Why I am running against Bruce Cowan in precinct 706.

I want to be very clear that I do not think anybody in the our local democratic party is a bad person. I also want to make clear that we are all united in the goal of defeating Trump in November. Given those Caveats, I still believe that there is a need for a fundamental change in the democratic party nationally and locally. The Bernie campaign, although he lost both times he ran, was one of the most successful in the history of the USA. He completely changed the conversation about what America is and what it should be. He confronted privileged and the capitalist wall street class head on and has helped to support radical change in congress if not directly winning the presidency.

I supported Bernie in 2016 and I supported him in 2020. My precinct, 706 both times supported Bernie more than any other candidate, with 50% of the votes in 2020 and even more in 2016. Elizabeth Warren, the other progressive choice took 13% of the vote in 2020. I do not know who Bruce supported in 2020. In 2016 He supported Hillary, and I believe that in 2020 he supported Warren. If he supported Warren I want to know that. If he supported Joe, I want to know that too. I want to know which candidates locally supported our platform in 2018 and which voted against it. No one has the time to tell us everything they believe, but they do have the time to tell us what they have done that reflects their political and world views. Having been elected in the past is not in itself much of a recommendation. If you read my web site, I believe you will see that my goal was not so much to convince you to vote for me, but to show you who I am and what values and beliefs will guide my actions.

In 2018 the democrats passed a platform that was radically progressive. One of the planks of the platform was a requirement that we vet candidates against our platform and ask them to state which items they may not agree with as a condition for asking for our support. Here is what the platform says:

” We call for the Jefferson County Democratic party to request that all Democratic candidates confirm that they support the entirety of the Democratic platform at the respective local, state or national level at which they are seeking office, or supply in writing a document explaining those planks of the platform which they do not support and optionally their reasons for withholding support; “

The current executive board has failed to do this. I would even hazard that they have willfully failed to do this. It is untenable that they have not read the platform. I know that some of them would argue that they are in no way bound by the platform, but only by the bylaws. This may be true in a legal sense, but it is not true in moral or ethical sense. The platform IS what the Jeffco Democrats as a majority stand for and have mandated. We often have no idea what the actual beliefs of the candidates whom the Jeffco Dems support and endorse are. We do not know where they stand. Often candidates hide there beliefs with statements such as “talk to me”, “the door is always open”, “we need to be united”, “I don’t think you know how much we agree”. What I want to hear is: this is what I believe, this is where I differ with you and here is why, and honesty in saying, we do not agree with the platform on this point and consequently we will or (will not) do what is requested.

Membership in the Jeffco Democratic party is at an all time low. One of the reasons why is the bureaucratic manner in which it is run. Some of this is unavoidable, but some of the reason why is that it is not really welcoming of different viewpoints and has done little to implement any part of the platform. It is insufficient to say that the main purpose of the Democratic party is to elect democrats. The main purpose of the organization is to politically support and promote Democratic ideals, as represented by our platform. We should support candidates only to the degree that they will promote our platform and ideals. No party’s purpose is simply to get people elected. The purpose of the party is larger than that, and when it begins to actually try to implement and encourage the implementation of its platform, then large participation will become a reality. Simply electing and reelecting candidates is not enough.

Read the platform. The current PCO’s have failed to abide by even the minimal and most easily implemented request of the platform, (see above) made on the party. I do not think that any of the leaders in the party that call themselves centrist, are truly centrist. They are to the right of the United States center and to the right of the Port Townsend centrists who overwhelmingly have supported progressive candidates. It is important to be agreeable, but not at the expense of integrity.

Nearly everyone in the current democratic party leadership both locally and nationally is a nice person and gracious, but that is not enough. I have known republicans and trump supporters that are also nice people. It does not make them right and it does not mean that they represent any thing but an outlier. It is also possible to believe in progressive ideals, but fail to act upon them.

Read my statements on otto4pco.com. I hope, although we can not meet in person, you can get to know me and where I stand. The group, the Jefferson County Progressives, are trying hard to change the local party and make it more accountable to the people. There is a difference in candidates. I used some popular slogans to promote my campaign. The values in these slogans are represented in the County Democratic platform. For instance we could run an ad in the local papers.

“Black Lives Matter, No one is illegal, Science is real, Love has no gender, medicare for all. We stand for science, reason and compassion, Join the Jefferson County Democratic party. Make your voice heard.”

And we should certainly vet all candidates to insure that they also support the most basic principles set forth in the platform. I want the organizers of the Black Lives Matter protests, the JCIRA actions, Occupy port Townsend, LGBTQ issues and other like causes to see the democratic party as the first place to go to help them raise money and help provide publicity and support. It is possible to change the party at the local level and this will filter up to the higher echelons. The progressives are a revolution that can change the country.

Vote for progressives.

Otto Smith

otto4pco.com