CDP Convention: On Net Neutrality

Julia Rosen gives an excellent backgrounder on how the net neutrality resolution was shanghai'd:

Several weeks ago the Party leadership and upper level staff had a conference call lasting several hours to discuss the proposed resolutions. They have these calls prior to every convention. At that meeting they discuss who is on either side of the issue, what the party has at stake and decide what to do about them. They have several choices. The ones they want to have heard are allowed to proceed. All others are either denied due to technicalities, or referred to other committees.

In this case they knew that AT&T, a major party donor and sponsor of the convention, opposed the deal. Since Alexandra Gallardo-Rooker, 1st Vice-Chair of the Party sits on the Executive Board of CWA #9400 they knew about CWA's issues with net neutrality. They also knew that Jim Gordon, Chair of the Labor Caucus, is also with CWA. Thus, they could be assured that the concerns of the organization would be addressed when the resolution is heard at a later date. In addition, one must be a member of a union and a dues paying member of the Labor Caucus to be heard at their meetings. Those supporting net neutrality would be unlikely to have someone to carry this for them at any meeting.

The only way a net neutrality resolution will ever have a chance of being endorsed by the California Democratic Party is to have CWA on board. The focus would have to be on how packets get treated and not deal at all with the issue of big companies like Google helping pay for building out the next generation of high speed in the country. Otherwise the Party leaders will deny us at every turn. Now it is possible to navigate the system and pass a net neutrality resolution, but it will take a lot of effort to make it happen.

The bloggers in California are not big enough and powerful enough to do this alone. We have the respect of the CDP, but not the leverage. We need to cultivate partners that can tap into the activist communities and mobilize people so that we can get an inside-outside strategy the way that progressives did on the impeachment issue. Fortunately, I was told that PDA is going to spend the next year "scaring our membership to death" about net neutrality. "Without net neutrality, we can't organize," I was told. So I think the opportunity is there to coordinate on the issue and get the partners we need. There are good people who want to move forward and take up this fight. I know what Governor Richardson said to us in our private meeting with him (more on that later). "Don't let the telcos swallow you up, because they'll take you out." If you explain this issue to people, it hits them where they live. I'm confident we can duplicate the inside-outside strategy. But it will take an incredible effort.