For Immediate Release

March 23, 2009

Contact: Caroline Ciccone – 202-863-8148

Gov. Kaine Names Democratic Change Commission To Recommend Changes to
2012 Presidential Nominating Process

Congressman James Clyburn and Senator Claire McCaskill to Serve as
Co-Chairs, Kaine Says

Washington, D.C. — Today, Governor Tim Kaine, Chairman of the
Democratic National Committee, announced the 37 member Democratic Change
Commission, which will recommend changes to the Democratic Party’s rules
for the 2012 presidential nominating and delegate selection process.
Governor Kaine also announced that he has named Congressman James
Clyburn of South Carolina and Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri as
Co-Chairs of the Change Commission.

“This Commission will focus on reform that improves the presidential
nominating process to put voters first and ensure that as many people as
possible can participate,” said Kaine.  “I want to thank all the members
of the Commission who have agreed to serve, including Congressman
Clyburn and Senator McCaskill who have graciously agreed to serve as
co-chairs.”

Governor Kaine went on to say that he hopes to work with the Republican
National Committee on a common approach that puts voters first.

President Obama first announced his intention to form the Democratic
Change Commission in August 2008, during his presidential campaign.
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention adopted President
Obama’s proposal on Monday, August 25, 2008.

The Democratic Change Commission will address three issues: 1) changing
the window of time during which primaries and caucuses may be held 2)
reducing the number of superdelegates and 3) improving the caucus
system.  A copy of the convention resolution establishing the Commission
is below.  The Commission must issue its report and recommendations to
the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee no later than January 1, 2010.

The Commission is made up of 35 members and two co-chairs and
represents a diverse mix of DNC members, elected officials,
representatives of State Parties, academics, labor, business, grassroots
activists and other Party leaders.  A complete list of the Commission’s
members is below.

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Co-Chairs:
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Congressman Jim Clyburn
Columbia, South Carolina
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Senator Claire McCaskill
St. Louis, Missouri
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Commission Members:
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Grassroots Activist Jeremy Alters
Miami, Florida
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Political Strategist Jeff Berman
Washington, DC
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Grassroots Activist Ashley Bliss
Atlanta, Georgia
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State Representative Dan Blue
Raleigh, North Carolina
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Political Strategist Bill Carrick
Los Angeles, California
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Mayor Michael Coleman
Columbus, Ohio
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Political Strategist Jeff Forbes
Washington, DC
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Grassroots Activist Joan Garry
Montclair, New Jersey
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State Chair Larry Gates
Overland Park, Kansas
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School Board Member Adelita Grijalva
Tucson, Arizona
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Professor Rob Hampshire
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Former State Chair Ned Helms
Concord, New Hampshire
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Former Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
McLean, Virginia
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Chairman Ron His Horse Is Thunder
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
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IBT President James Hoffa
Detroit, Michigan
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Grassroots Activist Roseanne Hope
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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State Senator Steven Horsford
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Grassroots Activist Suzie LeVine
Seattle, Washington
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UAW CAP Director Dick Long
Detroit, Michigan
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Grassroots Activist Andres Lopez
San Juan, Puerto Rico
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Former Attorney General Patricia Madrid
Albuquerque, New Mexico
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DNC Member Debbie Marquez
Edwards, Colorado
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State Senator Iris Martinez
Chicago, Illinois
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Delegate Jennifer McClellan
Richmond, Virginia
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Secretary of State Linda McCulloch
Helena, Montana
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Attorney General Tom Miller
Des Moines, Iowa
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DNC Member Minyon Moore
Washington, DC
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Grassroots Activist Sunah Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Campaign Manager David Plouffe
Washington, DC
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Grassroots Activist Rebecca Prozan
San Francisco, California
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DNC Member James Roosevelt, Jr
Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Congresswoman Linda Sanchez
Lakewood, California
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AFT President Randi Weingarten
New York City, New York
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State Chair Meredith Wood Smith
Portland, Oregon
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Grassroots Activist Martin Yeung
Rapid City, South Dakota
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Resolution Establishing the Democratic Change Commission
(This resolution was recommended by the 2008 Convention Rules Committee
at its August 23, 2008meeting and adopted by the 2008 Democratic
National Convention on August 25, 2008in Denver, Colorado)

Section 1.  Establishment of Democratic Change Commission.
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BE IT RESOLVED:  That no later than 60 days after the date of the next
election of the National Chair of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC), the National Chair shall establish a commission (the
“Commission”) to review the Delegate Selection Rules in light of
developments during the 2008 presidential nominating cycle and to
recommend changes to the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Democratic National Convention, not inconsistent with these resolutions,
to improve the nominating process.
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RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall be known as the “Democratic
Change Commission;” that it shall consist of 35 members and two
co-chairs, all with the right to vote on Commission business, appointed
by the National Chair of the DNC; that its membership shall be equally
divided between men and women and shall be geographically and
demographically diverse; that the DNC shall provide the Commission with
adequate staff and resources to carry out its mandate in accordance with
this Resolution; and that the Commission shall issue its report and
recommendations to the Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC no later
than January 1, 2010.
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Section 2.  Timing of the Primaries and Caucuses.
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RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Convention shall provide that no meetings, caucuses, conventions or
primaries which constitute the first determining stage in the
presidential nomination process (the date of the primary in primary
states and the date of the first tier caucus in caucus states) shall be
held prior to the first Tuesday in March of the election year, except as
otherwise provided in the Delegate Selection Rules and recognizing the
valuable role played by the approved pre-Window states in 2008; and
provided that no such meeting, caucus, convention or primary shall in
any event be held prior to February 1 of the calendar year of the
National Convention; and that the Commission also shall review the
sequence and scheduling of primaries and caucuses with a view towards
reducing the scheduling of such events on the first allowable date that
resulted in 22 primaries and caucuses being held on such date in 2008
and toward reducing frontloading within the Window period; and that the
Commission shall review the rules for proper enforcement of the primary
and caucus timing requirements and delegate allocation matters,
particularly with respect to action by the Rules and Bylaws Committee;
and that in making its recommendations, the Commission consider any
revision of the Rules of the Republican Party of the United States
adopted by the 2008 Republican National Convention regarding the
scheduling and sequence of presidential nominating events.
Section 3.  Delegates.
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RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall consider and make
appropriate recommendations for revisions to the Delegate Selection
Rules for the 2012 Democratic National Convention to provide for a
significant reduction of the number of unpledged party leader and
elected official (PLEO) delegates in order to enlarge the role and
influence of primary and caucus voters in the presidential nominating
process.  The Commission also shall review the formulas for delegate
allocation to assure that delegates are fairly allocated to accurately
reflect the will of the voters and that the right of the delegates to
reflect the sentiments of those who elected them shall be secured to all
delegates.
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Section 4.  Caucuses.
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RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission shall consider and recommend
appropriate revisions to the Delegate Selection Rules for the 2012
Democratic National Convention to provide that:
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a.  the use of a caucus/convention system for any stage of the delegate
selection process by any State Democratic Party shall be approved by the
DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee in accordance with any new specific
criteria to be set out in the Delegate Selection Rules, and which will
be designed to ensure that at each stage, any caucus or convention will
be adequately planned, organized, and staffed; will take place at such
times and in such locations as will meet the requirements of Rule 3 of
the Delegate Selection Rules and will otherwise maximize the opportunity
for full participation by Democratic voters; will be run using
appropriate balloting methods and, as to tiers following the first stage
caucus, will utilize accurate lists of participants; and will afford the
opportunity for meaningful communication of presidential candidates with
their pledged caucus participants reasonably in advance of caucuses and
conventions.
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b. the use of a caucus/convention system for any stage of the delegate
selection process should be organized in a manner that will ensure the
maximum ability of Democratic voters to feasibly participate in the
first-tier caucuses, including consideration of absentee voting in
caucuses to benefit those who cannot attend a scheduled caucus due to
military service, work, health conditions, family obligations and other
similar reasons that prevent attendance in person.
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Section 5.  Status of Resolutions
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RESOLVED FURTHER: That the Commission may address other matters related
to the presidential nominating process and Delegate Selection Rules as
may be identified by the National Chair of the Democratic National
Committee, and that for the purposes of Article Ten, Section 2 of the
Charter of the Democratic Party of the United States, these resolutions
shall be deemed to be “otherwise designated.”

We started out at Speaker Pelosi’s welcome party for folks at the Cannon Building.  Great event. Some of the best food.  Saw Keith Baraka, Nicole Ramirez, Elmy Bermejo, Rick Galbreath, Susan Bluer.  Also saw Gia Daniller and Steve Katz.  Here’s a picture:

The party was lovely.  Great to see folks and catch up.  Everyone was still talking about ‘purple-gate’.  I’m still amazed at how many people could not get into the inaugural.  Here’s a shot of Julia in front of the Cannon Building:

Afterwards, we headed over to Union Station to shop for memorabilia.   We did some minor sight seeing along the way – like at the Supreme Court with the words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’.  I thought to myself – someday:

Shopping at Union Station was a completely insane experience.   45 minute waits just to purchase mugs, chidlren’s books, pins, and the like.  Totally crazy.  Everyone is so excited about the new administration and all the Hope Obama brings!

Then, off to the staff party which was held at the DC Armory.  Great times with my friends Ellie Schafer and her partner Julie Colwell, Debbie Mesloh.  Here’s a shot of me, Ellie and Deb in front of the official ‘prom’ picture area:

And another one of the five of us

Rumor has it that these folks will not be returning to San Francisco yet and will be spending more time in DC.  in addition to Ellie & Deb, there were hundreds of staff present.  I saw Northern California organizer Peggy Moore, San Francisco organizer Kenya Wheeler.  Heard Matt Haney, Linda Leu, Nate Osborn were there.  Here are some fun pix

Speakers included David Plouffe, The Vice President and Jill Biden, and of course the President and the First Lady.  Some pictures:

For those concerned about lgbt representation in the administration, let me tell you that I met a ton of openly gay staff persons hoping to serve.  They are committed individuals who understand what needs to be done.  Between that, Obama’s announcements on Ethics and Guantanamo and removing troops from Iraq, his postings online reiterating his commitment to lgbt rights, I slept well last night, knowing the best is yet to come….

I had every intention of at least making it to the pre Out for Equality Ball but couldn’t do it.  I needed that extra hour!!  Finally, we started our trip back into the city to attend the Western Ball.  Here’s how the parties work:  there are ten ‘official’ balls that are invitation only.  Those official balls are the events that the President and the Vice President attend, dance with their spouses, make brief remarks.  Previously, there was a ball per state or two or three states.  President Obama had his by region: mid western, mid atlantic, western, northeast, etc.  There was a neighborhood ball and a youth ball.

Now, the Out for Equality event was at the exact same time.  This event was an all inclusive lgbt national community organizations and non-profits coming together to plan one event for the lgbt community.  This was VERY frustrating, because we basically had to choose which event to go to, given that all traffic was gridlocked and cabs were impossible to come by, let alone the crowds on the Metro and getting there and getting back.  Oh, and did I mention SEEING THE PRESIDENT?!?   We decided to go to the Western Ball.  The LGBT community’s presence is important, and trust me, we definitely got some stares.  But it’s all good.  Folks need to SEE us and MEET us, you know?

Anyhow.  Here’s a preview of the ‘official’ portrait from the Ball:

When you entered the room, IT WAS ENORMOUS!  Literally, they said thousands of people.  I didn’t think it was thousands, but it was large enough.  Unfortunately, a lack of San Franciscans in the room.  We spotted Marcia Smolens and her husband Richard, Hala Hijazi, Shanda Scott, Obama campaigner superstar Ellie Koss, Gweneth Borden.  Here’s a shot of the room:

What they say about the food was totally on point.  It was not good.  And we did not make it to dinner before.  Drinks were pricey ($9 for well and $6 for beer) but doable.  Entertainers were all over the inaugural events.  One thing I forgot to mention yesterday is that P. Diddy rolled up while we were waiting to get into the inauguration?  Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez played the Western Ball.  Here’s a shot of Marc Anthony:

Kanye West played the Youth Ball.  Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder played the Neighborhood Ball.

Here are some shots of the President and the Vice President:

Sorry we didn’t get bonafide pix of them.  Just couldn’t get close enough. …

So the end of an unforgettable day.  As we left, we took one last shot of the crowd:

Enjoy these ‘postcard’ shots of the scenery:

The big deal was trying to get folks to allow the doors to close after folks got on.  The mood was great and folks were so happy.  It’s like President Obama said during the campaign, America is waking up from a deep, deep sleep.  Here are some shots from the Metro, the line, the stage from our vantage point, enjoy and then read!!

News reports showed that the lines for ticket holders were long, and that law enforcement was unable to move the people traffic.  It was horrible.  We thought that because we had yellow tickets, which were basically  just about front row if done right, that we would be fine.  We waited in line for three hours, and barely missed the inauguration.  We were let into the standing area as they were announcing the Presidents.  My friends who were in the purple area were in by 9:30a.  I have friends who have purple tickets who were unable to make it inside at all.  Sorry, Jennifer and Dan.  It wasn’t the same without you.

We finally made it in, just in time to witness Senator Feinstein’s eloquent welcome and emcee performance.   During the invocation, one person around us asked if we could fast forward through this portion.  Obama’s speech was spot on.

Getting back was a total disaster.  Thought getting back from Invesco was bad?  Just couldn’t break through it. Ended up going on a two mile walk through one of the DC neighborhoods to catch the Metro.  The crowds at Union Station were too much, especially after a morning like this one!! And now?  Just watching the parade and need to get ready for the Inaugural.  Stay tuned for more pix!!

Russ and Ann were gracious enough to brave Costco and get us a new camera.  In return, we had a bunch of events and to do’s.

When we began to plan our trip, we didn’t realize that we would be invited to an official ball.  So we purchased tickets to the Equality for All.  Then we were offered tickets to the West/Southwest Ball.  So we had to sell our Equality for All tickets, which we did to Larry Shorter and his friend Tony.  We met them for brunch at a great place called Open City.  In addition to Larry and Tony, other folks joined us including Rudy Fuentes whom I met through Emilio Cruz from my Willie Brown days.  It was an awesome brunch, filled with great food and better company.  We invited BALIF board member Shay Gilmore and former Alice board member Mark de la Rosa to join us for the day to keep us company.

After brunch we went to Jack’s on 17th street for another round before going to the events of the night.

First off was former Alice board member John Lazar’s party at his lovely home on Vermont Street.  John lives in a classic DC home, so my wife tells me.  I thought his place was fabulous, well decorated, great food.  John has also served on Los Angeles’ Stonewall as well as currently serving on the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club board.  So there were a ton of gay democratic movers and shakers in the room.  Shay particularly enjoyed listening to Garry Shay, openly gay DNC member who told us stories about the famous Rules Committee meeting during the presidential race.

Afterwards, we headed over to the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council event.  All the national mover and shaker types were there – Andrew Tobias, Judy Dlugacz, Obama Finance leader Joan Garry and a bunch of others that I don’t know or don’t know yet.  San Franciscans may remember native David Tseng who relocated to DC.  He’s now general counsel for the District of Columbia.

Julia ran into her old boss C. Dixon Osbourne from her SLDN days which made her happy.

Larry Handerhan, Alex Randolph, Alfredo Pedroza met up with us there.

The exciting news is that we got to meet Marisa Tomei.  As in the Marisa Tomei from My Cousin Vinny.  Picture is forthcoming.  That was a great cap to a better day.  We had dinner with friends from law school in Maryland and then off to bed to prepare for Tuesday.

As we walked in, we saw Wendell Pierce, aka Bunk Morland on The Wire.   A long line for the official picture was directly in front of us.  Saw my colleague Marc Guillory and his girlfriend in line.  The complete Air and Space Museum was available for us to see.  So, we started to walk.  Down towards the first end of our tour, was the DJ, Benji Madden.  For those not in the know, he is front man of Good Charlotte and used to date Paris Hilton.  Saw Paul Henderson and his partner, Kevin.  Other delegates from the National Convention were there.  Then we walked towards the bar….saw Clay Doherty and his friends.

The swing band was actually pretty good.  Saw newly engaged couple Erica Walters and Mark Mosher.  Mark took pictures of the Pelosi grandchildren raiding the dessert tables.  For a $150/ticket, there was a great hosted bar, decent food, and plenty of room to enjoy it all….

A couple of members of San Francisco’s judicial branch were there as private citizens, Teri Jackson and Kathleen Kelly.  Here’s a picture of my good friends Deputy City Attorney Kimiko Burton and Managing City Attorney Marisa Moret

Most of the Obama crew, the Citizen Hopers were there – Matt Haney, Nate Mezmer.  Kenya Wheeler.  So many folks to name, So many people who helped make this happen.  And this was a great party to kickoff the inauguration of a lifetime…..