Middle Georgia delegates head to City of Brotherly Love

Middle Georgia will be well-represented when Democratic delegates across the country head to Philadelphia to nominate Hillary Clinton for president.

For midstate delegates, the week offers a chance to network, hear details of the party platform and play a role in the nomination. And recent events, they said, have pushed some issues to the fore.

This election cycle has been particularly divisive as Republican nominee Donald Trump has weighed in on issues including immigration and racism, said delegate Teresa Southern, a program coordinator for the Middle Georgia Center for Academic Excellence.

“This election season has been heavily shaped by current events,” she said in an email. “So many tragedies have forced our candidates to look at issues such as gun violence and race relations. Each Democratic debate I rooted for Hillary, but believe (U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders) forced issues on the table that needed to be discussed. He reminded us our kitchen table conversations are not about her email accounts, but our incomes, our futures, our family’s future, and health and safety.”

The vibe around this year’s Democratic National Convention is different than when Milledgeville’s Quentin T. Howell attended the 2008 convention in Denver. At that time, Democrats were looking for the nation to move in a new direction, he said.

“We have great energy with people who are excited about what’s going on in the Democratic Party here in Georgia,” said Howell, chairman of the Baldwin County Democratic Party. “Nationally, it’s been a very interesting political season that went against all the (normal rules) because of the Republican nominee. (Republicans) had other choices that would have made the Democrats more concerned, but (the GOP) decided to go with someone that’s polarizing.”

This week will be Howell’s third consecutive stint as a convention delegate. Howell, who hosts a talk show on Love 103.7, will be also be a whip this time around, helping make sure the Georgia delegates follow protocol.

For Middle Georgia delegate Vincent Venditti, the primary season motivated him to become more politically active as he heard the messages coming from Sanders.

“I firmly believe in Bernie Sanders’ progressive agenda and feel that there should be less money driving politics,” the Warner Robins resident said in an email. “Also, as a lower-income person and father to a disabled daughter, I know firsthand the feeling of powerlessness that can come along with being a less advantaged American, and I feel it is very important for every American to be represented and protected by their government and to feel that they have a voice that matters, so I have been very proud to be an active part of Sen. Sanders’ political movement.”

Middle Georgia delegates said they are excited to see what happens during the week in the City of Brotherly Love.

Their days will begin early and continue deep into the night. Among other Middle Georgians scheduled to attend are DuBose Porter, chairman of the Democratic Party of Georgia, Henry Ficklin, a former Macon City Council member, Cassandra Powell, chairwoman of the Macon-Bibb Board of Elections, and Fred Swann, the 8th Congressional District chairman.

Each day begins with a breakfast that features speakers including civil rights activist and U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia. During the day there are numerous workshops people can attend in areas like housing, business and nonprofits.

“It’s a tremendous amount of knowledge that’s passed on that you can bring back to help the community,” Howell said.

‘DIFFERENT VIEWS’

Venditti plans to attend gatherings focused on disabilities, veterans and military families as well as a luncheon hosted by Al Sharpton for the National Action Network.

Forums on small business ownership, faith, women and youths are among the ones Southern will attend. She’s also been invited to lunches and receptions from interest groups and organizations such as Planned Parenthood.

“I’m always interested in hearing different views, so I will be attending caucus meetings with the LGBT, Hispanic and Native American communities,” she said.

Among the luminaries scheduled to speak at the convention are President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as well as Sanders and former President Bill Clinton.

Southern called the scheduled list of speakers “awesome” and said she’s excited to hear from the Obamas and Sanders.

“I’m most excited to hear from my candidate Hillary Clinton,” she said. “This is a pivotal moment for our country, for women and for Democrats as well. I’m also expecting to relish these memories for years to come, electing another qualified Democrat to serve our nation’s highest office. I hope to network, meet other campaign strategists and other millennials working in their communities.”

The speakers also can control the convention’s mood based on their messages, Howell said.

“It’s very emotional for some people that I think are very appreciative,” he said. “For others, it’s very exciting and for others it’s hopeful because you can see the future being molded in a certain way.”

Howell said that important Democratic planks are equal pay for women, education and improving opportunities for the lower and middle classes.

“We have racial issues that want to be ignored by some people in the other party,” Howell said. “We have to learn to grasp ahold of it and understand the problem in order to fix it.”

Venditti said he’d like to see speakers address a single-payer health care system, in which a single public or quasi-public agency organizes health care financing, as well as environmental issues such as the elimination of fracking to obtain natural gas.

Southern said some of the prime issues in 2016 were discussed during conventions dating back decades, from gun violence in the 1970s to universal health care in 1980.

“What do these platforms really mean to our lawmakers if we’re still working toward them in 2016?” she asked, adding that equal pay remains an important area to address.

“(Last week) I received a $25,000 hospital bill from a hospital stay I had after the delegate election,” Southern said. “I’m fortunate to have insurance through my employer. I would like to see health care costs not cause anyone to lose sleep at night or not receive the care they need.”

While the convention culminates a long primary season, there is hope despite a sometimes “painful process,” Venditti said.

“I think in general this election season has shown that there are a lot of people on both sides of the fence who are angry with how our government is currently being run,” he said. “A lot of otherwise not very politically active people (like me) have been compelled to get involved in the process, and I believe if we all stay involved even after the election is over, we can change things for the better.”

This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Middle Georgia delegates head to City of Brotherly Love."