Subject: RE: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention
From: "Price, Jenna" <[email-masked]>
To: "Palermo, Rachel" <[email-masked]>, Comm_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 6 May 2016 10:32:24 -0700

Sanders Threatens Floor Fight over Convention Committees<http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/05/06/sanders-threatens-floor-fight-over-convention-committees/>
WALL STREET JOURNAL // LAURA MECKLER
Sen. Bernie Sanders says he will lead a floor fight at this summer's Democratic National Convention if the party does not put his supporters on key committees.
"If the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates to force as many votes as necessary to amend the platform and rules on the floor of the convention," Mr. Sanders wrote Friday in a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
With little chance to win the Democratic presidential nomination, the Sanders campaign is increasingly focused on winning as many delegates as possible in hopes of pressing his agenda at the July gathering in Philadelphia. There are three key committees: rules, credentials and the platform drafting committee.
Mr. Sanders said that his campaign had submitted more than 40 people but only three of them had been chosen for the three panels, and none to the rules committee. Each committee has members elected in the states and others handpicked by the DNC chief.
"If we are to have a unified party in the fall, no matter who wins the nomination, we cannot have a Democratic National Convention in which the views of millions of people who participated in the Democratic nominating process are unrepresented in the committee membership appointed by you, the Chair," Mr. Sanders wrote.
This is just the latest dispute between the Sanders campaign and the DNC. The campaign has accused Ms. Wasserman Schultz of creating primary debate schedule to benefit Mrs. Clinton. In December, the DNC found that the Sanders campaign had improperly accessed Clinton voter files<http://www.wsj.com/articles/democratic-party-restores-data-access-for-bernie-sanders-after-suspension-1450505959> in a shared database and cut off the campaign's access to its own filed. That prompted a short-lived lawsuit abandoned after the DNC restored his access.
Mr. Sanders wrote that Ms. Wasserman Schultz told him she would consider allowing the Sanders and Clinton campaigns each to submit names and that she would then choose some from each list, and then add others of her own choice. He said that was not sufficient and that the Clinton and Sanders campaigns should each be able to appoint an equal number.
He added that the chairs of the Rules and Platform committees are "aggressive attack surrogates" for Mrs. Clinton. That's a reference to Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy, who will co-chair the platform committee, and former Rep. Barney Frank<http://topics.wsj.com/person/F/barney,-frank/6833> of Massachusetts, who will co-chair the rules committee.
DNC spokesman Luis Miranda responded that the DNC is treating everybody fairly in drafting the platform.
"Because the Party's platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive and representative process," he said in a statement. "Both of our campaigns will be represented on the Drafting Committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate."
Sanders: DNC Stacked Convention Committees With Clinton Supporters<http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sanders-dnc-letter-convention-committees>
TALKING POINTS MEMO // CAITLIN MACNEAL
In a Friday letter, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) accused Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz of stacking committees at the July national convention with supporters of Hillary Clinton.
Sanders lamented to Wasserman Schultz that the DNC only nominated three of the more than 40 people he recommended to sit on the standing committees, and the DNC did not appoint any Sanders picks to the key Rules Committee.
"I believe the composition of the standing committees must reflect the relative support that has been received by both campaigns," Sanders wrote in the letter<https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Sanders-Letter-to-DNC-5.6.16.pdf>. "That was why I was so disappointed to learn that of the over forty people our campaign submitted at your request you chose to select only three of my recommendations for the three standing committees. Moreover, you did not assign even one of the people submitted by our campaign to the very important Rules Committee of the Democratic National Convention."
Sanders wrote that the lack of representation for his supporters at the convention suggests that the Democratic Party "is not open to the millions of new people that our campaign has brought into the political process."
He also wrote that he was disappointed in the process for choosing members of the committee that drafts the Democratic Party platform at the convention, and he suggested that he and Clinton each recommend seven members of the committee and jointly select the committee chair.
"In our conversation, you told me with respect to the platform Drafting Committee that you would consider allowing each campaign to submit ten names from which you would choose four from each and then you would add an additional seven," he wrote. "While having four members on the Drafting Committee is an improvement, it does not address the fact that up to this point Bernie 2016 has secured 45% of the pledged delegates awarded. Frankly, we believe that percentage will go up in the coming weeks and, of course, we hope it will end up being a majority."
Sanders threatened to have his delegates attempt to make changes to the party platform and the convention rules at the July convention if the DNC does not address his grievances.
"It is my hope we can quickly resolve this in a fair way. If the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates to force as many votes as necessary to amend the platform and rules on the floor of the convention," he wrote.
The DNC responded to Sanders' letter in a Friday statement, according to Politico<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/bernie-sanders-democratic-national-committee-222895>.
"Because the Party's platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive and representative process," the statement read. "Both of our campaigns will be represented on the Drafting Committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate."
From: Price, Jenna
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 12:43 PM
To: Palermo, Rachel; Comm_D
Subject: RE: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention

Sanders accuses DNC of favoring Clinton at convention<http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/279007-sanders-says-dnc-favoring-clinton-ahead-of-convention>
By Jessie Hellmann

Democratic Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders<http://thehill.com/people/bernie-sanders> is accusing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) of favoring Hillary Clinton<http://thehill.com/people/hillary-clinton> by giving her supporters more committee representation at the party's July nominating convention.

In a Friday letter to DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz<https://berniesanders.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Sanders-Letter-to-DNC-5.6.16.pdf>, Sanders said he was disappointed to see that of 45 names his campaign submitted for recommendations to serve on three standing committees, only three were selected.
He also noted that none of his supporters were assigned to the "very important" rules committee, which will design the rules for the convention.
"If we are to have a unified party in the fall, no matter who wins the nomination, we cannot have a Democratic National Convention in which the views of millions of people who participated in the Democratic nominating process are unrepresented in the committee membership appointed by you, the Chair," Sanders wrote.
"That sends the very real message that the Democratic party is not open to the millions of new people that our campaign has brought into the political process, does not want to hear new voices, and is unwilling to respect the broader base of people that this party needs to win over in November and beyond."
Sanders said if the disagreement over committee appointments isn't resolved, he would mobilize his delegates to change the platform on the floor of the convention.
"There are already over 9 million voters who, during this nominating process, have indicated that they want to go beyond establishment politics and establishment economics - and want to transform our country with bold initiatives. I will not allow them be silenced at the Democratic National Convention," he wrote.
Sanders's chances of swiping the Democratic nomination from Clinton are unlikely, as he needs to pull of landslide victories in the remaining primary states.
While Sanders won the Indiana primary Tuesday, grabbing 44 delegates, Clinton also won 38, allowing her to maintain a large delegate lead.
Clinton has 1,683 pledged delegates to Sanders's 1,362, according to The Associated Press.
In the letter, Sanders also called for more representation on the party's platform drafting committee, as each campaign is only permitted four supporters while the DNC picks an additional seven.

From: Palermo, Rachel
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 12:06 PM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention

Sanders accuses DNC of tipping convention toward Clinton<http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/bernie-sanders-democratic-national-committee-222895>
By DANIEL STRAUSS<http://www.politico.com/staff/daniel-strauss>

Bernie Sanders is accusing Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of trying to tip the party convention in Hillary Clinton's favor, saying the chairwoman has packed the committees with Clinton supporters.
In a letter<http://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000154-86bf-da04-a3ff-9ebfd97e0000> to the chairwoman, the Sanders noted that of the 45 names he submitted Democratic National Convention committees, Wasserman Schultz appointed only three.
Story Continued Below
"I believe the composition of the standing committees must reflect the relative support that has been received by both campaigns," Sanders wrote in the letter dated May 6. "That was why I was so disappointed to learn that of the over forty people our campaign submitted at your request you chose to select only three of my recommendations for the three standing committees. Moreover, you did not assign even on of the people submitted by our campaign to the very important Rules Committee of the Democratic National Convention."
Sanders said that if the disagreement over convention committee appointments is not resolved, he would have his delegates move to change the platform on the floor of the convention.
"It is my hope we can quickly resolve this in a fair way," Sanders wrote. "If the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates to force as many votes as necessary to amend the platform and rules of the floor convention."
Sanders' chances of taking the Democratic nomination have grown, as he has a deep disadvantage in both pledged and superdelegates. But the insurgent candidate has vowed to continue on, and his deep run into the primary gives him additional leverage to pull the party to the left.
In his letter, Sanders also mentioned the Democratic Party platform drafting committee. In the letter he recounted Wasserman Schultz had discussed changing the process for selecting members of the committee.
"In our conversation, you told me with respect to the platform Drafting Committee that you would consider allowing each campaign to submit ten names from which you would choose four from each and then you would add an additional seven," Sanders continued. "While having four members on the Drafting Committee is an improvement, it does not address the fact that up to this point Bernie 2016 has secured 45% of the pledged delegates awarded. Frankly, we believe that percentage will go up in the coming weeks and, of course, we hope it will end up being a majority."
Sanders argued that each campaign should be able to pick seven members for the committee with the fifteenth member being one picked by both campaigns.
"This process will also ensure that the chairs of the standing committees conduct their proceedings with fairness and transparency," Sanders argued.
In its response to Sanders letter, the DNC released a statement saying both campaigns would be represented at the convention.
"Because the Party's platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive and representative process," the DNC said in a statement. "Both of our campaigns will be represented on the Drafting Committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate"

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/05/bernie-sanders-democratic-national-committee-222895#ixzz47tO3sIaR
Follow us: @politico on Twitter<http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=bKDyiUp9mr3OhNab7jrHcU&u=politico> | Politico on Facebook<http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=bKDyiUp9mr3OhNab7jrHcU&u=Politico>

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[DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/>
Rachel Palermo
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
202-863-8041

From: Palermo, Rachel
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 11:50 AM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention

Longer article:

Sanders wants supporters represented at party convention<http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/may/06/sanders-wants-supporters-represented-at-party/>
AP // KEN THOMAS

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders threatened a floor fight over rules and platform planks at the party's summer convention on Friday, warning the Democratic National Committee not to stack the convention's standing committees with supporters of Hillary Clinton.

Sanders wrote in a letter to Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz that the makeup of the standing committees that consider the party's platform and rules should reflect the level of support that he and Clinton have received during the 2016 primaries and caucuses.

"If the process is set up to produce an unfair, one-sided result, we are prepared to mobilize our delegates to force as many votes as necessary to amend the platform and rules on the floor of the convention," Sanders wrote. The letter came after Sanders spoke with the chairwoman by phone earlier this week.

Sanders said if the party is going to be unified in the fall, it can't have a convention in which the views of millions of people are "unrepresented" in the committee membership.

Pointing to the 9 million voters who have supported him, Sanders wrote, "I will not allow them be silenced at the Democratic National Convention."

Luis Miranda, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said "because the party's platform is a statement of our values, the DNC is committed to an open, inclusive and representative process. Both of our campaigns will be represented on the drafting committee, and just as we did in 2008 and 2012, the public will have opportunities to participate."

Clinton holds a sizable lead of more than 300 pledged delegates and has received about 3 million more votes than Sanders during the primaries. Including superdelegates - the elected party leaders and officials who can choose the candidate of their choice - Clinton is more than 90 percent of the way to clinching the nomination.

In the letter, Sanders notes that Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will be in charge of the convention's platform committee and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank will run the rules committee. He calls both "aggressive attack surrogates on the campaign trail" for Clinton.

Sanders said he submitted the names of more than 40 people to serve on three standing committees and only three of his recommendations were selected by Wasserman Schultz. He said none of his supporters were assigned to the rules committee.

The Vermont senator has vowed to campaign through the end of the primary season in mid-June and advocate at the convention for his policy goals, which include fighting wealth inequality and overhauling the campaign finance system. He has also criticized states that do not allow independents to participate in Democratic contests or states that do not allow same-day registration.

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[DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/>
Rachel Palermo
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
202-863-8041

From: Palermo, Rachel
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 11:15 AM
To: Comm_D
Subject: RE: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention

https://twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/728603105080680448
@KThomasDC <https://twitter.com/KThomasDC>  2m2 minutes ago<https://twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/728603105080680448>
.@BernieSanders<https://twitter.com/BernieSanders> on his supporters: "I will not allow them to be silenced at the Democratic National Convention."

https://twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/728602062318125058
@KThomasDC <https://twitter.com/KThomasDC>  6m6 minutes ago<https://twitter.com/KThomasDC/status/728602062318125058>
New: Sanders threatening floor fight over rules & platform planks at convention if the DNC stacks the cmtes w/ Clinton supporters.

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[DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/>
Rachel Palermo
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
202-863-8041

From: Palermo, Rachel
Sent: Friday, May 06, 2016 11:12 AM
To: Comm_D
Subject: FLAG: AP: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention

The Latest: Sanders threatens floor fight at Dem convention<http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article76023652.html>
AP
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is threatening a floor fight over rules and platform planks at the party's summer convention if the Democratic National Committee stacks the committees with supporters of Hillary Clinton.
Sanders writes in a letter to Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz that the makeup of the standing committees should reflect the level of support that he and Clinton received in the primaries and caucuses.
He says many of his supporters have not been included and notes Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy will be in charge of the convention's platform committee and former Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank will run the rules committee. He calls both "aggressive attack surrogates" for Clinton.
Sanders says if the process is unfair, he'll challenge platform planks, electoral reform planks and rules changes.

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[DNC]<http://www.democrats.org/>
Rachel Palermo
Democratic National Committee
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
202-863-8041