Imagine my surprise the other day that I learned that former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle—now truly a DC resident—is one of “my” Super Delegates from South Dakota.

I hadn’t elected Tom to the position.  He got the position because of who he used to be—Senate Majority Leader.

It’s not that I don’t trust Tom to do the right thing should the National Democratic Convention need actually pick my party’s nominee for President.  I do.  He’s proven himself as a leader to me.  Tom even supports my guy—that dreamy young Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama.  Another Super, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, also supports my man crush.

No, the problem is that Tom is even a Super Delegate and can vote any damn way he wants.

And I’ve even been hunting with one of our other Super Delegates—National Committeeman Nic Nemec.  He’s a wonderful, down to earth person and ex-Marine who I’d trust with my life. 

But I also don’t want him deciding who our party’s nominee will be either. 

You see, in America, I thought, these little things called ELECTIONS were supposed to decide who represents us.  And by the time the convention rolls around, even tiny South Dakota will have voted and expressed who its residents want to be the next Democratic nominee.  Same with all the other states through their primaries and caucuses.

The Super Delegates like Tom and Nic—both good men—are a renunciation of the Party’s past—actually of South Dakota’s once great influence through favorite son, U.S. Senator George McGovern.  McGovern played a major role in the 1960s and 70s in doing away with the influence of party “bosses” (sorry, Nic, sorry, Tom) and democratizing and broadening representation of many more groups of people in the Democratic Party.

But of course, diversity is messy.  “Those” people discover they actually have power and don’t always do what the party apparachniks want.

So, the McGovern reforms have been rolled back and we get stuck—not with bad people—but with a bad system.  People who have achieved their position—not through an election to be a delegate for the rest of us schmucks in the party—but simply through their past or present position.   They then get to make the most important decision in our democracy—who gets to run for President.

I hope like hell that Obama has the nomination sewn up or that Hillary Clinton has the good graces to get out and release her delegates should she fall short in the remaining primaries.

It would be contrary to the principles of the modern Democratic Party to select a nominee on the basis of insiders (no matter how well intentioned they may be) via a brokered convention while the Republicans—the party of privilege—can claim the moral high ground through actually practicing participatory democracy.

If Obama wants a boost out of the convention on the basis of “change,” let’s hope that it’s change for the future, and not a change back to the bad old ways of conducting smoke-filled room party politics.

Photo: Let’s hope the Democratic Presidential nominee really is selected in a way that truly is “Change we can believe in.”  Democratic Senator andPresidential Candidate Barack Obama addresses a capacity crowd at St.Peters College during the “Rally for Change” Campaign Event on January9, 2008 in Jersey City, New Jersey.  (wireimage.com photo)

Technorati Tags: McGovern reforms, Barack Obama, Tom Daschle, Nic Nemec, Hillary Clinton, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, 2008 Presidential Election, conventions

I'm about to go off on one of my "we South Dakotans think we are so much better than everyone rants."

You are hereby warned.

Apparently screwing regular, hard-working South Dakotans isn't enough for some in our business "community."  We've grown so used to low pay, poor working conditions, and no unions that it seems only natural that business owners would wonder, "Gee, could I pay people even less and essentially enslave them?"

The answer, for a while here in South Dakota, was "yes."

Check out this press release from the U.S. Department of Justice about that little family operation down Chamberlain way and their unique way of doing business.  Even underpaid South Dakotans making beds for this bunch wasn't enough (Hat tip to South Dakota 123 for finding this):

Robert John Farrell and his wife, Angelita Magat Farrell, owners of a Comfort Inn & Suites hotel in Oacoma, S.D., were sentenced on Friday, Feb. 22, in federal court in Pierre, S.D., for peonage, document servitude, visa fraud, making false statements and conspiracy, the Justice Department announced. Robert John Farrell was sentenced to 50 months of imprisonment. Angelita Magat Farrellwas sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment. Each defendant also wasordered to pay a $15,000 fine and will be placed on three years ofsupervised release following their respective prison terms. Peonage isa condition of involuntary servitude imposed to extract repayment of anindebtedness.

In November 2007, a federal jury convicted the Farrells afterhearing from four victims who had been held in involuntary servitude bythe Farrells. After committing visa fraud to bring Philippine workersinto the United States,the Farrells then enslaved the workers to perform cleaning and frontdesk duties at their hotel. During the trial, the victims described howthe Farrells controlled every aspect of the victims lives, includingwhat they ate, where they lived, and the hours they worked.

The victims described regularly working 16- to 18-hour days. When they finished their duties at the defendants hotel, the victims were then expected to work a second job at local fast food restaurants. One victim testified that she tried to join a Christmas choir,but the defendants told her that her first duty was to pay them backand that she could not spare two hours a week for choir practice. TheFarrells hid their activities by issuing the victims paychecks, whichthe Farrells then required the victims to endorse and return to theFarrells. The victims testified that they had hoped to send money backto their children and families in the Philippines...

Fortunately, U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley--yes, I'll admit, appointed by my favorite crony capitalist Republican, President George W. Bush--felt that this type of exploitation needed to end. 

At least one Republican in South Dakota understands human dignity and where to draw capitalism's bright line here in the land of "family values."  Fortunately, these despicable "business practices" now have less of a chance of catching on in our state where workers are essentially treated as meat.

Photo: "Meat" South Dakota's workers.

Technorati Tags: meat, workers, indentured servitude, slavery, Oacoma, South Dakota, Comfort Innn & Suites, dignity Angelita Magat Farrell, Robert John Farrell

Presidential hopefulMike Huckabee visits with Jay Leno during the "The Tonight Show WithJay Leno" at NBC Studios on January 2, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. Huckabee crossed the WGA picket line outside the show, which, to those of us who are pro-union, is called being a "scab." 

But apparently Iowan Republicans like Mike and Jay, based on yesterday's caucus results. 

And, I'm sure Huckabee supporter Gov. Mike Rounds was smilin' wide as well.

Technorati Tags: Mike Huckabee, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Jay Leno, Iowa Caucuses, The Tonight Show, NBC, 2008 Presidential election, 2008 election, Gov. Mike Rounds

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Here’s my latest entry at KELOLAND.com.

Read: It’s Time to Recognize S.D. Labor on Labor Day

An excerpt:

As most of us take the day off today for Labor Day, most of us won’t give the idea of “labor” a second thought.

That is unfortunate. 

Labor Day is a day to celebrate labor—working people and, yes, organized labor.  You know, unions.

And unions are a dirty word in South Dakota.  We’re one of the least unionized states in the natiion.  That’s too bad.  It might also help explain the state’s low wages… .

 

This from today's Madison Daily Leader: Union election will be July 5

And their blurb:

An election will take place July 5 to determine if Lake County highway employees will join the General Drivers and Helpers Local No. 749, also known as the Teamsters union. Commission Chair Shirlee Leighton said a ballot count will take place at 3 p.m. July 5.
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I have several friends and clients who are members of the local Teamsters.  They are great guys.  Their union has done wonders for their wages and working conditions here locally.  I hope the Madison workers have the good sense to vote the union in.  Their paychecks and their families will thank them.