So, what's happened in the 3 weeks since Hoboken's Democratic Committee switched leadership from Tiffanie Fisher to Phil Cohen?
A lot.
For those who thought that removing Fisher was purely symbolic political payback- wrong.
GA has never seen this kind of restlessness, energy and unity among Democrats everywhere; our solidarity is a call to action. Can you hear it? From outnumbered Dems in the reddest of red states, to here in Blue Hoboken, the urge to act is visceral.
What's that pink thing in my closet? A pussy hat.
Unlike past years, the Trumpocalypse-era Hoboken Dem Committee wants to meet regularly, wants to organize with campaigns statewide, and fund-raise to elect Dems. Not Republicans. DEMS. This Hoboken committee is not the flaccid organ of yesteryear, it's a Blue Wave.
Call the replacement of the Chair what you want. The activists on the committee saw Fisher as an obstructionist. She blocked the Blue Wave by centralizing all committee power under the Chair- herself. If Fisher did not call a meeting, there were no meetings. She would not share the full member email directory so members could not organize. She controlled messaging as the Facebook web administrator.
Activist members felt frustrated, powerless, thwarted.
NEW DECENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP
The new committee leadership is a radical difference. Power is decentralized. Authority and decision-making are delegated in truly democratic fashion. There are new sub-committees. The Chair is not the web administrator and I am told that Facebook posts "are the committee speaking with one voice." Not the Chair's voice.
Meetings are happening; the Executive committee met 2 weeks ago to brainstorm, and there is a full committee meeting scheduled on May 31. This Blue Wave is gathering momentum. If you talk to individual committee members the word you'll hear is "empowered." Committee members are feeling newly empowered and will tell you that "stuff is getting done."
Some of the "stuff":
(1) New subcommittee: to amend the by-laws (Chair: Ann Holtzman)
(2) New subcommittee: to plan Ward meetings with District representatives (Chair: Rachel Hodes)
(3) Voter registration booth obtained for Arts & Music Festival
(4) Event planning in the works for US Congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill (District 11)- to flip a RED seat to BLUE (Chair: Seth Abrams)
(5) Event on May 31 for US Congressional candidate Andy Kim (District 3)- this is a big one, folks. Kim is up against the author of the "MacArthur Amendment" (a.k.a. TrumpCare). Tickets are $35. Event hosted at Pilsner Haus. (Chair: Mitch Fagen)
(6) New webmaster: Nora DeBennedetto
(6) New webmaster: Nora DeBennedetto
(6) ELEC reports are getting filed at last!
Yeah, that's what I wanted to see- the financial reports. Nothing was on file the last time I checked. The Dem committee has generally filed quarterly reports.
Guess what?
One week before the scheduled vote to remove the Chair, ELEC reports appeared in the PAC folder. The D-3 form (to open the committee under new Chairwoman Fisher) was filed on April 2 - 10 months after the mid-June 2017 re-organization.
One week before the scheduled vote to remove the Chair, ELEC reports appeared in the PAC folder. The D-3 form (to open the committee under new Chairwoman Fisher) was filed on April 2 - 10 months after the mid-June 2017 re-organization.
On Cohen's first day as Dem Committee Chair, April 10, 2018, the committee filed the $8,000 contribution it had received "months ago" (reportedly from Phil Murphy through the Hudson County Democratic Organization). Note, the committee files as a PAC under "Hoboken Democratic Party"
APRIL 10, 2018 ELEC REPORT
GARDINER QUITS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
On Friday April 20, Kurt Gardiner resigned from his Sargeant at Arms position on the HDC Executive Committee.
Gardiner reportedly stepped down "to focus on areas of good government more aligned with [his] principles." I guess by "principles" he means hurling juvenile insults at Democrats ("Ravi-bots, Ravi Bollards, Nutso Nancy, Grossfart") on an Alt-Right blog.
The committee will vote on Gardiner's replacement at the May 31 full meeting.
Okay, people. Stay tuned for more updates. And don't fall off that surfboard, Phil!
kurt the quitter, couldn't handle the truth. dude literally takes his ball and goes home, sad. what a disappointment he became, like a child at school too easily influenced by the bad element in class. except he's not a child anymore, so doesn't deserve pity. we expect grownups to know better.
ReplyDeleteDoes Kurt already have a more principled outlet lined up, or will be be "Sikhing" one out?
ReplyDeleteGood riddance. Kurt wouldn't know good governance if it bit him on the rear end. The closest he has gotten to supporting good governance is quitting his duties as Sargent of Arms.
ReplyDeleteSo glad the adults are back in charge. Only 18 months and 6 days until we replace the DINO's and dead wood on council.
ReplyDeleteI guess quitting is the new winning......
ReplyDeleteI've been encouraged by the impatience of Generation Parkland. We've all grown too accustomed to incrementalism, half-measures and going along to get along (which is why the former chair and sargeant at arms of the democratic committee are regulars on an alt-right blog that continually refers to them as the "democrat" committee.). It's also why a little truth-telling to the president and his Department of Homeland Disinformation is causing a prolonged audible gasp in the msm.
ReplyDeleteWe need to take a cue from these new democrats - if they even want to be democrats now that we've turned it into a half-assed quibbling society. Stop trying to be tolerable and non-confrontational, stop trying to get invited to the right parties instead of being the party that's right.
Locally, dumping Fisher is a good start. Getting back to work, even better. But democrats need to keep a picture of Trump handy and continually ask ourselves what each of us did to put him in office and make sure we never do it again.
For example.... Consider the absolutely disgusting attack on Bhalla's religion on the alt-pit of Hoboken and the fact that alleged democrats Fisher, Giattino and Giantino won't say a word about it and will continue to confer the blessing of the "democrat" party on it by using it to "get their message out." Anything else wouldn't suit their agenda.
DeleteWant to know why the White House has become a disturbingly white house? Look no further. Agendas aren't ideas. No one would lay his life down for an agenda. But they just might for an idea. But these are folks who have abandoned ideas for something more comfortable. A good example of why I'd rather see Generation Parkland reject the democratic party until it shows some fight.
That blog has become a sort of porn site, and looking at that comment thread is what's known in that parlance as "getting a racial."
DeleteI am not surprised in the least that the rancid and vile bigotry regarding the Mayor appears on full display on that shit stained, fetid and crumbling horse stall that masquerades as a relevant chronicler of Hoboken. It is merely the natural outcome of the scurrilous racist and bigoted appeals that were made in the election with regard to “Hoboken is not ready for a Mayor wearing a turban”. Too many people in town heard that disgusting appeal to the worst in human nature and, unfortunately demonstrating a lack of any moral compass, the candidates on whose behalf those whispers were being made never disavowed them. Frankly, the whispers from the campaign have slowly risen in volume and have escalated from mere whispers to out and out racist rants, sowing racial and religious bigotry. But I don’t think that anyone in the turd encrusted barn will ever consider that its occupants have had anything to do with the promotion of such vile comments and their acceptance on that site as a valid POV. The editorial response by that broken down gelding headed to the glue factory was too little, too late. IMO.
ReplyDelete