HOW TO STEAL AN ENDORSEMENT

"As the ranks of Democrats grow in San Diego County, competition for the endorsements from Democrat sub-groups is getting ugly. There are nearly 50 Democratic groups in the county that are identified by geographical area (Democratic Club of Vista, Chula Vista Democratic Club) or by cause (Democrats for Peace in the Mideast, Latina Women’s Democratic Club)."

San Diego Reader July 7th, 2020

The Democratic Party of San Diego County has been hijacked by a culture of gaming the system that should merit a novel rivaling the classics of local political corruption. How that dynamic applies to the politics of Oceanside, would merit a mini-series that featured a level of internecine warfare, that would make the Borgia Papal Court appear moral and the Trump White House seem like an episode of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. 

For those who grew up in other states, the idea that the Democratic Party in California runs in an utterly chaotic form should come as no shock. The usual constructs of how political parties are structured and managed are an orderly process that is driven by a simply understood formula that reflects how voting takes place, that emphasizes the grassroots. Citizens meet in precincts, elect their representatives to the ward meetings. Then the wards meet and elect their representatives to the County Convention. Eventually, the County Organizations elect representatives to the State convention. The political party is organized by principles that assure that neighborhoods have a voice in the direction that their party travels. The people deciding who gets endorsed are elected by residents of the communities affected by the decisions. 

It is different in the nation's largest blue state. If a dark force wants to tip the scales for a candidate, I can go to my donors and pay a membership fee to join a Democratic Club in ten different localities and vote on who is endorsed. a campaign can recycle another group of workers to join each and every "affinity group" for $25.00 a pop and vote to endorse candidates. Then if an operative wants to really get creative, they can get 25 people together to pay $5.00 a pop and start other clubs, as is common in the more corrupt areas of the state.
In each of these instances, a club that succeeds in getting a charter can elect members to vote in the area caucus and the Democratic Central Committee on who the party endorses. Given the Louisiana style "Top 2" primary voting system used in California, the officially endorsed candidate in a race between two Democrats is enough to settle an election. 

A system such as this would be open to some abuse in a normal dynamic. There is little about the Democratic Club of Carlsbad and Oceanside that is not dysfunctional and has been for nearly a half-century. Because there is no linkage between actual residency in a community and the ability to decide who the local club supports, the scales are tilted towards who can weaponize the most ringers. Due to the fact that there are no real rules in place, people living in Carlsbad can decide who represents the people of Oceanside. 

In a dynamic where it really boils down to the ability to manufacture members with a minimal requirement for the length of membership, a person needs only belong to DEMCCO for a month before they can vote on who the club supports and who decides who the County Party backs in elections. In short, the practice of "club stacking" effectively disenfranchises local voters. 

The San Diego Reader notes: "Will Rodriguez-Kennedy is the chair of the San Diego County Democratic Party. He admits that club stacking is a very real problem that has plagued local Dem clubs and their endorsement process.

He says there are rules that prevent a club from banning members based on where they live. But Rodriguez-Kennedy says he is about to introduce new rules that he hopes will be adopted by the central committee that will clean up the club stacking mess.

“This has been a problem in the past,” says Rodriguez-Kennedy. “I’m the first chair to even look at this. My intent is to rein in [campaign] consultants. We can’t control how consultants interact with politicians, but what we can do, is if we identify consultants who are identified with club stacking, we can tell politicians that if they do business with them, they will not be doing business with us.”

Along with the issue of "club stacking", Democrats in Oceanside have been plagued by the dysfunctions within DEMCCO for a generation. One response was for those disenfranchised by DEMCCO to form a separate "Democratic Club of Oceanside" that was supposed to be focussed on Oceanside concerns and that actually met in the community. 

This was driven by the abortive attempt to endorse longtime Councilwoman Esther Sanchez in July of 2019 for Mayor, thirteen months before the filing deadline for the office. That effort was quarterbacked by figures such as one Kyle Krahel, who was once employed by the Councilwoman as her "aide" before becoming the hatchetman for Congressman Mike Levin's 2018 campaign. Krahel is currently employed by Congressman Levin as a key political aide. It should be noted that the Levin campaign was voted unacceptable several times by varied Democratic clubs for its bullying tactics. Mr. Krahel was the acknowledged quarterback of that unique "outreach."

Krahel was also a co-author of the 2018 "Levin Eleven" fiasco, where an abortive and highly derided attempt was made to expel ten progressive state convention delegates (and operative Amanda Mascia) from voting on the Congressional endorsements at the State Convention, for allegedly signing a nominating petition for an independent candidate for a down-ballot office. In the picture above Mr. Krahel is depicted actively campaigning for a Republican in 2016.  

(Disclaimer: As a former member of DEMCCO, I am reluctant to discuss my own experiences out of fear that an objective recounting would strain reader credulity. I urge you to read the account linked here of the madness) 

Appended above are the results of the March 2020 election for the SD County Central Committee. With memories fresh of the dark campaign Mr. Krahel ran in 2018, and his abortive attempt to cram through a wildly premature endorsement of Councilwoman Sanchez last summer, Krahel's candidacy for the position was roundly repudiated by the rank and file voters. However, unexpected events conspired to create an opening for the Chairmanship of the North Area Caucus of the SD County party, and thanks to the organizational muscle of a Congressman known for retribution upon political enemies, Krahel was elected as the chair. 

Part of a Chairperson's power can be to rule varied members ineligible to vote on party matters. Last weekend Mr. Krahel wielded that power to rule the representatives of three Democratic clubs ineligible to vote on the Caucus endorsement for Mayor of Oceanside. The new Democratic Club of Oceanside was ruled out of participation altogether, due to a very convenient and contrived technicality/oversight with the usual routine approval of a club charter, despite the fact, its membership had grown overnight to represent more Democrats than DEMCCO. Other specious grounds were found to disqualify two affinity club representatives, both of whom outpolled him in the election noted above. Both of those clubs had been in existence for some time, including the Progressive Democrats of North County chapter founded by my wife, and which this author once represented in the very same body.

Lest we believe Mr. Krahel has had a history of ethical behaviors,  one of the most bizarre chapters in the excremental history of DEMCCO  was created by his venture into "club stacking" on behalf of Mendacious Mike Levin, when endorsement day arrived and scores of new members from Orange County were unable to find the door to enter the building the club has always used for its meetings, and there was a spate of alien Levin delegates entering the incorrect restroom. 

All three cases had one unifying thread, that their representatives were on the record as supporting candidates other than Mr. Krahel's former employer for Oceanside Mayor. As the Area Caucus endorsement is tantamount to the County Party supporting a candidacy, Mr. Krahel's rulings assured that Esther Sanchez was endorsed by the narrowest margin possible for Oceanside Mayor, and will receive the County Party's Financial and logistical support this fall. It is akin to the plate umpire in a Game 7, being a former employee of the Yankees and corrupted. What seems to be missing is what always is missing in the world of DEMCCO and the SD County Democratic Party, fairness, transparency, and in the end justice. 

MANY BLESSINGS

NOEL

PS- To show you that "spam filters" do not always work, I just got this invitation to run for office from Kyle Krahel-Frolander, (see above) who is both the North Central Vice-Chair of the SD County Democratic Party, and the author (see above) of the infamous 2018 Levin campaign operation. Yes, the one that was voted "unacceptable" multiple times by Democratic Clubs for bullying. He is still currently employed by Mendacious Mike, when not occupied abusing his new party position to game the endorsement process for Esther Sanchez, which seems a huge interest conflict for a saint. Which Krahel does not resemble. 

The practice of sending "ringers" in to hijack the endorsement of varied Democratic groups is not uncommon, but when he sent his Orange County pals into DEMCCO in 2017 most were lost going to a venue they never saw before. I find it hilarious that I'm being recruited to run by a pissant, who threatened people with the wrath of Levin if they did not support the unfortunate Republican who defrauded the party into endorsing her in 2018. Kyle has kicked off his tenure by disqualifying three Democratic Clubs over trivia, but really because their representatives would not be voting to endorse Councilwoman Sanchez for Oceanside Mayor.

Thanks, but no thanks.