Turmoil as Brown
withdraws bid for Democratic Party endorsement
To watch this video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=getTBED7jww. There are more photos and videos in Steve's original article in UpriseRI.
In
one sense, there were no surprises at the 2018 Rhode Island Democratic
Party State Committee Meeting on Sunday night. Everyone received
their expected endorsement. In another sense, the evening was full of
surprises.
The
meeting was held to determine the Party’s endorsements for statewide offices.
United States Senator Sheldon Whitehouse,
United States Representatives David Cicilline and James Langevin, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Lieutenant Governor Daniel McKee, Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea and State Treasurer Seth Magaziner all received their endorsements. They
are all incumbents.
Former
United States Attorney Peter Nerhonha was
endorsed for Rhode Island State Attorney General. Peter
Kilmartin, who currently holds that position, is term limited and cannot
run.
This
was all according to plan.
What
wasn’t according to plan was candidate Matt Brown‘s decision to
not seek the endorsement towards the end of his speech.
“Now, I’ve been
around a while,”
said Brown, “And I understand that the
incumbent Governor gets the state committee’s endorsement. I’m not here to
contest that. Mr Chairman, I formally withdraw my nomination from
consideration.”
“I am here to
ask for your nomination,” said Governor Raimondo when it was her turn at the
microphone. “I’m not afraid of the vote.
I’m here to ask for it. I don’t expect it to come to me, I expect to earn it.”
In
fact, the incumbent always gets the endorsement.
After
Brown and Raimondo made their speeches, Rhode Island Democratic Party
Chair Joe McNamara asked for a motion for a roll call vote.
That
motion was made and seconded, but within seconds Michael Sepe of
Cranston made a motion to table the roll call vote.
McNamara
either missed Sepe’s motion or ignored it. As Party Secretary Arthur Corvese began to call the roll for a vote, the
room erupted.
Sepe
approached McNamara and Corvese to press the case that his motion was ignored.
After
consultation with parliamentarian Matt Jerzyk and
Rhode Island Democratic Party Executive Director Kevin Olasanoye, McNamara
said, “At that point, the motion was not recognized. We had already called for
a vote.”
There
were shouts of “No!” from many in attendance.
“Fairness,
there’s transparency,” continued McNamara. “We’ll have a roll call vote.”
As
Corvese rose to call the roll, some in the crowd repeated their objections. A
man yelled, “This is insulting to us!”
“He
withdrew his nomination. This is unnecessary,” said Jennifer Rourke from
Warwick. “Someone needs to speak up.”
In
the video, at the 5m mark, Executive Director Olasanoye can be seen talking
to Rourke. Rourke said Olasanoye tried to silence her. Olasanoye says he was
explaining the process to Rourke.
Corvese
continued to call the roll. One person passed. Catherine Collette answered
to her name saying, “I also pass because this is a waste of time and it’s very
divisive!”
EDITOR’S
NOTE: I am the “One person passed.” Cathy and I are the state committee
delegates for District 36. Cathy gave the second for Brown’s nomination (before
he withdrew) because the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee unanimously
endorsed Matt Brown. Cathy and I both decided that this rollcall was just plain cicwrong and I said so when I abstained. – Will Collette
“Amen!”
said a woman in the crowd, to applause. There were cries of “Shame!”
Corvese
continued to call the roll, and many in the room continued to express support
for Raimondo, but control of the room was lost. Everyone seemed engaged in
conversations.
Many
Raimondo supporters were accusing the Brown supporters of being afraid of a
fair vote. Many Brown supporters maintained that the public vote for Raimondo,
who was in fact contending for a endorsement in which she was unopposed, was
akin to a loyalty oath.
The
fact is that it wasn’t just Brown supporters who were upset, many Raimondo
supporters objected to the roll call vote. They saw it as divisive and
unnecessary.
“You
understand,” said a woman to me who an hour earlier had been outside holding a
sign in support of Raimondo, “that I turned my back on the process, not the
governor.”
I
understood.
Many
objecting to the vote turned their backs.
At
the ten minute mark, McNamara made a play for control. “If you want to have a
conversation, please do not do it here.”
Was
McNamara aware that virtually the entire room was engaged in a conversation,
not just those opposed to the roll call vote?
McNamara
continued, “We are conducting an election and we want people to be able to
voice their vote. Very basic democracy… Could the sergeant at arms please
instruct people to have conversations outside.”
I
heard someone say that progressives are afraid of democracy.
Lauren
Niedel,
who had nominated Brown, cast the only vote for Matt Brown. There were
three abstentions. [Edit: Niedel informs me that she has formally requested
that her vote be changed from Matt Brown to an abstention.]
Then
Raimondo received a standing ovation for her victory.
At
the beginning of the event, Chair McNamara said a few words about the Rhode
Island Democratic Party being an “extremely large tent.”
“We
have more that unites us than divides us,” continued McNamara. “We have always
had a liberal wing of the Democratic Party… The reason we are successful as a
party is because we listen to each other, we respect each other…
“There
is no litmus test for Democrats,” said McNamara. “People say we have two wings
[in the Democratic Party]. I tell them it takes two wings to fly and that’s
what makes us great.”
Later,
as Secretary Corvese called the roll in what many saw as a move to put Brown
and his supporters in their place, someone asked, “What about the two wings
flying together?”
Like
Sepe’s motion, that comment was either not heard or ignored.
Matt
Brown issued a statement about what happened:
“Tonight’s convention demonstrated the deep divide in Rhode Island’s Democratic party. What was engineered as a coronation for Governor Raimondo descended into chaos and protest as a group of women turned their backs on the rigged proceedings, chanting ‘shame’ at the fixed process.
“Tonight’s debacle was befitting of an administration that has a troubling history of corruption and falsehoods. Party leaders held an endorsement vote between me and Governor Raimondo at the convention tonight despite my publicly stating that I did not put myself forward for endorsement. It was an outrageous, sham process.
“Insiders manipulated the process to stack the deck for Governor Raimondo, rather than mobilizing the party around our core Democratic values. This primary election will be a battle for the heart and soul of the Democratic Party and Rhode Island’s future. I intend to win it.”
Raimondo
also accused Brown of lying. “By the way,” said Raimondo, “There were a number
of lies and mistruths in what Mr Brown just said. I’m not going to waste my
time addressing them here, but especially the couple hundred thousand dollars.
It’s just a lie. You shouldn’t lie. You shouldn’t lie. You should at least tell
the truth.”
Raimondo
was taking Brown to task for saying, “A
week ago Monday morning. Governor Raimondo went to Boston for a campaign,
fundraising breakfast where she collected $200,000 for her campaign coffers.
That fundraiser was hosted by Partners Healthcare.”
Partners
Healthcare is a Boston based company looking to buy Care New England. Brown maintains that Rhode Island’s
healthcare infrastructure is at risk of being absorbed by Boston based
companies and that Raimondo receiving campaign contributions from these
companies renders her biased and compromised.
 |
| Up until Aaron Regunberg emerged as a strong challenger, McKee was content to operate in obscurity. |
Regunberg
acknowledged that securing the Rhode Island Democratic Party nomination
was a long shot, saying, “There’s no
precedent for a state committee endorsement for a challenger, and I understood
that going into tonight. I am encouraged by how many members broke ranks and
gave our campaign their vote.”
McKee
won the endorsement on a 93 to 36 roll call vote.
The
vote still rankled some Democratic Party members, some of whom took exception
to particular people declaring their support of Regunberg.
EDITOR’S
NOTE: Cathy and I both cast our votes for Regunberg. – Will Collette