Tag Archives: Missouri Democratic Party

Everyday people

11 Saturday May 2024

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This past week Missouri Democrats elected national delegates at congressional district meetings across Missouri for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On Thursday evening 4th Congressional District Democrats gathered in Warsaw, Missouri to elect four national delegates, two women and two men, for Joe Biden.

Before the speeches by prospective national delegates, scheduled to start shortly after 7:00 p.m., the location had been open for several hours for an activist training session and county and ward delegate registration. Only elected county and ward delegates in the 24-county congressional district can vote for the allocated national delegates. In the period before 7:00 p.m. declared national delegate candidates visited with the county and ward delegates, soliciting their votes.

After 7:00 p.m. registration for the elected county and ward delegates closed. The doors to the location were locked – I’m assuming figuratively. Observers and media remained, but were not eligible to vote.

After a brief description of the procedure national delegate candidates were invited up to the microphone in turn to present short speeches soliciting support for their candidacy.

Eligible county and ward delegates then voted and submitted their written ballots. The ballots were counted and the elected national delegates were announced.

No one at the meeting was paid to do this. Some of the county and ward delegates and national delegate candidates have been long-time party activists. Some for decades. Other participants were new to the process. All shared a commitment to the Democratic process. All, everyday people.

Previously:

4th Congressional District Democratic Party Meeting – Delegate Selection – Warsaw, Missouri – May 9, 2024 (May 9, 2024)

4th Congressional District Democratic Party Meeting – Delegate Selection – Warsaw, Missouri – May 9, 2024

09 Thursday May 2024

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This week Missouri Democrats are electing national delegates at congressional district meetings across Missouri for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This evening 4th Congressional District Democrats are gathering in Warsaw, Missouri.

Signing in:

Democratic Party candidates for office use the opportunity to speak with party activists:

Another candidate for office:

By the end of the evening two women and two men, in accordance with party rules, from the 4th Congressional District will be elected as national delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Missouri Democratic Party – Presidential Preference Primary – Results

30 Saturday Mar 2024

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The Missouri Democratic Party held the in-person portion of their presidential preference primary from 8:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 23rd at polling locations across the state. Prior to in-person voting self-identified Democratic voters could change their voter registration, declaring Democratic Party affiliation, and request mail-in Democratic Party presidential party ballots.

The party run presidential primary process in Missouri was necessitated by legislation passed by the republican super majority in the Genral Assembly and signed by Missouri Governor Mike Parson (r).

Joe Biden (D) [2020 file photo].

From the Missouri Democratic Party:

[….]

…In spite of the attack on our voting rights by the Republican State Legislature, turnout in the Missouri Democratic Party’s party-run presidential primary exceeded that of the Republican caucus event, and Democrats used this election as an opportunity to start organizing early and generated grassroots enthusiasm across the state as we head into the 2024 election cycle. Over 450 Missouri Democrats volunteered to organize a statewide election with nearly 100 in-person voting locations to ensure as many of their neighbors could cast their vote for their preferred Democratic nominee for president as possible. Missouri Democrats are fired up and ready to fight in 2024…

[….]

…In 2022, the Republican-controlled legislature passed HB 1878, which eliminated Missouri’s state-run presidential preference primary election and designated a party-run system for choosing presidential nominees. This was another attack on free and fair Democratic elections that made it harder for people to exercise their voting rights. The Missouri Democratic Party adamantly opposed this change, and none of the Democrats serving in the Missouri State House or Senate at the time voted for this bill. 120 Republican members supported the measure…

[….]

The results of the voting, as released by the Missouri Democratic Party:

Statewide Total – Missouri Democratic Party Presidential Preference Primary – 2024

Biden – 16,295 – 85.3% – 61 national delegates – 1193 state delegates

Phillips – 178 – 0.9%

Lyons – 40 – 0.2%

Perez-Serrato – 21 – 0.1%

Williamson – 298 – 1.6%

Palmer – 36 – 0.2%

Uncommitted – 2,229 – 11.7% – 3 national delegates – 79 state delegates

Total – 19,100

For example:

4th Congressional District Total – Missouri Democratic Party Presidential Preference Primary – 2024

Biden – 1,969 – 90.6% – 4 national delegates – 133 state delegates

Phillips – 14 – 0.6%

Lyons – 1 – 0.0%

Perez-Serrato – 2 – 0.1%

Williamson – 27 – 1.2%

Palmer – 5 – 0.2%

Uncommitted – 156 – 7.2%

Total – 2,174

Delegate selection process rules for the party require a 15% threshold for allocation of delegates. These allocations are made at the statewide and congressional district level.

Previously:

Missouri Democratic Party – Presidential Preference Primary – Knob Noster, Missouri – March 23, 2024 (March 23, 2024)

Missouri Democratic Party: lead, or get out of the way, Governor Parson (r)

01 Wednesday Apr 2020

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“…Issue a statewide “Stay at Home” order, to help combat the spread of Covid-19…”

Jackson County Prosecutor and Missouri Democratic Party Chair Jean Peters Baker [2019 file photo].

Today:

The Missouri Democratic Party Executive Committee is calling for the immediate implementation of a plan for the State of Missouri to help contain and address the spread of the coronavirus throughout Missouri.

“Missourians are looking for clarity and leadership as we face a truly unprecedented challenge as a state. Missourians need to know that our leaders are working together to leverage every available resource to keep us safe and to stabilize our economy. Missouri Democrats are stepping up, showing leadership, and addressing this crisis at the local and statewide level.” – Missouri Democratic Party Officers Hon. Jean Peters Baker, Hon. Clem Smith, Hon. Reverend Darryl Gray, and Cydney Mayfield

Missouri Democrats are offering a health and economic plan that calls for:

Health:

The State of Missouri should rapidly expand coronavirus mobile testing centers in each of Missouri’s 114 counties, especially in medically underserved communities, such as in rural and minority communities.

Identify all coronavirus hot spots in Missouri for increased immediate medical intervention and containment.

Issue a statewide “Stay at Home” order, to help combat the spread of Covid-19.

Request the appropriate funds from the state and federal government to fund increased testing, PPE, and when hot spots are identified, that the State provides additional resources for intervention and containment in hot spots, such as financing testing and other vital resources, such as mobilizing additional personnel.

Ensure that essential first-responders have the Personal Protective Equipment they need when they need it. Government should pursue every available means to secure essential PPE items, such as N95 masks, goggles, gloves, and gowns.

Funding to provide reimbursement to providers for treating the uninsured for coronavirus.

Implement a no-excuse vote-by-mail option to mail in or drop off a hand-marked paper ballot for all elections.

Funding to enable organizations to provide food to free and reduced price lunch eligible students while schools are closed.

Funding to provide corrections facilities with overtime pay for workers, food, sanitation and hygiene supplies.
Funding to provide inmates with access to free emails and calls until visits resume.

Funding to support state hourly wage workers across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches who are impacted by the coronavirus.

Issue a waiver for copays and other shared costs for testing and telehealth services, including for the uninsured.

Ensure that no essential health service is denied to a Missourian in need. That means no more kicking kids off their health insurance, making sure the uninsured are cared for, and that families can access the services they need regardless of their ability to pay.

Economic:

Form an emergency economic relief council to advise the state government on economic stabilization in the short term and recovery, as well as advise the government on the economic fallout of coronavirus and convene government and business leaders to marshal state programs and agencies to address coronavirus.

Ensure the economic relief council is empowered to transparently report how all federal and other funds are being used by the state of Missouri in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Suspend statutory hurdles to get unemployment payments to displaced workers quickly by ensuring all workers affected by coronavirus may receive unemployment payments, increasing the number of weeks workers are eligible to receive benefits, expanding the types of workers who are eligible, loosening restrictions on means testing to receive unemployment, and increasing the statutorily allowed amount of state unemployment payments.

Suspend foreclosures, evictions, and utility shut-offs including water, gas, electrical, and cell phones.

Leverage every available avenue to rapidly expand lending to businesses impacted by the pandemic.

Provide paid sick leave that at least matches the paid sick leave provisions in the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and, to the extent possible, have the state expand sick leave beyond the provided federal level.

“…Issue a statewide “Stay at Home” order, to help combat the spread of Covid-19…”

Missouri Governor Mike Parson (r) still has not issued a “stay at home” order for the state. Because, we don’t know, “rural, something, something.”

Governor Mike Parson (r) [2018 file photo].

Al Grimes

29 Sunday Mar 2020

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Word on the passing of Democratic Party activist and Henry County Democratic Party Chair Al Grimes (D):

Missouri Democrats @MoDemParty
This morning we learned of the tragic passing of Al Grimes, Henry County Democratic Committee Chair. Our prayers are with Al’s family, friends, and loved ones.
[….]
11:05 AM · Mar 29, 2020

I last saw Al Grimes at a campaign event in Sedalia at the end of January. As with every time our paths crossed, we had a lengthy and interesting conversation.

Al Grimes was one of the nicest people you’d ever meet. He’d go out of his way to engage someone he didn’t know at a meeting or an event. Invariably the conversation would be jovial, very interesting, and positive.

He was one of those memorable happy warriors in Missouri politics.

Local Politics

16 Thursday Jan 2020

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All politics is local, right?

Lauren Gepford, Executive Director of the Missouri Democratic Party, was a featured speaker this evening in Warrensburg at the monthly meeting of the Johnson County Democratic Club.

Lauren Gepford, Executive Director of the Missouri Democratic Party.

Charts. Comparisons.

And questions from the crowd.

Organizing for 2020.

Jean Peters Baker – running for Missouri Democratic Party chair

21 Wednesday Nov 2018

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Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker (D) [2018 file photo].

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has decided to run for Missouri Democratic Party chair:

Jean Peters Baker @jeanpetersbaker
I’m in. It’s time for me to get off the sidelines and support a strong Democratic Party by throwing my hat in for Chair.
[….]
9:25 AM – 21 Nov 2018

Stephen Webber, Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party – GOTV – Warrensburg, Missouri – October 15, 2018

16 Tuesday Oct 2018

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Last night Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber stopped by a GOTV training session at the Coordinated Campaign field office in Warrensburg to speake to volunteers about the process leading up to the election in three weeks. The Warrensburg office is one of forty across the state. Offices are staffed by a field organizer and volunteers – a lot of volunteers who call from phone banks and go door to door contacting voters.

Stephen Webber, Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party – Warrensburg, Missouri – October 15, 2018.

The three most important things in a campaign are field, field, and field.

Have a plan. Have your ID ready. Study the very long ballot. Vote on November 6th.

#resist

And we shall know them by their whiny, poorly written, rhetorically deficient, bullshit press releases

13 Monday Aug 2018

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The Missouri Democratic Party State Committee upset a fringe anti-choice group this past weekend.

To recap, an anti-choice amendment was inserted into the party platform at the committee’s meeting early in July. From a member of the platform committee:

“…I served on the MO Dem platform cmte for several months. We drafted a pretty good platform…”

“…still disgusted with the MO Dem Party’s platform fail. Missouri needs more prolife Dems like we *need* another earthquake. We don’t. Dems who do not support access to abortion and the conservative voters they will allegedly attract are the shiny object that distracts from building a platform that appeals to the thousands of voters who stay home because Republicans are regressive bigoted fiends and Democrats are obsessed with appealing to moderately regressive bigoted anti-women fiends…”

There was also an uproar from the base (majority) of party members who contacted their state committee representatives. This past weekend the Missouri Democratic Party State Committee met to reconsider the motion (uh, that’s a parliamentary procedure – used to fix mistakes), with more members of the committee attending the meeting. They reconsidered the motion to approve the anti-choice amendment, removed it, apparently without dissent, and proceeded to approve the original party platform presented by the platform committee.

The representatives on the Missouri Democratic Party State Committee realized they got played and they fixed it. Democrats do that, they fix things.

Missouri Democratic Party Chair Stephen Webber – at campaign headquarters in Columbia, Missouri – August 7, 2018

And, of course, this upset a hack at “Democrats for Life”?:

Missouri Party Chairman Closes Door on Pro-Life Democrats – Eliminates Inclusive “Big Tent” Language Approved By Platform Committee
on 12 August 2018 Posted in Press Releases.

There is an important election coming up that will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate and the future of the U.S. Supreme Court. The election could also determine whether or not there will be impeachment efforts to rid the White House of Donald Trump. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) is in a very close battle, and all Democrats would like to see her continue her tenure in the U.S. Senate.

Missouri Party Chairman Stephen Webber thinks that the best way to support Senator McCaskill and other Democrats in Missouri is to create an unnecessary battle over abortion.

A few weeks ago, there was a meeting to amend the Missouri Democratic Party platform. A vote took place, and the amendment was accepted. The Missouri Democratic Party then said that they welcome Whole Life Democrats in the party. The “conscience language” to include pro-life Democrats did not dilute the abortion-rights plank in the Democratic Party platform.

Unfortunately, it does not appear that the acceptance, along with the compromise language, lasted. Party Chairman Webber held a meeting this morning to strip the inclusive language from the platform because nothing says “We we want your vote” more than overturning a fair process of debate and approval. It is very unusual to remove language unilaterally after a platform has been ratified. It makes you wonder about the kind of pressure supposedly “progressive” groups exerted and why. They know that this removal will cause chaos.

They doth protest too much.

Now, just read that headline for accuracy.

Oh, it’s all just so rich:

“There is an important election coming up that will determine the balance of the U.S. Senate and the future of the U.S. Supreme Court…”

The writer of the press release at “Democrats for Life” actually wrote that. They also wrote this:

Democratic Senators Use Religion to Discredit Pro-Life Judicial Nominee
September 8, 2017
STATEMENT OF KRISTEN DAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF DEMOCRATS FOR LIFE OF AMERICA
Democrats For Life of America (DFLA) expresses its disappointment with Democratic senators and interest groups who are attacking federal court of appeals nominee Amy Barrett for her personal religious views on the dignity of human life at all stages….

Amy Barrett was also one of the right wingnuts who was reportedly on Donald Trump’s (r) short list for the current U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. The press release writer for “Democrats for Life” is definitely not worried about the U.S. Supreme Court the way the vast majority of Democrats are worried about the U.S. Supreme Court.

“…Missouri Party Chairman Stephen Webber thinks that the best way to support Senator McCaskill and other Democrats in Missouri is to create an unnecessary battle over abortion…” It’s called projection. Look it up.

The platform committee did not approve the language. A single anti-choice member of the Missouri Democratic Party State committee pushed an amendment to the party platform prepared by a platform committee using language appropriated from a lunatic fringe anti-choice group. We don’t know if the individual who pushed the amendment disclosed where that language came from when it was presented to the Missouri Democratic Party State Committee. We’re asking now. Was that disclosed at the time of the early July vote?

The Missouri Democratic Party State Committee did vote for the amendment in July (it wasn’t unanimous, that’s for sure) and it was very controversial. Everyone heard from everyone else the instant the word got out about the circumstances.

“…It makes you wonder about the kind of pressure supposedly ‘progressive’ groups exerted and why…”

Oh, that’s rich. It’s called holding those who are supposed to represent you accountable. The why is easy. Because their authored amendment, like their press release, is just so much bullshit.

Nothing says “we want your vote” more to the vast majority of Democrats in Missouri than when the Missouri Democratic Party State Committee realized they were played and had the awareness and gumption to quickly fix it. The Missouri Democratic Party State Committee voted on August 11th to restore the original language of the platform committee (overturning the anti-choice amendment) in approving the platform – with 61 of 68 members voting yes, two abstentions. That’s who “closed the door” on anti-choice fanatics.

And, just in case it slips anyone’s mind:

“…And, by the way, there already is an inclusive stance on abortion. It’s called ‘pro choice.'”

Previously:

The elephant in the room (July 3, 2018)

Against abortion? Don’t have one. (July 6, 2018)

Getting played (July 8, 2018)

And they fixed it (August 11, 2018)