[Mpls] Rules May Prevent Endorsement in 2nd Ward DFL Convention

[Steve Cross]

The Rules Committee for the Second Ward met last night.  Its members 
were selected on the basis of two delegates per precinct rather than a 
proportion of the size of the delegation from each precinct.  And it 
appears that Dan Miller's people rushed to fill the two slots in as many 
precincts as possible.  As a result, it appears that his people are a 
slim majority on the Rules Committee.  And, it now appears, Dan Miller's 
people have been instructed to adopt rules that will essentially prevent 
any endorsement of a candidate at the DFL Convention.  While he has 
personally pledged to support the endorsed candidate, he has apparently 
determined that he wants to frustrate any convention endorsement and 
take his chances at the primary election.

The rules that Miller's people have proposed (with my comments in 
parenthesis) are as follows:

** Requiring a quorum of two-thirds rather than a majority.  (Resulting 
in automatic adjournment of the convention if a little over one-third of 
the delegates, somehow, leave early.)

** Keeping a candidate with less than 10% support on the ballot through 
three ballots rather than just one.  (Resulting in a "nuisance 
candidate" staying viable through three ballots.)

** Preventing ANY forced drop-off of lowest vote-getters instead of 
forcing the drop-off of the lowest vote-getter after the fourth ballot.  
(Resulting in no movement of votes from less popular candidates to more 
popular candidates.)

** Allowing a motion of "No Endorsement" after just two ballots rather 
than the standard of three. (Encouraging an early switch to "No 
Endorsement.")

** Limiting the number of endorsement ballots to just five rather than 
the standard of an unlimited number.  (In a three-way race and combined 
with the other rules, making a successful compromise at 60% very unlikely.)

** Limiting the length of the convention to just three hours rather than 
the standard of being open until business is done.  (Resulting in a 
failure of endorsement just because time runs out.)

Dan Miller's people on the Rules Committee mouth platitudes of wanting 
an endorsement but their proposals speak louder than their words.  He 
clearly wants no endorsement coming out of the 2nd Ward convention.

There will be another meeting of the Ward's Rules Committee on Saturday, 
March 26th, to continue the debate on the rules.  We'll see whether Dan 
Miller's instructed Rules Committee members prevail.  However, even if 
they do, there is still the matter of how their support of rules clearly 
designed to make the whole convention a fruitless exercise will sit with 
all the Ward's delegates.

Steve Cross
Prospect Park
(Rules Committee, Precinct 6 and supporter of Bill Svrluga)
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