California’s greater influence in choosing the Democratic presidential nominee has been written about here and elsewhere. A step toward that influence—whether positive or negative– will be on display this weekend at the California Democratic Party convention in San Francisco.
So many Democratic presidential hopefuls will address the convention, together they could field an entire football team. The event will draw a ton of press.
California Democratic Party activists are leading the party’s charge to the left. Party activists want California to be the model for the nation. How will the candidates address them?
Will they go for the cheers by speaking up liberal programs? Candidates understand what they say will be reported far and wide. Will they have an eye on the rest of the country when they speak? Or will they play it safe by just bashing the president? There is a strong core of Democrats who believe the number one priority for Democrats is not any policy but to remove Donald Trump from the White House.
Could we see a Dianne Feinstein moment like the one at the 1990 state convention when she was showered with boos for supporting the death penalty. (That was then, now as the party moves left she has changed her tune.)
Overshadowing the convention will be special prosecutor Bob Mueller’s recent press conference that many Democrats will surely emphasize to argue for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
Which means it will be interesting to watch how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be received in her home town. She has received kudos for standing up to the president but she has also dampened the call for impeachment—not a position embraced by many hardcore activists. Pressure mounts on her after Mueller’s press conference.
Speaking of hometown, will California Senator Kamala Harris receive the most rousing reception from the delegates? How about Congressman Eric Swalwell? Are California Democratic Party members in their corner or will they show a strong interest in other candidates?
Will the City of San Francisco, driven by its liberal politics, serve as a positive or negative model for the country if the media chooses to highlight some of the negatives reported widely about drug dependency, feces in the streets and out of sight rents that will curl the toes of many voters in the middle of the country?
A number of messages will come out of the convention that could affect the direction of the nomination so this weekend is a big deal for Democrats. Whether California’s influence in presidential politics has grown, and in what direction, will be tested in San Francsico this weekend.