I detest unethical behavior. This post is going to be about what I perceive as unethical conduct by the former Chairman of the Nye County Democratic Central Committee.

To understand it a brief summary of the history of what happened is necessary.

Two members of the Nye County Democratic Central Committee told me on Election Day of 2008 that they did not intend to remain in their offices beyond their current terms. I was told that the election to fill the seats of the vacating officers was expected to be set in the spring of 2009. When I inquired about what would happen if no one ran for election to fill the vacated seats, they shrugged their shoulders. I was told the rules governing conduct of the spring election would be the by-laws of the Nevada State Democratic Party, “with some exceptions.” (To my knowledge, at that time there were no Nye County by-laws in existence.)

I published a blog posting about the upcoming election for members of the Central Committee. I knew several people had expressed an interest in running for election to the Committee. These people were Democrats who had worked tirelessly in both the Clinton and Obama Presidential campaigns. They had engaged in voter registration drives, door to door canvassing, phone banking, get out the vote, and the like. They were out there doing the hard dirty work required in campaigns. They were fired up and ready to go.

One endeavored to make a motion at the January 2009 meeting of the Central Committee. The motion sought to set the election on March 30, 2009 at the Ruud Community Center in Pahrump. Robert’s Rules of Order notwithstanding, the Chairman summarily refused the motion announcing the election would be held Saturday, April 4, 2009 in Tonopah. Further, that only persons who had attended four Central Committee meetings or had been a volunteer for the Central Committee in the preceding year would be eligible to vote or even run for a Central Committee seat. He then produced what he said was the Nye County by-laws as prescribing the qualifications of who could vote or run for a seat on the Central Committee. The reason given by the Chairman for holding the election in Tonopah rather than Pahrump was to include Democrats in the other regions of Nye County in the election.

Available attendance records at Central Committee meetings revealed that of the 7,400+ Democrats in Nye County, only 28 could possibly satisfy the 4-meeting rule by April 4. None of the 28 lived outside Pahrump. The round trip distance for Democrats living in Pahrump to Tonopah is 320 miles. Thus, the Chairman wanted Pahrump Democrats to drive that 320 miles distance to vote when the attendance records clearly showed no one living outside Pahrump would be eligible to vote.

The rules of eligibility to vote or run for a seat on the Central Committee excluded those that toiled diligently during the Presidential campaign. The excluded Democrats were justifiably furious.

The Chairman stated those who intended to run for a Committee seat must file a notice with the Secretary of the Committee no later than February 19, 2009.

A vocal number of excluded Democrats formed their own organization dubbed Nye County Grassroots Democrats. They prepared a petition to the State Democratic Party seeking redress over the autocratic handling of the election on April 4. The NSDP declined to intervene.

At the February 2009 Central Committee meeting the Chairman announced the names of the qualified candidates for Committee seats and permitted each to make a brief campaign presentation. He announced there were 128 Nye County Democrats eligible to vote.

I made a motion that the names of those 128 eligible voters be provided by the Central Committee. The motion was seconded and passed by unanimous vote. The Central Committee promised to have the list of 128 ready the following Friday, four days later.

I wanted to know why 128 people did not show up on the attendance records to meet the 4-meeting voter qualification rule. I also wondered why it was necessary to wait until the following Friday to get the list, since it obviously already existed else the Chairman could not know there were 128 potential voters. When Friday arrived, I was told there was no list at the Democratic Headquarters because the Chairman had been ill. I was told that they “would work through the weekend” so that the list would be ready the following Monday. No list was available that Monday either. That list has never been produced.

On March 25, 2009 the Central Committee sent the following letter to Democratic voters. (I assume the letter was sent to the 128 “eligible voters.”)

“Dear Mrs. XXXX (I have redacted the name for privacy reasons)

“The upcoming election is getting close. The central committee decided to meet and discuss which candidates would best serve our party over the next two years. We chose to endorse these candidates based on the following: Experience, education, political interest, and involvement. A willingness to stay in contact with all party members including those that live in the most remote areas of Nye County was also considered. There are no expendable democrats.

“Chair: Bonnie Swadling

“Bonnie is certainly well qualified, definitely up to the task, and willing to make the commitment necessary to see that the Democratic Party becomes the dominant one in Nye County. She would be an exceptional chairperson.

1^st Vice Chair: David Bennett

“David has been a loyal supporter of the party for years. Because of his continued help and support we have been able to keep our office open since 2004. David’s involvement has enable us to continue our growth at a faster pace.

“2^nd Vice Chair: Cynthia Ross

“Cynthia was a very reliable volunteer at our office during the very busy 2008 campaign season. She has stated her interest in fundraising and has contacts through work which would be very beneficial in raising money.

“Treasurer: Joyce Smith-Call

“Joyce has been involved in politics since she was a teenager (not old enough to vote, she helped campaign) and she’s never lost interest. Ask Joyce anything about politics and she has the answer. She has a strong work ethic and is very detailed. Good attributes for any job. She is our choice for treasurer.

“The candidates we have endorsed are very strong democrats. They want the same thing we all do—to see Nye County turn blue. I sincerely believe that if the candidates we have endorsed are elected our chances of seeing that happen are excellent. I hope you will agree with me by giving them your vote.

“Sincerely,

/s/Loyal R. Watkins

Chairman

LRW/dh”

At the March 30, 2009 Central Committee meeting nothing was disclosed that the Central Committee had made endorsements, though all candidates were allowed to make campaign speeches.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 the election of the Central Committee members was held. Each of the endorsees won election. Some 33 persons attended, with maybe 1-3 residing outside Pahrump.

The list of eligible voters had swelled to 184 from 128 at the time of the April 4 election. That list has never been released by the Central Committee.

So what is unethical? It is the arbitrary manner in which the election has handled. The exclusion of Democrats from the electoral process. The effort to discourage eligible voters from voting by setting the election in Tonopah, 320 miles drive away. The virtual secret endorsement of som
e candidates by the Central Committee. The refusal to disclose the list of 128 or 184 “eligible” voters to each of the candidates so they could identify those from whom they needed votes to win the election.

The Democratic Party is renown for it’s inclusion rather than exclusion of people. The entire method with which this past election appears to have been designed to only include those the former Central Committee deemed acceptable. The perpetuation of a clique.

I lay the blame at the feet of the former Chairman. There is no apparent indication to include any of the four officers elected with complicity in the exclusion of Democrats.

I do not seek to stir up this can of worms to feed divisiveness of the party membership. I do seek to inform the membership with what occurred so that the membership can take appropriate steps to prevent it’s recurrence. The prevention begins with the by-laws which should preclude such methods in future elections. Prevention is also fostered by members being involved with a watchful eye for signs of repetition of such back-door activities.

The strength and power of the Nye County Democratic Party is rooted in the rank and file membership—not the five-member Central Committee.

There is apparently an e-mail circulating around criticizing President Obama over the incident of Somali pirates holding Captain Phillips hostage.

FactCheck looked into the accuracy of the e-mail.

The e-mail stated:

Radm Lou Sarosdy USN Ret. writes:
Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:
1. BHO (Pres. Obama) wouldn’t authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.
2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn’t do anything unless the hostage’s life was in “imminent” danger.
3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the [pirates] all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction.
4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the [pirates] were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.
5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams.
6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead [pirates].
7. BHO immediately claims credit for his “daring and decisive” behaviour. As usual with him, it’s BS.
So per our last email thread, I’m downgrading Obama’s performace to D-. Only reason it’s not an F is that the hostage survived.

FactCheck found the e-mail was NOT accurate.

To start, this message wasn’t actually written by retired Rear Adm. Louis Sarosdy, as some versions of the e-mail have it. We already debunked that much in an earlier item on The FactCheck Wire. The admiral said he passed the message along but didn’t author it and doesn’t know who did. In fact, he told us in a telephone interview: "In my line of work, I never even met a SEAL."
The content of the e-mail is also flatly contradicted by both White House and Pentagon officials. Indeed, retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s national security adviser, told the Washington Times that “I don’t recognize” the information contained in the e-mail. That’s what two different military officers at the Pentagon told us, too, though they spoke to us only on the condition that we not identify them.

No 36-Hour Delay

Let’s take the claims in order. Our sources said it is just not true that there was a 36-hour delay in sending in SEAL teams. Although Phillips was taken hostage on April 8, the Pentagon didn’t actually take charge of the situation until the U.S.S. Bainbridge arrived on the scene on April 10. At that point, Pentagon officials told us, the captain of the Bainbridge requested the resources to resolve the situation. By 8:00 p.m. (Washington time) on April 10, President Obama had authorized the redeployment of a SEAL team from Kenya to the Bainbridge. Pentagon officials told us that the request worked its way up and back down the chain of command in a few hours, not a day-and-a-half, as the e-mail states.

Navy SEALS in a 2007 training jump
Photo courtesy of the Department of Defense

Later Friday night, the Pentagon requested that SEAL Team 6 – the Navy’s counter-terrorism unit, which is also known as United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group or DEVGRU – also be deployed to the Bainbridge. Obama approved that request, as well. But the team had to be flown in from its headquarters in Little Creek, Va. – a trip of about 8,000 miles. According to MSNBC, SEAL Team 6 parachuted into the ocean at night on Saturday, April 11 and was taken aboard the Bainbridge.
Nor did the president himself establish the specific rules of engagement for the encounter. Military officials told us that the president laid out two guiding principles: that the on-scene commander should attempt to resolve the conflict peacefully but should take appropriate action if the captain’s life was in danger. But the president did not “micromanage” the rules of engagement, our sources said. Gen. Jones supported that assessment, telling the Washington Times that "I think everybody played their part well and there wasn’t any overstepping on anybody’s equities."
Moreover, it’s simply false that the SEALs could have taken action when Capt. Phillips attempted to escape. That’s because, according to our sources and independent news accounts as well, the SEAL team hadn’t yet arrived at the time of the attempted escape.
The claim that the White House rejected two rescue attempts is equally false, according to Gen. Jones. Nor did the on-scene commander decide on his own to rescue Phillips. Jones said the president had already given that authorization on April 10 – two days before the rescue. Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of Naval forces in the Middle East, told reporters the same thing in an April 12 press conference. According to Gortney, "[T]here were standing orders that if [Captain Phillips] was at risk and we on scene determined that he was under imminent danger, to go ahead and take decisive action."
Gortney went on to explain that "[t]he intent of the entire time was a deliberate, slow deliberate process to let the negotiation process work itself out to a nonviolent end. And unfortunately, that did not occur." That caution is perhaps understandable in light of the April 10 French military action, in which a commando raid on a ship captured by pirates left a hostage dead.
We’re not sure where the e-mail comes from. It could actually be from a SEAL who wasn’t aware of what was going on at the Pentagon, the White House or the Bainbridge. Or it could be from someone who has read too many Tom Clancy novels. Either way, we suggest that if you get this particular e-mail in your inbox, you give it the old heave-ho.
– Joe Miller

Sources

Gertz, Bill, "Obama Ok’d 2 SEAL Teams for Pirates." The Washington Times, 22 April 2009.
Miklaszewski, Jim. "SEAL E-mail Criticizing Obama Is Bogus." MSNBC, 21 April 2009.
Transcript: "DoD News Briefing With Vice Adm. Gortney From Bahrain." U.S. Department of Defense, 12 April 2009.

These kinds of attacks on President Obama have and will continue to persist. Lots of naive people who get this kind stuff actually believe it is true.