Texas state convention delegates prefer Dean over Frost, others

[NoPasaran]

Austin, TX—Former Governor Howard Dean of Vermont scored landslide victories in two polls conducted this month to determine Democrats’ preference for chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The polls were conducted by Democracy for Texas (DFT), the largest progressive grassroots organization in Texas, with over 40,000 members.

In the first poll, of DFT members, Dean received 90% of the vote. In a second poll, of Democratic Party members who were eligible to attend last summer’s State Democratic Convention in Houston, Dean received 69% of the vote, followed by former Congressman Martin Frost with 25%.

Many of the voters cited Dean’s commitment to a 50-state campaign strategy, his fundraising prowess, his ability to bring new people into the Democratic Party, and the work that Dean’s PAC, Democracy for America (www.democracyforamerica.com), has done supporting candidates and providing training for activists around the country.

"The results of the poll of DFT supporters were no surprise since the organization largely consists of people who supported Governor Dean in his race for President," said Fran Vincent, Executive Director of DFT. "The second poll shows wider support for Howard Dean, and a desire on the part of Texas Democrats for leadership that will encourage grassroots involvement. It’s time to put aside politics as usual and do things differently."

The results of the polls have been forwarded in a letter to Texas DNC members, who vote for the new chair. The text of the letter is available at www.democracyfortexas.org/dncletter.

[TexasSissy]

1. No one polled me....a TX Democrat. What's up with that?

That doesn't sound like an objective poll, anyway. The "largest progressive grassroots organization in Texas"?

Could be true. But it's better for polls to be conducted by nonpartisan groups, as we all know.

[crispini]

5. The article says they polled

"Democratic Party members who were eligible to attend last summer’s State Democratic Convention in Houston." Sounds to me like you'd have to have been at least a precinct chair / official delegate to get polled.

[Warpy]

6. Uh, not quite

A party poll should be conducted by the party.

Do you want Bushbots registered as independents doing that poll? They'd have Roemer as chairman and the party would lose nearly every woman overnight.

[TexasSissy]

7. The party is not comprised solely of progressives. The post

said it was conducted by a progressive group, as opposed to a general Democratic Party group, which theoretically would include progressives and moderates both.

But as the original post said, which I didn't catch, was that it's a poll only of state delegates.

[cal04]

2. Kos wrote a DNC update on his site today

including the poll from Texas)

I was at the Sacramento meeting of the DNC candidates this past weekend, and the sentiment of the DNC members at the meeting (western states) was fairly strong Dean, with a lot of secondary consideration for Frost and Rosenberg.

A bunch of people were impressed with the personable Wellington Webb, but as funny as he was (and he's hilarious), he turned me off when, during prepared remarks, he pointed to the DNC members and told them that they were the Democratic Party. I tend to think that its the millions of party supporters who are the Democratic Party, not 440 DNC members.

David Leland was the most bizarre candidate on the stage. Here's a guy who ran the nation's most inept Democratic Party -- Ohio's -- and is trying to parlay that stunning lack of success into running the national party. His spin on his tenure? When he left the helm of the Ohio party, all of the state's big cities were held by Democrats. What is the guy thinking?

Dean got the loudest cheers, as he drew hundreds of supporters (who else in the party, other than perhaps Hillary, could do the same?). Rosenberg got big cheers by being the only candidate to forcefully advocate reforming the primary calendar. Democracy for Texas, the Lone Star's Dean group, polled Texas delegates to their state convention (not DNC members), and found Dean was preferred 69-25 over Martin Frost. Six percent supported other candidates. The Democratic Governor's Association is apparently not making an endorsement (or bolstering an "anti-Dean", for that matter). They released the following statement:

more
http://www.dailykos.com/

[Eloriel]

4. People, read the Kos link

You're not going to believe what the Party bigwigs have been up to, tryig to (once again) Stop Dean.

Damn I'm sick of them doing this shit. Let THE PEOPLE DECIDE, dammit. No one seems to want to trust us, not even if it's just 440 of "us" who get to vote in the damn election.

God, I'm steamed.

[eg101]

3. dean has it--the battle of the rightwingers is over....

...rejoice!!!!!!!!!