Monthly Archives: July 2016

The Politics of Transportation for the #DNCC

By DocJess | Published July 14, 2016

Welcome to Philadelphia. We actually threw snowballs at Santa Claus. We’re the fifth rudest city in America. Our foods are cheesesteaks and soft pretzels. It’s Philly. But we worked hard to get the DNCC here, and we should be trying to put our best food forward. But, as I said, it’s Philly.

We have a regional transportation system called SEPTA. Trains, subways, buses and the infamous Regional Rail. A couple weeks ago, the new Regional Rail cars were found to be dangerously defective, and a third of the fleet was pulled from service. Good for safety, bad for commuting. Think graft and corruption. So who saves the commuters? Uber. The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) is allowing Uber to operate in Philadelphia for the convention and for a while after. A few things to know about the PPA.

  • The PPA is incredibly efficient at giving tickets and removing illegally parked cars. PPA works, unless you need to briefly pull up in front of a doctor’s office and get your aged parent into the building while you go for a legal space. (Seriously FIVE MINUTES!)
  • The TV show about PPA caused tourists to be afraid to come to Philadelphia.
  • Since Uber is involved in a court battle as they’re not allowed in Philly (or rather, weren’t allowed) the taxi drivers have decided to possibly go on strike during the convention. They’re going to court to stop Uber.

Also, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, airplane cleaners, and other workers at Philadelphia International Airport voted 461-5 to strike for the convention. They say that since the DNC platform calls for a $15/hour minimum wage, the conventioneers should be supportive. They are striking for pay, better conditions and the right to unionize. Good idea, bad timing. Continue Reading...

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Meet the #DNCC Protesters: Hugh Brownstone

By DocJess | Published July 13, 2016

Hugh Brownstone2In the interest of full disclosure, I met Hugh when he ran to be a Bernie Sanders delegate earlier this year.

Hugh Brownstone will be attending the protests around the convention. Hugh is a screenwriter and blogger. He lives in Willistown, Chester County, with his fiancé, her son and a dog. He is the father of two grown daughters, one living in Denver, and the other living in Seattle.

DocJess: You ran to be a delegate, what was that like? Continue Reading...

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Meet the #DNCC Delegates: Rachel Gonzalez

By DocJess | Published July 13, 2016

Rachel GonzalezRachel Gonzalez is a 17 year old high school student from Independence, MO, the home of Harry Truman. Rachel is an elected delegate for Hillary Clinton. She lives with her parents and two dogs. She has older siblings who live with their spouses and children.

DocJess: I was told that you are the youngest delegate attending the convention.

Rachel Gonzalez: I know that I’m Hillary Clinton’s youngest delegate, but I don’t know if there are any younger delegates. You need to turn 18 by Election Day to be a delegate, and my birthday is in October, so I don’t know that there will be anyone younger. Continue Reading...

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Meet the #DNCC Delegates: Anna Payne

By DocJess | Published July 12, 2016

Anna PayneAnna Payne is an elected delegate for Bernie Sanders from the 8th CD. She works for a credit union. Anna lives in Middletown Township, Bucks County with her mom and stepdad, a dog and a cat.

DocJess: When did you decide you wanted to be a delegate?

Anna Payne: Back in 2012, I watched the DNC in Charlotte, and thought it was very interesting and cool, and I was curious about the people on the floor and the roles they played. I thought that to get there, you’d have to know someone. I was in college majoring in Political Science, and one of my courses had a class about delegates, what they do and what the different processes were in various states to become a delegate. I learned that most of the delegates are pledged to a candidate. I started doing research on how the process works here in Pennsylvania. It’s a long process, but I knew I was up to the challenge! Continue Reading...

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Convention Committees

By tmess2 | Published July 10, 2016

While most of the media attention is currently focused on whom might or might not still be in consideration for vice-president, a key activity over the next several weeks will be the work of the convention committees.

Because the Democrats give candidates a key role in selecting their delegates (and here in Missouri we had a bit of an uproar at our state convention due to the Sanders campaign exercising its right to trim the number of candidates for at-large delegates), the Rules Committee and the Credentials Committee tend not to be that important.  The fight this year was in the Platform Committee which wrapped up its work yesterday in Orlando.  There were several changes to the draft platform adopted at the full committee meeting in Orlando, and the revised draft has not yet been posted on the convention’s website (which does have the original version of the draft platform.)  There were some issues on which the committee had significant splits between Clinton and Sanders delegates.  It is unclear if any of these splits will lead to a minority report and debates on the floor.

Continue Reading...

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Things to do in Philadelphia During #DNCC (Even if You aren’t Credentialed)

By DocJess | Published July 9, 2016

The Peoples ConventionMany of the events that will occur during the convention are open to everyone. First, there is a parallel convention, the People’s Convention. It’s being run by the People’s Revolution. Their kick-off event is Saturday morning, 23 July.

dnc2016For those of you looking for DNC events, there are meetings and caucuses all day at the Convention Center, beginning on Sunday 24 July.  Many are open to the public, although most require pre-registration. In addition, independent groups are holding functions in Center City, beginning the same day.  There are upwards of 30 events every day,  Many of these events are free, although some are not.  Click this link to see a full listing.

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Security Perimeters and Restrictions for #DNC

By DocJess | Published July 7, 2016

Security ZoneThe most amazing thing that will be confiscated and not returned? Backpacks. Really. How do they expect us to carry our laptops? Huh. But that’s a personal problem, I guess.

But seriously, the Secret Service has announced the road closures for the DNC and it’s a little onerous for people traveling in that part of the world. The map seems small, but if you click on it, it expands and is easy to see.

Now for everything you could possibly want to know about security, traffic and helpful links. Continue Reading...

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Meet the #DNC Delegates: Chuck Pennacchio

By DocJess | Published July 7, 2016

CHUCK PENNACCHIOIn the interest of full disclosure, Chuck and I have worked on a number of issues together over the past decade, and met through Healthcare4AllPA.

Chuck Pennacchio is an elected delegate for Bernie Sanders from the 8th CD, having received the most votes in the April 26 primary. He is a lifelong political activist, educator, and filmmaker. He lives in Plumsteadville, Bucks County, with his wife and two children.

DocJess: When did you decide to support Bernie? Continue Reading...

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Vice-Presidential Selection — Republicans

By tmess2 | Published July 6, 2016

In the old days, the presidential nomination was often unsettled until balloting began at the convention.  Under those rules, the winning candidate typically announced his preferred running mate on the morning of the last day of the convention.  Since 1984, with each party having a presumptive nominee heading into convention, the norm has been to name the preferred running mate before the convention, most often in the week before the convention.  Based on that history, Trump should name his VP pick sometime next week.

Right now, Trump’s pick may come down to who is willing to accept the nomination that is a viable pick.  Every time the press speculates on a candidate who might actually improve Trump’s chances, that candidate withdraws their name from consideration (most recently Bob Corker and Jodi Ernst).

Continue Reading...

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Meet the #DNC Delegates: Stephanie Markstein

By DocJess | Published July 6, 2016

Stephanie MarksteinIn the interest of full disclosure, Stephanie and I have worked on a number of campaigns together over the past decade.

Stephanie Markstein is an At-Large Delegate representing Bernie Sanders. She is chairwoman of the West Chester Democratic Committee, an elected position. Stephanie is also a singer-songwriter and a yoga teacher/personal trainer.

DocJess: So, Stephanie, is this your first time as a delegate? Continue Reading...

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