Donna Brazille of DC and Kathy Sullivan, chair of the NH Dem party. Brazille and Sullivan both voiced support for DC's bid, eliciting whoops, cheers and applause from activists.

More as the meeting continues. [REID WILSON]

Posted at 11:57 AM

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