Scenes from the Vermont Democratic Party
Last Saturday, I found myself at one of those political dinners.
You know the type—a marathon Friday evening gathering of loyal Democrats in a downtown hotel ballroom. The list of speakers is long. The salad is limp, the pasta has barely any sauce, and about halfway through, you start to wonder why you gave up your evening in the best weather Vermont has to offer - cool and clean.
These dinners are held all over the country and act as a bedrock of party politics in America. They are hard to put on and hard to attend, but somehow, no one has figured out a better alternative.
The purpose is to raise money for the Democratic Party so that it can recruit, train, and elect candidates to office. Without this money, Republicans and Democrats have no way to run political campaigns. So, the ballroom fills up with paying Democrats and corporate sponsors. Everybody goes. But no one really wants to be there, much less part with hard-earned money.
Before the dinner, there is a VIP reception upstairs. I paid $250 to get in. Finger food is passed around. Cheese and crackers are waiting on the table. The room is piping hot. There is no agenda and lots of standing around. Why would I pay the money for such an experience, you might ask? Well, it is a chance to mingle with other higher-paying and loyal Democrats. I might shake hands with Bernie Sanders, a global celebrity, or Ro Khanna, a rising Democratic star who represents Silicon Valley in Congress.
Out of context, it’s odd that a Californian Congressman would fly on a Friday night from DC to a hotel in Burlington, VT, to speak to people he doesn’t know and might never meet again.
But it’s not so odd when consider that one day, Ro Khanna might run for president.
Khanna is a tall, attractive, and intelligent former Stanford professor of Indian descent. He and Bernie Sanders are close allies. And he may be setting the groundwork to establish himself as a possible candidate. The dinner is part of a rinse-and-repeat process that many politicians have undergone before. He appears on a local radio show (Mine on WDEV) to promote the dinner, hops a plane after congressional votes in DC, checks into the hotel, showers, changes, and heads down to a bland hotel ballroom to shake hands with the stalwarts of party politics. The delegates to the state-nominating convention, the volunteers, and local activists all need attention, and all can be a source of money and support for future campaigns.
To be president, Khanna must repeat these dinners dozens of times in places like Denver, Springfield, Austin, and Trenton. Or better yet - Manchester, NH., Las Vegas, and Tuscon, AZ. For the record, Khanna arrived at 5:30 and left at about 9 p.m. Brutal.
If Khanna can replicate these dinners in dozens of states, he can turn them into a machine that propels him to the White House. John F. Kennedy did it in 1960. So did Barack Obama.
Today, Obama is generally thought of as a meteor who magically appeared on the scene and stepped into the White House after a series of inspiring speeches. What we forget is that he actually appeared at fundraisers all over the country long before he even thought of being president. He helped local parties raise money and shook hands with many of the party faithful, just as Khanna is now.
The idea is that those people will return home and tell their families they met Obama. And that would turn them into Obama voters and maybe even inspire them to write a campaign check.
It happened to me.
In 2008, I waited in line to attend an Obama event in Boston. The staff picked a group of us out of the crowd and placed us on the stage behind him. Before his speech, Obama turned around and shook my hand. I have been talking about it ever since.
That’s how this party system works. And it is brutal work.
Bernie Sanders hates these things - the VIP reception and the dinner. With real skill, he circles the crowd in the reception and gets out with minimal contact. He doesn’t like formal dinners either. But they do give him the ability to do what he does best - speak about inequality in American life. Last Saturday, he was electric. Despite a slight from the MC, who does not include him in the list of Democratic legends, Sanders did his thing. The man is 82 years old and shows no sign of slowing down.
Watching him, I think back to the 1970s, when Sanders wasn’t a serious candidate for anything. He couldn’t crack double digits in races for US Senator or governor. But then, in 1981, he won a race for mayor of Burlington. Then, he won a race for the House of Representatives and then the US Senate. He ran for president twice and was only defeated by these very same Democrats! (More on this is in a later post) He is now running for Senate for an incredible fourth term.
When Sanders finished speaking, he exited the dinner for a five-hour drive to Maine to give a graduation speech the next morning. (Again - brutal) We heard from the other Vermont senator– Peter Welch. Then, from the lone member of the Vermont House, Becca Balint. I wondered when we are going to stop calling her the first queer woman in Congress from Vermont. The former mayor of Burlington, Miro Weinberger, gave a speech that sounded like he was laying the groundwork for a run for governor. Two days later, he told the media he would not run.
Then, there are awards given by selected Democratic luminaries to honor Democrats for their meritorious service to the party. The late Louvenia Bright, the first black woman in the Vermont House, is honored posthumously. A portrait of Bright will be hung in the Statehouse. It is well deserved. Her son, Bill, and sister, Rebecca, accept the award. Bill is a friend of mine. He is a UVM grad and a really good guy. He is happy, and I am so happy for him.
The second award goes to state Rep. Tom Stevens and his spouse, Liz Schlegel, a duo who have been essential to Democratic success in the legislature and throughout Vermont. They have labored for years in Democratic politics in their town of Waterbury and are part of the reason Vermont’s legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic.
Finally, Ro Khanna gives the keynote address. He calls for a new patriotism and a new economy in places like Appalachia; places where jobs were shipped overseas to China and have been ravaged by unemployment, COVID, and opiates. For a moment, you think he can be president, especially given the current alternatives.
And then, just like that, it’s over. Party Executive Director Dandeneau, the stress sweat now dry on his face, thanks everyone for coming. He has worked on this event for months. And he has come out the other side in one piece. The party is flush with new cash and positioned to continue its dominance over Vermont politics.
We are out on a warm Vermont night. The real junkies head to the bar next door at the Hotel Vermont. But I’m out, headed back to Montpelier, reminded of the hard, unforgiving work that goes into party politics.
