Commentary: Was the primary process rigged against the political revolution?

In a provocative presentation to the Windsor/North County Democratic Club on June 23 progressive activist, Dale Axelrod, contended that the primary process was rigged by the Democratic Party establishment against Senator Bernie Sanders in a way that even Senator Sanders may not have fully considered.
Axelrod asserted that the voting process is filled with fraud. He singled out the problems with electronic voting machines, which are used in many states. Many of these machines do not produce a paper copy of the vote, making the audit of votes impossible. He said that these machines are produced by corporate entities whose interests parallel those of establishment, big money politicians.
One audience member challenged Axelrod’s “unfounded conspiracy theories,” which led to an interactive discussion between the presenter and those attending.
Several attendees who had volunteered as poll workers in the June 7 Sonoma County primary election testified to the veracity of vote counting here.
Axelrod feels that Democratic Party unity will only be reached when the Sanders platform is fully embraced.
Single-payer health care, a $15 per hour minimum wage, and other cornerstones of “the political revolution” must be adopted by the party before Sanders supporters could even begin to consider support for Hillary Clinton.
He said that current Democratic National Committee Chairperson Debbie Wasserman-Shultz must be replaced prior to the national convention July 25-28 in Philadelphia to avoid a floor fight.
Axelrod ran unsuccessfully to represent Senator Sanders as a delegate to the national convention from Congressional District 2. Regardless of this negative outcome, he will, along with many other committed Sanders supporters, travel to Philadelphia to express the need for change outside the convention hall.
He expects large crowds of like-minded demonstrators.
When questioned about where the Sanders movement goes from here, Axelrod said that activism will come from the bottom up, not anything organized by the campaign.
Two millennial supporters, CynKay Morningstar and Cecili Antares, want to continue to work for the ideas for which Sanders had forcefully advocated throughout the campaign. They intend to follow the senator’s suggestion to involve themselves in local politics.
Rick Massell, past president of the Windsor/North County Democratic Club and Sonoma County Democratic Party Central Committee member, suggested that a mentoring program be created to help people interested in running for office learn about the process.
Morningstar and Antares responded to this notion with enthusiasm.
In closing Axelrod resisted a call to eliminate primary caucuses.
He feels that the vote counting of paper ballots at the caucus sight, in real time, is the most reliable antidote to potential vote counting fraud.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Windsor/North County Club sponsored community forum on the Healdsburg November ballot measure to revise the existing growth management ordinance.
This forum, which is free and open to the public is on July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Villa Chanticleer in Healdsburg. Check the website www.windsordemocrats.org for details.
Submitted by the Windsor Democratic Club.