Democrats wrangle over delegates
By Andy Sher Nashville Bureau
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Democrats on Saturday quickly selected two unpledged presidential “super delegates” for this summer’s Democratic National Convention but then bogged down for hours over filling other statewide delegate slots. Democratic Executive Committee members wrangled over competing slates of delegates and quarreled over “representation goals” based on gender, race, age and sexual orientation. “I think our goals are going too far when you get into personal and private lives,” said executive committee member Bill Bassett, of Gallatin, as he and colleagues debated selecting two representatives of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as required under Tennessee Democrats’ diversity rules. The easy part for executive committee members proved to be naming Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council President Jerry Lee, of Nashville, and Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women President Vicky Harwell, of Pulaski, as unpledged add-on delegates. Both faced token opposition. They will join 15 other “super delegates” who could end up helping to decide the increasingly contentious race between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. U.S. Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., won Tennessee over U.S. Sen. Obama, D-Ill., in the state’s Feb. 5 Democratic Primary. Ms. Harwell acknowledged she is “at this point leaning toward” Sen. Clinton. She said she met Sen. Clinton and found her to be a “dynamic, dedicated, Democratic woman. I certainly think she has earned the right to run and then certainly be our nominee.” Ms. Harwell also emphasized she has not met Sen. Obama and has made no final decision. Mr. Lee, who had backed Democrat John Edwards before he dropped out, said he has no favorite and will “vote for the one that’s most electable in November.” He said national AFL-CIO recommendations “would have an influence on me, but if I thought differently I would probably vote differently.” Problems later developed over who would fill 24 apportioned delegate slots for party leaders and elected officials, as well as at-large delegates. The Clinton campaign got 14 of these, and the Obama campaign got 10. There were four alternates chosen. The quarrel wasn’t over how many slots each side got, but who filled them. A list of delegates from former Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Randy Button of the Clinton campaign was somewhat different than a list developed by former Tennessee Democratic Party Treasurer Chip Forrester, an Obama supporter, and Democratic National Committeeman Bill Owen and David Upton, both Clinton supporters. Confusion and resentment over identity politics flared at times with Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser reminding members that they had adopted a “diversity plan” with specific goals. “I can guarantee if we do not meet our representation goals, our credentials will be challenged” at the Democratic National Convention this summer, Mr. Sasser said. “My understanding is these are goals and not quotas,” Mr. Owen said. E-mail Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com NEW DELEGATES Here are some of the Democratic presidential delegates named Saturday by the state Democratic Party’s executive committee: Unpledged add-on delegates: Jerry Lee, Vicky Harwell Party leaders/elected officials for Clinton: state House Speaker Jimmy Naifeh, D-Covington; former Gov. Ned McWherter; state Sen. Thelma Harper, D-Nashville Party leaders/elected officials for Obama: state Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga; state Rep. Joe Armstrong, D-Knoxville At-large Obama delegates: Charlene Kilpatrick, of Chattanooga