[captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] host: thank everybody for calling in on this edition of the "washington journal." our guests tomorrow include a look at the trump presidency with white house correspondent linda feldmann of the christian science monitor and correspondent john gizzi with newsmax. we will also speak with rebecca zimmerman of rand corporation. "washington journal" starts tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. this headline from npr about the role of the dnc meeting. they are meeting now in chicago. we take you there live. it started out just a short while ago, and we will be with them until they are done debating and voting on the superdelegates. have a great day. >> >> this next speaker is doing a

lot to make sure that is not true, and the couple of weeks ago, we saw the reports of death was exaggerated in missouri, when thanks to many in this room, we beat back a right to work and make sure that workers rights are protected in the state of missouri. laborers are on the rebound thanks to our next speaker, lee saunders. [applause] saunders: good morning, everybody. emotions have run high in this meeting. we democrats are passionate. passionate about our beliefs. i want to start out this morning

by sharing some good news with you, first. in a major victory, a major victory for working people, the federal court struck down the trump executive orders attacking the rights of public service workers in the federal government to organize and bargain collectively. that happened last night, sisters and brothers. when we fight, weaving together. -- we win together. it was a clean sweep. it turns back a ruthless attack on the integrity of the career of civil servants, and a victory for democracy. a victory for all of us. let's get down to today's business. because we are here to work out our differences so we can march together into the 2018 and 2020

elections, and celebrate more victories for our democracy, celebrate more victories for working families. there has been a lot of talk these past days about disenfranchisement. i agree. there is no question that it is something we should be talking about. we should be talking about that subject. the reforms this body will vote on today i believe are not the problem. if you care about disenfranchisement, look no further than what happens in november 2016, when we lost the presidency and hundreds of others federal, state and local offices across the country. plusof us in this room, our families and friends, in our communities.

they were disenfranchised by the outcome of that election. make no mistake about it. what is happening as a result of our 2016 defeat. vote,s on our freedom to our freedom to build collective power in the labor union. our reproductive freedoms and the freedom to love whom we love. look around at the attacks on the freedom of our immigrant sisters and brothers to simply live together. it is on us. this.on us to fix it is ours possibility, democrats, and it will be our fault if we do not act today to make a change. damage thatpair the has been done. and we cannot restore the

freedoms taken away from us unless we can win elections. aat means we must have nominating process that leads to victory in 2020 and beyond. ideas. the right we have the right values, which most americans share. people have confidence we will protect working families over wealthy corporations, that we will fight every day for quality health care, invest in education, defend social security, protect the environment, and much more. cat is who we are. that is why we breathe and fight every single day. they don't, however, have confidence in our presidential nominating process. they feel alienated.

they feel disconnected. but these are not radical revolutionary reforms. all we are saying is unpledged delegates were not automatically vote on the first presidential nominating ballot. to change is modest and reasonable, but it will go a long way towards restoring trust in our party. in the last 1.5 years, it has been an incredible awakening around the country, a surge of activism around progressive values. i honestly believe, and i believe you do, too, that we are living in a movements moment with people organizing and mobilizing in unprecedented ways. upmunities of color rising to fight racial and economic justice. a movement moment.

thousands have protested the separation of children from their parents, a movements moment. there was a woman's march, the march for our lives, the teacher walkout in the reddest of states, when we have that movement moment, we can win if we are together. [applause] these are what all presents. have grown into sustained movements of change. exactly the kind of change our party represents. i went to be honest with you. many of these activists are not see political parties as vehicles of change, progress, and we need to connect with them. energy to tap into their . we need to make sure they are seen and heard. we need to toss out the welcome mat and invite them into the house to walk with us, to walk

door-to-door with this, convincing them our party is their natural home. all of us need to do that. that with thedo status quo. we cannot do that as long as they believe insiders pull all the lovers. -- pull all the levers in the democratic party. we cannot do it with the current system of unpledged delegates. i say that as a superdelegate president of one of the largest unions and the american labor movement. we have to change. the rules and bylaws committee undertook a rigorous progress that has come up with an uneven handed progress, and it doesn't dilute the diversity that has

been essential to our strength and vitality. if it did this, i have got to tell you, speaking to you now, i would not be on board with these proposals because of who i am or where i came from, what i support these proposals. [applause] what they do. what they do is make more people feel like they have a voice. an important step toward promoting inclusion and pirating grassroots and widening the decision-making circle. reforms make political engagement easier for more people, especially voters would disabilities, those who speak limited english, and working people who should not have to choose between job security and democratic participation. this is our movement moment. to take a hard look at ourselves and to make a change.

brothers, we cannot wait. no more delays and the liberations. we have debated the set nausea. -- debated this act nausea. democraticso get elected, so let's start that right now. the total package of reforms, and then we have the supporters, and then let's lead chicago. let's leave this place and do what we do best, and that is organize and mobilize, and educate all of our communities across this country. us, if not now? when. let's get the job done, brothers and sisters. [applause]

>> thank you for your remarks saunders, thank you for your leadership in the labor movement to end your service on the rules and bylaws committee. your tireless efforts are critically important. i also want to thank our friend, , for herdent of aft service on the rules and bylaws committee, as well. people, are thinking can we think local one for the great work they had been doing in this hotel? let's give them a hand. thank you very much. now, they are in a tough stretch

right now up negotiation, and we are going to make sure we are working with them to help them, -- ok, ok. you know, folks, thank you for what you have been doing. we have had a productive week here. we have been doing great work. we have been talking about the fact there are 73 days until the weekend. we are talking about the fact we have wind at our backs but we have worked to do. we have been talking about the fact that we have been investing in building our infrastructure, and organizing in every zip code. you are leaving today with a roadmap for success. that is the work you have been doing. int is the work we have

dealing, and that is because and 73 days, we have the most important election of our lifetime. i health care and democracy is on the ballot. are middle class is on the ballot. our environment is on the ballot . our kid's future is on the ballot. there are no guard rails in washington now and there are too many states that have no guard rails, and that is the work we had talked about over the course of the last few days. what we have also been doing is talking about rebuilding trust. in a moments, i will turn it over to the rules and bylaws committee. before, i will give the floor to don fowler because i want to make sure that we give him before. he has been a tireless member of surenc, and i want to make you will have that perspective into that perspective from him.

as lee correctly said, this is the time to vote. this is the time to make history and a clear statement to people who share our values, that we trust you, and we will take bold measures to earn your trust of you will join our party and join our fight to take back our democracy. oft is what this package reforms will do. let's review quickly have begotten here. we took a unanimous vote at the 2016 convention to reform our party. the charge was to take steps to reform our primary and caucus ess and reduce the influence of superdelegates. that was the charge, and under the able leadership of larry cohen, the charge was taken seriously, deliberating for months, and making important recommendations, designed to make it easier for people to participate in our process.

the rules and bylaws committee deliberated for over 80 hours, and i went to thank everyone on the committee, especially our distinguished cochairs. they deliberated for over 80 hours and produced a package that we will vote on shortly. this process has been inclusive throughout, and the rbc have been vigilant in ensuring everybody's voice was heard and every idea was given careful consideration. we spent a lot of time in this room yesterday and it was important because we wanted to make sure everybody's voice was heard. it is clear now that there is consistent on significant reforms, and as i listened yesterday, it seems to me there are two substantive issues that will require a vote in the body, and they both relate to the subject of superdelegates.

the rbc proposal states that superdelegates retain all of their powers, except that they will not vote on the first , which was already decided by grassroot voters. it is a vote of significance. number one, does the change require a charter amendment? and number two, do you want to vote for reform? these are the two issues, folks. for four hours yesterday and those are the basic two issues that i heard. once we resolve these issues, we can move to the final package and that is what we are doing. let's pass the entire package makese the only way we can meaningful, comprehensive, and historic change today is a free pass the full package of reform. [applause] not half. not two thirds. you know why? because, to use my friend lee's

points, we have a movements moment. when it comes to building a stronger future for our future , going part of the way, i do not think it is enough. being a hockey fan that i am, do not escape to where the puck is, you escape to where it is going. that is what this package is about. to escape our party to where the puck of politics is going. in has always been about our future, our party's future, and our children's future. that is why we will turn shortly to lorraine miller and jim roosevelt. i want to give my friend don fowler, from whom you have heard, an opportunity to speak because i know he reflects a different view, and i went to make sure he has that opportunity. chairman fowler, the floor is

yours. [applause] hello,n fowler: democrats! in 2020?ing to win more importantly, are we going to win in 2018? this party is responsible for for 200ress of america years and cannot stop now. we must move on to victory and reinstate the love of human beings and the rights of people to act, do, and be themselves, to love who they love, and the right to be freely engaged in our political operation. that is what we ought to do here today in this meeting. have quick points i will make with respect to this proposal

that is before you. first, it is disenfranchising. 200 african-americans will be eliminated from the vote on the first ballot. of people from the lgb community and dozens of people who suffer physical or other disabilities, those will all be eliminated because they are you,ined in these people, me, and the elected officials across america. those will be eliminated on the first ballot. the democratic party has been the engine for conveying the votes to african-americans, to women, to lgbt people, and all other americans. we have been the engine to spread democracy.

now, he will turn around and take democracy away from folks. it is not writes, and it is not fit for the democratic party to do that. secondly, this organizational structure is unique, and i mean that literally. you look at any membership organization anywhere in the united states, and for that matter, most of the rest of the world. there is not a membership organization that systematically cuts off his leadership from the most sacred decisions that those organizations make. [applause] union, not a religious organization, not a patriotic organization, and many others, you cannot find an organization that deliberately cuts off the leadership from the most important business the party has, that is what this proposal

would do if it is adopted. it is confusing. many of you have heard me talk about this before. it took the rdc eight hours to figure out how you calculate a majority for the nomination. was an adoption of this proposal, there was a telephone call to boost its support, and the question was asked, how do you calculate a majority? 50% of bothas it is the pledged and the unpledged delegates, but only the pledged delegates vote. that is a return to something more than majority required to nominate. that is 56% or 57%.

that just happens that is not what the rbc chose to offer, so there was a hurry up trying to get that straightened out, and when they finally published, it had both of those standards in there, in a confusing way. with all of the confusion and uncertainty, within the confines of the people who have just shaped these matters and sell them to the public, how is it going to be when you try to explain to that in people and union halls, church basements or in school halls -- it will be very difficult. is last point i want to make that this is a fundamental change, a fundamental change in the way renominate our presidents. some of you remember in the early 1980's, there is a commission that studied the

delegate process, and they recommended the creation of these unpledged delegates, as we call them then, and they were put into the charter, into the charter. and they have been there are persons. and now, with this proposal alleges to do is to take that withoutt of the charter them ending the charter. they take it out without amending it, and this makes no sense whatsoever. it is clear that the right to vote goes into the charter and permits party leadership to votes on the first ballot of every nominating procedure in a national convention. to take voting

rights away from people whose voting rights are assured in the charter by simply ignoring the charter is not the government. it will not convey strength to the american people. it will be confusing. it will take the leadership out of the presidential nominating process, which has served very well for decades, and i ask you to vote no on this proposal when we get to the debate. thank you. [applause] let me now brings up the cochairs of the rules and bylaws committee, jim roosevelt and lorraine miller, to present their work and their recommendations. [applause]

mr. roosevelt: good morning, fellow democrats, and thank you chair perez for your kind introduction and leadership. i would also like to thank everyone in this room today for coming together to engage in this discussion on vital reforms today is the culmination of eight months of work that the rules and bylaws committee has , 83 hours of public meetings, to create a set of recommendations that will govern our next delegate selection and

nominating process. friend --od frame friends, lorraine miller and that, are happy to provide you with the reports of the rules and bylaws committee and we are very happy to have it ready to go. [laughter] [applause] the package we are presenting incorporates al number of reforms that will make our party more fair, open, and transparent. lorraine and i have talked with many of you about the proposed changes on phone calls, and these are changes to the delegate selection rules, calls of convention, and amendments to charter and bylaws. we greatly appreciate the dialogue we have had with you,

and the opportunity to address questions and concerns. to recommendations for package approval by the rule and by law committees, we have invited members to submit suggestions and comments. in a meeting on this day two days ago, we heard from several proposalss, who said of the documents that were ago.tted over a month the committee appreciated the members taking time to submit proposals on their topics and share their views with us after meeting. in total, the committee heard six proposals submitted by four members. after thoughtful consideration, three of the proposals were withdrawn by the makers, by the people who submitted them. the committee voted to not approve three proposals and to recommend that the general membership here this morning not adopt them should they be raised

from the floor. lorraine and i would like to take a couple of minutes to briefly outline the changes we are proposing for the delegate selection roles, the call to the convention, and the charter and bylaws. these three documents are what is being amended to enact a proposed reforms, and what we are presenting to you per approval today. i am going to turn it over now to my distinguished cochair lowering miller to lock through some of -- lorraine miller to walk through some of these proposals. [applause] miss miller: good morning, democrats! jim and i want to give a heartfelt thank you to every member of our rules and bylaws committee. long, andhard and deliberative on your behalf to

come up with some proposals we think make our party so much stronger and we will be able to win. cochairlike to echo my jim roosevelt's sentiments that the reforms are necessary. they are a necessary step to reform our party. commission,y reform ,hat we have come to love followed by rules and by law committee, spent hours deliberating and fine tuning. the rules and bylaws committee spent considerable time from january through july discussing the best approach regarding unpledged delegates on what we are now calling automatic delegates. at our meeting in providence and march, we spent three hours on

this issue alone. discussions, the rules and bylaws committee concluded that on the first presidential votes, automatic delegates will vote only if the presidential candidates have secured enough delegate -- pledged delegates to receive a nomination. otherwise, only pledged delegates will vote on the first residential rollcall. if there is a second presidential rollcall, automatic delegates will votes and the automatic delegates will ontinue to be able to vote all of the convention matters, including the standing committee reports. platform,s, rules,

and of course the vice presidential nomination. while the rbc's recommendation goes beyond the mandate that was used to guide the unity reform , the rules andrk bylaws committee determined that this was the best and the most fair approach to address the perception, the perception that automatic delegates have exerted an undue influence in choosing the party's presidential nominee. with regard to the commission's recommendations about presidential primaries, the rules and bylaws committee has strengthened and added rules that encourage state parties to use government run primaries where possible. the proposed changes to our

delegates election rolls will will helpe -- rules ensure that primaries are more accessible to anyone who wishes to participate as a democrat. -- a democrat in our nominating process. the proposed rules provide that state parties are to use all means necessary, including encouraging legislation, considering litigation to achieve state laws that allow same day or automatic registration for the democratic presidential nominating process, and same day party switching for democratic presidential nominating process. [applause] stuff., this is good [applause] and bylaws committee

is also proposing changes to the delegate selection rules pertaining to caucuses. these changes will ensure these party run contests will be more transparent, and accessible to a wider range of voters. these revisions include requiring caucuses to number same-day voter registration and party affiliation changing. hello? [applause] two, create a process for publicly reporting the total statewide and district level results for each candidate asference by participants the first expression of preference. three, require that the allocation of all national at thees be locked in

final expression of preference at the first determining step. our, create mechanisms that allow for absentee voting. five, ensure a right to participate for all, including specifically people with disabilities and those with limited language proficiency. [applause] all right. >> thank you to my cochair and our cheerleader. i am going to turn to weigh few of the other topics that are in our report, but i want to theicularly emphasize that

methods we are selecting preserves and enhances the diversity of our convention. as we have done through the rules over the years, and that is completely preserved in the recommendations that we are making. as you may recall, the unity reform commission's recommendations concerning party reforms addressed a number of issues. many of the recommendations spoke to dnc operations and policies outside the jurisdiction of the rules and bylaws committee, however many of those recommendations are already being implemented at the headquarters of the dnc through programs that address the unity reform commission's recommendations on outreach, education, and voter protection. and that outline the dnc's investments in technology, empowering grassroots participation, diversifying the donor base, and supporting state

parties in building infrastructure. for those unity reform commission recommendations, that could be addressed through party has proposed a number of amendments. those amendments are included as part of amendment number one. these proposals adjust areas such as transparency of the budget and operations and violations of the charter and bylaws. the rules and bylaws committee feels these amendments make the dnc more transparent and accountable both to its members and to our party as a whole. amendment number two that you have includes proposed changes to the charter and bylaws to expand our equal division rules, to be inclusive of gender, non-binary members of the party. [applause]

lorraine and i like to thank all of you for their productive conversations we have had around the important principles of our party. we hope that each of you will support the recommended package from the rules and bylaws committee. the rules and bylaws committee report will be considered in two parts. first, the proposed delegate selection roles and call to the convention and second, the proposed amendments to the charter and bylaws. with that, mr. chair, i move the proposed delegate selection roles and the call for the convention the approved. >> so moved. >> second. >> mr. chairman, point of order. chairman, and washington, d.c., there are differences of

opinion on whether the call to the convention and proposed rules of procedure for the convention can be perfect to weighted -- effectuated without a charter amendment regarding a vote of automatic, unpledged delegates. i would like the chair to rule on this issue before we proceed further. what is your ruling on whether we need an amendment to the charter and bylaws in order to implement the call to the convention and the proposed rules of procedure for the convention? >> thank you. your point is well taken. i understand that our dnc members have differing opinions on the need for an amendment. if you were here yesterday, you heard that. if you have gotten one email in the last few weeks, you may have gathered that. i understand that. i have carefully reviewed the opinion of our dnc council and the work of the rbc as well as information submitted to dnc

members from those who disagree with our counsel and the rbc. have great respect for all of the lawyers involved, great respect for graham wilson and joe sandler. joe sandler -- i have read his work and his opinions -- well he has expressed a preference for a charter amendment, he acknowledged the merit of the rbc position that no amendment was required. i have consulted with rbc -- i havespecially consulted with all the rbc members as i listened in their deliberations. this is not a new issue. it was debated in the unity reform commission and the rules and bylaws commission. if you look at the brett and ,epth of the experience chairman roosevelt has served on the committee since 1991. he was appointed chair in 1996

by chairman fowler. there is remarkable expertise on cochairittee with lorraine miller and so many others. i would note that rbc voted nearly unanimously that the charter amendment was not required. the chair has no doubt -- i have no doubt that -- where i think thered to go, and i ruled is no need for an amendment to the charter or bylaws in order to implement the call and the rules as proposed. [applause] , in the spirite of transparency -- and you heard what i said this morning -- there are two questions we need to call. i wish to submit this question to the full dnc so i will assume that there is no one need for an amendment in the charter bylaws to implement the proposed call

and roles which are a recommendation from the rules and bylaws committee. the pending question before this body is the appeal of the decision of the chair that the motion from the rbc to adopt the proposed call to the 2020 convention and the proposed rule of the 2020 convention are in order for implementation without an amendment to the charter and bylaws. this appeal of the chair's decision is debatable. in the spirit of transparency, again, and accuracy, we will vote on this question by ballot, paper ballot. the staff will pass out the ballots and collect the ballots. you will be able to vote yes or no on your ballot. a yes vote means you are in favor of sustaining the rule of the chair that an amendment to the charter and bylaws is not needed. not vote means that you are

in favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair and you believe that an amendment to the charter and bylaws is necessary. we will now begin the debate on the motion that i have just outlined. here.e two microphones go to are opposed, please my left. she is holding up her hand. if you are in support, please go to my right. we have a two minute window so we can get through the debate with expeditious nest. >> my question is if you hold a proxy, how do you indicate that on the paper ballot? , i believe,xies have been distributed. pardon?

there is a different ballot for proxies. do you want to explain? >> to answer your question, when the ballots are distributed, there is a ballot that members will receive an a ballot designated as a proxy ballot that says "proxy ballot" right on it and you will designate the proxy. when those are distributed, those that have a proxy will show their wristband to receive a proxy ballot. >> thank you. >> i will start, and turn around if that is all right. i am the state chair from indiana and a member of the rules and bylaws committee. this process over the last eight months and the prior year is best summed up by some of my some ofare for this and

my friends are against this and are not my friends. we all have different interpretations of this. i know two things. number one, i do not know that i have been through a more transparent, deliberative process in the democratic party in the 20 years i have been involved with the democratic party, my state, and the united states. questions have been asked, interpretations have been made on a host of issues including whether we need a charter remade . i am among giants here, as a youngster despite my frosty hair, i am a little younger. i am among giants. we have deliberated these questions among new democrats, existing democrats, and those who have been involved a long time. i tried to boil this down myself . as a new member of the committee, i try to sift through the charter and bylaws and say

what do we need? my determination is that the charter lays out, yes, we have these folks who vote and who exist. i sort of a quite that to the constitution in which the rules in the bylaws and the call are the statutes that we all see in our states which talk about who votes, when, how, etc. i do not believe we need a charter amendment here. i would propose that we sustain the ruling of the chair on this and move to adopt the rules and bylaws committee report. thank you. >> thank you. chairman, you had four seconds to spare. you return the balance of your time. >> has there been a motion to challenge the ruling of the chair? >> we are appealing that right now. you will have a vote and again, just to reiterate, we will have a vote on the ballot. >> i do not want to lose my

time, mr. chairman. >> you will get your time back here it i just want to reiterate so people know where we are. a yes vote means you are in favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair that an amendment to the charter and bylaws is not needed. a no vote means you are not in favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair and you in fact believe that an amendment to the charter and bylaws is necessary. those are the two positions. now start. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to respectfully disagree with the ruling of the chair and i believe that this is called the unity commission and we are trying to get unity. the charter had a provision for so thirds vote to change it, we can get a consensus and get unity around any question that is a charter. i get -- i respectfully disagree

and think in the charter it is covered. i am a union man. i am a democrat. that of people perceive there is something wrong with the union or the democrats. i do not turn around and run away, never have, ima liberal, never changed my labels, and i stand firm. i do not capitulate to perceptions. i stand up and make an argument to change them so i implore, mr. chairman, that you divide this question so we can have unity. . may vote for him we should have an opportunity to have a two thirds vote and walk out with unity that we need to have. >> thank you. virginia. member from i think there are two points on the issue of a charter amendment and when it is necessary.

if you read the charter and read article two, section four, subsection h it talks about unpledged delegates, talks about people that are automatic delegates if you will. it does not talk about the rights of those delegates. we can adopt this change without changing a single word in the charter. --we adopted the unity a benefit ofre are this not requiring a charter change is we do not need to go through this process of changing the charter one way or another in the future. what we are doing is adopting the call and rules for this convention. there have been discussions about, maybe we should have a sunset provision. essentially, we do. we have four years left. if we did make a charter change,

then we would have to go through a long process to undo what we are doing. this gives us more flexibility. it is the right answer goes the argument that we need to change the charter says that even if nearly two thirds of this body wants to reform, a minority can block that. if the charter change was required, that is what we would have to do, that that is not required so everybody vote yes to uphold the ruling of the chair. thank you. >> i disagree with the former speaker. ,f you just look at our charter look at article 10, i will quote -- this charter may be amended by a vote of the majority of all the delegates to the national convention, provided that no such amendment shall be effective unless and until it has subsequently been ratified by a vote of the majority of the

entire membership of the democratic national committee. this charter may also be amended by a vote of two thirds of the entire membership of the democratic national committee -- that is what we are. noticet 30 days written shall be given of any national committee meeting. listen to me. rate this. -- read this. this says this committee cannot change the charter and a two thirds vote says yes. passes,o this and it all it takes is one dnc member or one person eligible to vote, a superdelegate, to challenge this in court. what will happen then? you will have chaos because then you will give the republicans the chance to say, here's the democratic party who cannot come to a united decision on something, yet they want to take control of the country, in a

country. read the charter. if you do this, it is violating the charter. i have challenged our constitution in the louisiana a few times and have one every time because things that were passed by legislature were in violation of the constitution. so read the charter. you need to separate these things because if it is challenged, not only will this hold up any superdelegates, it would hold up the other three items in this. it could cause us to face the possibility of not being united in november and in 2020. so follow the rules of our charter. thank you. .> thank you if you can please identify yourself for purposes of the record, that was arthur morel from louisiana. >> thank you, mr. chairman.

i have been on the rules and bylaws committee along with don fowler for many years, decades. two things to keep in mind. this rule that is being proposed does not require a charter amendment. all delegates automatic and pledged delegates are mentioned. there is no question about that. the charter deals with the distribution of delegates. it is the call and the delegate selection rules that deal with how delegates vote. 1995 -- i am sorry, 1975, the delegate selection rules have required imposition of sanctions on delegates by denying them the right to vote at the convention under certain

conditions. that was in 1975. in the 1990's, some of whom you have heard from today and are lined up to speak again, supported putting in the delegate selection rules a sanction on members of the democratic national committee to deny them under certain conditions the right to vote at conventions. no mention was made at that time of a charter change and that rule has prevailed throughout, and has been strengthened. in -- we00's, we put added to that rule by denying under certain circumstances the right of governors, members of congress, president of the united states, vice president of the united states, and other elected officials along with delegates, embers of the democratic national committee, the right to vote under certain

circumstances as sanctions were imposed. all of those sanctions -- >> time is up. >> in the delegate selection rules, not in the charter. >> chairman fowler, i rise for a personal point. sandler, who was the general counsel for this committee for decades, has written two letters about this. , "for these he said reasons i remain of the view that a charter change is ."quired there has been all sorts of talk about how you can get around this, but joe sandler, the preeminent authority on this point, was in the dem at --

within the democratic party and outside, says a charter change is required, with specific reference to the treatment of there becauseare of their positions. in 1982, an amendment was passed that created unpledged delegates. that was inserted in the charter . they have been voting from 1984 1996, 2004,1992 to 2008, 2016, all because of the right they have to vote and the charter. and to read these provisions with any other interpretation, no matter how smooth they seem to be, is flat wrong and if we do this, we are forsaking the rule of law and doing something

that our charter clearly prohibits. thank you. >> thank you. >> good morning. , a dncuart applebaum member from new york. i would like to reiterate what harold dickies just said but i would like to say it more simply. i am a former chief counsel of the dnc. in the charter, we defined what a delegate is, but we do not define "vote." i support the position of the chair. thank you. [applause] dole holland, dnc member for chico, california. i believe that requires a charter amendment. i see a president on tv every day breaking our u.s.

constitution and i do not think we should be taking our charter. i am jeff berman from washington, d.c. i served on the unity reform commission and i serve on the rules and bylaws committee. i just want to say that i do not believe a charter amendment is required. the automatic delegates are going to participate at the rulesal convention on the , credentials, platform votes, and on voting on the vice presidential nomination and the presidential nomination under certain circumstances. we all know what those circumstances are. i will say that there have been times, even in recent election cycles, where the automatic delegates have not been allowed speaking in i'm

particular about the michigan and florida situations in 2008 when due to the timing of those wereries, that their votes not allowed at that convention and there was no charter change involved. it was something that was done pursuant to the normal authorities of the party. procedures voting that are available for the automatic delegates are not necessarily bound up in the charter. i urge you to sustain the vote of the chair. thank you. >> thank you, mr. chair. members of the democratic national committee, i rise to oppose the ruling of the chair. i ask you to read the charter. to many of you, to as many as i

could, i have sent out the atrter and i ask you to look article two on the national convention, section four, provide all, members of the democratic national committee to serve as unpledged delegates. we all serve as unpledged delegates. a delegate later in the charter talks about full participation. we all have full participation and to say that a delegate with full participation cannot vote is a dilution of that right to vote. any misunderstanding or misinterpretation of that is that isn interpretation worthy of rudy giuliani or kellyanne conway. [laughter] [applause] you know, it is bizarre that a

delegate is supposed to have full participation. and to say that a delegate does not have that full participation , that is a dilution and a violation of the trial -- charter. there is a much bigger issue, really, but this is such a major change that we should have a two thirds vote for this, regardless of whether it is in the charter or not in the charter. need to be unified coming out of need to be unified coming out of here. yesterday, you heard donna >> i served on the unity

commission and the rules committee. i served on the rules committee for a very long time. i do not believe this requires the charter amendment. i support the ruling of the chair. there are instances in which delegates are not allowed to vote, the most common is on their own credentials challenges. i do not believe we need to do this and i think we want the tolity from every four years set the roles of the convention through the call. circumstances change. we may be having the exact opposite debate in four or five years and we set the circumstances for the call and we should not tie ourselves into requiring that everything requires this two thirds vote. i

you to support the ruling of the chair. we have three more speakers. we have four more speakers and then we will distribute the ballots. bob has spoken. karen wanted to speak as well. >> briand a from florida. i am an attorney. beauty of the interpretations you can take on the constitution. there is no right or wrong answer. you can interpret words in so many ways and that is the beauty of law. what i am saying is that we do not need to think about whether it should be an amendment to the charter but what we do need to think about is the unity aspect and no matter how you want this , having a two thirds vote

means we were in it together and that is the most important thing as a democrat. i urge you to concentrate on the two thirds aspect of it. thank you. >> good morning. i was the vice chair of the unity form commission for maryland. years starting a 200, committee there of 4500 delegates for a year and a half. the rules and bylaws committee took up this issue for almost an entire morning and voted with abstentions after appearing from lawyer after lawyer, we not starting from scratch. research was done. i urge we support the chair and vote to sustain the chair on this ballot and speak loudly for

reform and in unity. thank you. >> deborah from new orleans. i am not an attorney. dnc after my community work following katrina where i worked on the ground block by block. i speak as a plane democrat. i think that the d with the circle around it is what unites us. i think if the charter says two thirds vote, what are we afraid of in this room? willing to only achieve a majority? the majority is not always right on important issues. we need the two thirds vote to walk out of here together, the d in the circle. thank you.

>> thank you. object.ee and i serve as the state party chair. i think that what we're doing is impeding and infringing the unpledged delegate right to vote. that is not a privilege. it is a right. i represent people as the chair of a committee to protect people's right to vote. me our charter does not say there is a group of people that their right would be impeded and infringed upon if this passes. if it is a right not a privilege, what are we afraid of, and why wouldn't we one a higher standard when we walk out of here so we can be united and have trust.

if that is the objective, are you so worried about building and gaining the trust of one group at the expense of losing the trust of another? did you hear me? losing the trust of another. at 18 years old, iran is a pledged delegate -- i ran as a pledged delegate for jesse jackson and i have worked hard to become vice chair of the dnc, and i serve as a superdelegate. orderu telling me that in -- that i am going to go to a convention after my 30 years of blood, sweat, and tears for this party, that you will take away thought, sincei a group ofappease people -- i got blood, sweat, and tears in this, mr. chairman.

i will respect the outcome. if we are going to do it, why will we not, when we walk every day -- don't worry about my time. i'm by steer his party and i'm protecting people's rights. and if somebody wants to speak after me for 15 minutes, i'm ok with that. too long, andked on behalf of the people that i represent, no, i am not going to be running as a pledge delicate -- delegate. , will be an unpledged delegate and i would like that to be instituted in the charter and constitution of our body respectfully, and then we can get to the policies of whether or not those will be changed. but we owe that to the people who have earned that right, and that is what i believe. [applause] .>

i thought we were through with speakers. bob, you have already spoken, so i will not recognize you. >> what is the final vote for the credential membership? >> we will get to that we are done, ok, bob. thank you. seeing there are no other speakers, ok. am more ready to vote in any of you will ever be. let me just say very clearly that sometimes you can win the battle and lose the war. processes -- process is important. i have heard a lot of comments about transparency. i am not so sure i would concur with that. i am tired of losing. i am very tired of losing. and one other things i would hope that this body would consider is that a part of the

problem we have is messaging. about, i am real unclear how what we are doing is going to change anybody's mind about being a democrat. very quickly, let me say that i was one that was unpledged ,hroughout the entire process but those campaigns that came to south carolina, you know i was the only alleged superdelegate that did not pledge. i had no place to vote. you are talking about voting, i went to my state convention, and there was no caucus for me because i did not endorse a candidate. i encourage us to stop being so focused on victory, and understand that we all have our opinions, but we cannot very well talk about what donald trump is doing when we are in effect doing the same thing.

thank you so much. >> ok. thank you. let me tell -- let me turn to jason ray to talk about how we will proceed with the vote. >> thank you mr. chair. this will be a paper vote. we're asking our members to remain in their seats during the boat. we will have -- during the vote. we will have ballots that will come through the aisles, so make sure there is room. if you have a proxy, make sure your wristband is visible and they will hand you a separate ballot for your proxy, and then they will come through and collect the ballots, so we asked members to remain seated during the vote. --just a radiator and gas

just to reiterate one more time, a yes vote means you are in favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair, and a commitment to the bylaws is not needed, a no vote means you are not in favor of sustaining the rolling of the chair, and you believe the amendment of the charter and the bylaws is necessary.

>> folks, one other reminder. please sign your valid. -- please sign your ballot. something in february 2017, and there were a few embarrassed people whose votes did not count because they did not sign the ballot. a yes vote means you are in favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair. a no vote means you are not in

favor of sustaining the ruling of the chair. ♪

>> when i got this job in 1997, honestly, i felt like i had won the lottery.

[indiscernible] >> after last year's tax overhaul. announced a nearly $700 billion stock by plan -- $700 million stock buyback plan. >> a lot of these big corporations are not concerned with. -- it isut shoving in about shoving as much money in their pocket as they can. >> are there any ballots -- are

there any ballots left? does anyone have any ballots? has everyone received a ballot and submitted a ballot? [video clip] usedey took that cash and it to buy of their own stock and gave bonuses to their own executives. >> has everyone submitted a ballot. razor hand if you still need -- raise your hand if you still need to submit a ballot. has everyone submitted a ballot?

does anyone have any ballots remaining? raise your hand if you're ballot has not been collected. any remaining ballots? any remaining balance? -- any remaining ballots? balloting is closed.

[video clip] >> you spend the majority of your day -- that is the hardest part of leaving is leaving the friendships. my daughter is a strong-willed, good player. good, there to be middle-class, manufacturing jobs in our community. if those go away, there's not much left. balloting has now been closed. and their tabulating the results. -- and they are tabulating the results. ♪

♪

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>> ladies and gentlemen, while we are waiting for the results that are being tallied now, i want to give a special shout out. i want you to turn your attention to the screen. margaret, the chair of the wisconsin democratic party, and our digital team helped to

produce this next video, which is extremely coming extremely impactful -- which is extremely, extremely impactful for all of the work that is going on right now in the great state of wisconsin. so, let's turn our attention to the screen as he wants the video. [video clip] >> when i got this job in 1997, i felt like i won the lottery. >> it caught us all off guard. not sure if it has quite sunk in for any of us. hired, you could retire. it was in a job you stated until something better came along. >> this administration, the allegiance will be to the american workers like harley davidson. >> tax reform can put american workers on a much better footing to keep jobs here in america.

>> harley davidson is cutting jobs and repurchasing shares after last year's tax overhaul. nearly $700unced million in stock buyback plans. >> employees -- many employees at harley davidson are out of a job. >> a lot of these bank corporations are not concerned with the workers. it is all about shoving as much money into their pockets as they possibly can. and het guy called me said, they are shutting the plant down. i said, are you serious? i have two small children and have been doing this for 14 years, and now i have to find something else, and hope it pays a living wage. companiesppened with like harley davidson, they spent that cash and used it to buy

large shares of their own stock, and didn't get workers arrays like republican said they would. they used that money to get giant bonuses to their executives. guidelines,no nothing forcing these companies to saying, this is what you need to do with this money. >> if i can give you $1 million with the hope that you will share half of it with the world, there is no guarantee you're going to do that. you can just pocket that money and go off into the sunset. the span of the effect is like throwing a rock into a pond. there are others who have to reenter the workforce nearing retirement, but not quite there, and are dreading what it may be like. they don't know if they can actually find a job. friends insideng

here. i have been here 21 years. it's terrible. there are people up there who were worried sick about what is going to happen. >> harley davidson closed their doors and there will be 2000 people who are losing their job. >> the local barbecue joints -- the local barbecue joint, gas station, the hotel, they will all be impacted. >> you spend the majority of your day with these guys. that is probably the hardest part of leaving harley is leaving the friendships. >> this is my daughter's game that will star behind me. baseballar-old girl in

and she is a good player. i love her to death. i want there to be good, middle-class, manufacturing jobs in our community. if those go away, there is not much left. >> it did not have to be this way. we can undo this legislation tomorrow, but we have to vote for leaders who will create jobs and protect people at every level of government. [video clip finished] ♪

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[video clip] >> we are the party of clean air and water. we are the party of common sense gun violence solutions because this epidemic has got to end. democrats of the party of reproductive health because women, not politicians, should be in charge of their own bodies. andre the party of medicare

social security, and our fight for the health and well-being of americans. later, we're fighting for the affordable care act because the family should have to choose between going to the grocery store are going to the doctor, paying for food, or paying for cancer treatment. the the party of the new deal and the economic recovery because we know in our hearts that if you work hard and play by the rules, anyone on to be able to get ahead. democrats know that our nation when it gets regular folks the chance to succeed. we know the power of ordinary people who have affected extraordinary change, and we are ready to affect extraordinary change like never before. we are democrats. ♪ [video clip finished]

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>> this is live coverage of the democratic national committee summer meeting. the are voting defining the role of superdelegates at the 2020 convention. this dnc meeting is in chicago and this is live coverage on c-span.

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>> this is live coverage of the dimon -- democratic national summer meeting, they are voting on the resolution of defining the role of superdelegates in the 2020 convention, this is live coverage from c-span. music]chatter with

>> we will reconvene in five minutes. [crowd chatter with music]

>> what was inconceivable for some that became inevitable for generations to come, from some to stonewall we have taken to the streets, we are the party of dreamers and believers. and we are never going to stop fighting for our future. our work is inspired by heroes, who have turned pain into perseverance, in their efforts to build a world where kids everywhere know the best way to meet anything is to be there selves. we carry with us the spirit of legislators and advocates who

first championed bills like the ryan white care act, a law that provide life-saving treatment to americans living with hiv and aids. we fought for the affordable care act, to address discrimination and coverage denials that left many in our , particularly transgender women of cover come -- of color, with nowhere to turn. we elected a president who spoke out for our right to marry, >> i think same-sex couple should be able to marry, >> and was not shy about showing the world's that he had are back -- the world that he has our backs. not in a world where all are created equal, trump and republican eaters are actively trying to reverse our progress, we have an attorney general who passed the matthew wasard hate crime act, he assessed with the beating in

congress. our opponents are trying to prevent qualified transgender troops from churning -- protecting the country we love. they are even trying to deny that we exist. only cannot be erased and we cannot be silenced. hate, division, and fear have no place in this country. democrats are working around the clock to elect leaders were ready to fight like hell for lgb -- lgbtq economy. -- equality. that's why we need you to make your voice heard at the ballot box. let's keep fighting. ♪ [crowd chatter with music]

>> the reason there has been a delay is that we have -- we want to double check and triple check, because democrats believe accuracy counts. that's a we are doing right now, i wanted to make sure that i shared with you everything i knew. [crowd chatter] music]chatter with

music --ter with [crowded chatter with music]

if everyone could take a seat, i apologize for the delays. i wanted to mature that we had probably looked at all the proxies that they were properly instructed, and it took a we longer than thought. here is the vote on the motion at hand. ,here were 329.5 yes votes 106.5 no votes and four abstentions. the motion to uphold the ruling of the chair passes. [applause] for your information, it is roughly 75% of the vote. that is very arc, and will now move -- that is where we are, we

will now move to the next item. i recognize kreg smith from florida. , thank you.man in order to get this show on the road, i move echoing that chairman fowler cannot miss peterson and others, i moved to strike article nine, section c of the close of the convention which are the provisions that restrict the voting rights of automatic delegates. ok. it has been moved and seconded. it has been moved and seconded that on i think, page 19 of the not mistaken, we strike line seven through line 26 this is the provision it article nine of the profit -- this is the provision on article nine. further, this amendment is a

adopted, titled -- the rollcall from the presidential candidate will be numbered. those of you in favor of the call as proposed by the rules and bylaws committee would vote opposede of you who are to the proposal recommended by the rules and bylaws committee would vote yes. plain --scribe this in sorry, a yes vote would strike this superdelegate proposal that was put forth by the rules and bylaws committee. a no vote would retain the superdelegate proposals that were adopted by the rules and bylaws committee. so, this is a again, a motion to strike out from the report the language from the rules and bylaws committee, proposed call to the convention pertaining to

superdelegate reforms. those of you who like me are in favor of the proposal from this rules and bylaws committee should vote no, those who are regarding the changes the superdelegates should vote yes. this motion is a veritable hell you had those of you who wish to speak in favor of this motion can move to one side of the microphone. those who wish to speak in opposition can move to the other side. we had a debate on this -- irday, but i don't want understand that many of you have a plane to catch. douglas mr. chair. i call the question. [applause] chairman: yes.

chairman: ok, is there a second? votes.quires >> might impel them in terry and, i want to make sure i follow all the proper protocols on this. >> judging from the crowd reaction, i think if you take a standing vote, you'll be able to tell whether it is two thirds. >> yes sir? just to make sure we know exactly what you are voting for, please restate the motion that should the motion is to strike line seven through 26? andt has been moved second ed that on page 19 of the sevenwe strike line through 26, procedural rules that affect the vote of

automatic delegates on the first ballot of presidential rollcall. further, if this amendment is adopted, the balance of light 27 which is entitled "rollcall of presidential candidates" will be numbered. so again, this motion to strike in plain english from the report the language from the rb c-proposed call to the delegation. those of you like myself who are proposal,f the rbc should vote no. those who are opposed to changes regarding superdelegates should vote yes. ok. now, there has been a move and second tec to close debate. ok. to close theon debate, all in favor, please

stand if you have a proxy, please raise two hands. ok come all those opposed, please stand. >> i would observe as a parliamentarian just said, this is overwhelming support to close the debate. no further questions. again, in the spirit of transparency, i think it is really important that we have a paper ballot. i will commit to mccue sure that we count it. i know that folks want to get out of here, but there is a lot at stake and i want to make sure that we are vigilant and we move forward. what i would suggest is after you vote, while the votes are being counted, we will do other dnc business. [applause]

we have the next member of congress from one of the suburbs, lauren underwood. she is here, she is in the house. we will hear from her. . we have other business to do, and while we do that, they will come the votes. that is called multitasking. so please hand out the votes again -- the ballots. those of you who like me are in rbcr of the proposal of the should vote no, those who are opposed to the change regarding superdelegate status should vote yes. ♪ chairman: please pass the ballots out.

chairman: ok, turn the mic on, please. yes, alice? >> yes, mr. chairman. a little humor in all this process. if we counted again, to put a dagger in my heart, but that is ok. the onesdelegates, that got elected and the ones that you appointed, maybe they should pass on the first ballot. [laughter] [applause] chairman: thank you. once the votes have been cast, we will go to our next speaker. ♪

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please sign your ballots. and another reminder, those of you who, like me, are in favor of the proposal, should vote no. those who are proposed to the changes regarding superdelegates should vote yes. ♪ ?e chairman perez: one more point to make sure you know, if you are given a proxy by someone because they thought they weren't coming and they are here, please do not vote that proxy. it makes for a much longer counting process. and we don't want that.

wil

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announcer: continued live coverage of the democratic national committee's summer meeting. right now, there are voting on an amendment of the resolution dealing with the presidential nomination process. this provision is in regards to superdelegates and their voting rights. the dnc is made in chicago and this is live coverage on c-span. chairman perez: has everybody given their boat or their ballot

? heavy handed over your ballot? if you haven't, raise your hand, please. ok, so, not quite done yet. a routine, if you see anybody with their hands up, please grab their ballots, there's a few more, please keep your hands up, this is kind of like a morning exercise. i see some more over there. ♪

>> if you have any more ballots, please raise your hand. if you have a ballot that needs to be turned in, please raise your hand. >> ok. so they are now tallying the ballots and like i said, we are going to multitask. we will hear shortly from a candidate for congress, but before we do that, there is a -- i think there is a video we are playing, is that right, patrice? on more?

yep, if you could play the video, whoever is at the helm? we are waiting. >> results from the primary election, woman winning big. these years elections are shipping of to my political women. for >> tuesday was a historic night for female candidates. in the numbers are only going to go higher. ♪ victory puts the number of women nominees running for house after 183. women are another major party nominee for governor in an 11th dates. d.c. is about to get its first muslim congresswoman, the mark -- democrata telly rashida talib. >> almost two thirds of the races in the democratic whereies this year,

there has been a woman running a guest man, the woman has one won. >> i hope that you will all join us in our fight for the future! >> it is just amazing what women are doing. they feel this so deeply in a lot of ways. >> this is a response to trump, women are stepping up. ♪ >> is the future female? >> yes, for the democrats in 2018, it sure looks that way. ♪ [applause] afternoon. it is my honor to introduce my future colleague, lauren underwood.

naperville who is stepping forward to run for congress to represent illinois 14th district. [applause] is committed to fighting for families and believes that strong jobs, smart investment and access to a foot of a health care will put our region back on track. when she is elected, she will joined a congress that is less , a body wheree only 67 women of color have ever served in the history of the united states. to helpdo what you can her, and please join me in welcoming our next congresswoman, lauren underwood. [cheers and applause] learn: thank you. thank you.

so much. good afternoon, everyone. i would like to thank our chairman, mr. arrest, vice chair, michael blake, mr. harrison, all our friends up here. i am so delighted to be here with you this morning. i am a 31-year-old registered nurse from you for valve, a community -- from naperville, a community 45 minutes west from where we are right now. i spent my career working to expand health care coverage for country.es across our first by working to implement the affordable care act on the federal level, i worked on preventive services, then i joined the obama administration and worked in public health emergencies and disasters. things like obama, zika and the water crisis in flint. it was during that time in flint and the 2016 election happened. after that we would have to hand

off our work in flint to our cared, but instead, we get the trump team. they waited clear that they wanted to take away health care coverage from people. so i returned home to the great state of illinois, expanding medicaid under the ncaa, and began working in that state. and i found that my representatives one and only event in 2017, was a moderated question answer session, and he made a promise that night. he said he would only support a version of obama care repeal that let people with pre-existing conditions keep coverage.th care as a nurse, that kind of promise was so important to me, because i have taken care of patients who rely on affordable health care coverage to manage their chronic illnesses. i have watched the implementation of the obama care fix.and in that we can

what doesn't work like many americans, i have a pre-existing heart condition myself with it. not letind that would me have coverage myself, under the repeal scenarios. so when my representative said that, i believed him. then, he went and voted for the affordable care act, the repeal the obamacare act, which was the opposite. i was upset, because i think representatives should be transparent and honest about their votes. they should be accessible to the community and that ultimately need to know that they are accountable to us, the voters. he did not seem to recognize that, so i decided, it is on, i am running. [applause] and i launched the campaign a year ago. thank you, in august. crowded running it at democratic primary, got 67% of the boat meeting six guys -- [laughter] thank you. and i am now running against our tea party republican th up on

it directly. we have out him for two consecutive quarters. we have 70 three days left until november 6 and we will win this race and restore the real representation that families deserve.linois but i know that i am in a room with democrats and as democrats, we are not afraid to lace up our shoelaces and knock on doors and make phone calls. and we are relentless because we know what is at stake in this election. i know that i am not the only first-time candidate, and i know that i am not the only woman who marched in the women's march and decided to run for congress, but i know that we together will be able to be a force across this nation. not only in the house, i think we can get the senate. i think we can get some more governorships. i think we can win these state legislatures and doing it together. thank you for all you are doing to support candidates like me, i appreciate it. [applause]

chairman perez: hey, folks, give it up for lauren underwood! [cheers and applause] hey, she didn't say this, but i will. we all have our smartphones here, if you google underwood i think shecom, would accept a little help. i will tell you one more story, about five weeks ago, i was with jb pritzker, the next governor of the great state of illinois, and the two of us went out to lawrence district. 's district. lauren on thing i remember was thursday or wednesday afternoon, it was about 4:00, and i was thinking of myself, had you get people out at 4:00 in the afternoon? they are working, picking up their kids out of

school. my memo said that i should expect 100-150 people at the rally we had almost 400 people there. and it wasn't because of me or jb, it was because of her! that his energy there, folks. [applause] we can win everywhere. i saw at first hand and am proud to have supported:. she spoke in our women's , 25thship forum anniversary done in atlanta, she is a superstar. and that is why we are all so proud of you today. that windke sure continues to be at your back. thank you for joining us, lauren! [applause] underwoodfor congress.com! >> mr. chairman, while i personally oppose the decisions we have made in this product with respect to the changes and rules, i think that the body has spoken and i move that we forend the rules and vote

but acclamation, the main motion rules as to adopt the presented by the rules and bylaws of this body. [applause] chairman perez: do we have a second? ok.

our parliamentarian come i was asking the question of how this affects the counting that is taking place now. she informed me that what we need to do to move forward would be to suspend the counting, and to make that vote by voice, so that it would be recorded in a record that we had addressed that. booing] owen? >> thank you mr. chairman, members of the committee. i rise to a second chairman fowler's motion. [applause] mr. owen: and to

and to incorporate the recommendation from the parliamentarian into that motion that the count be suspended for the motion that is currently ,nder count conduct that we are voting on and it be part of the motion from chairman fowler. chairman perez: thank you for your motion. that would be a no by acclamation on the vote that is being currently counted in -- as we speak. >> i felt we said we were suspending the count. as i understand from the parliamentarian, we

need to maintain a record of the resolution of that and if we were to suspended without recording through a voice vote that it was a voice vote of no and that could be problematic. >> i defer to the parliamentarian. >> here is what i am recommending to you and the chair is articulating. mr. fowler's motion to suspend motion is tons' suspend the rules. left to carry that by two thirds. if you carry it, your next boat will be to suspend the current counting, which needs to be an affirmative vote. your vote beyond that one to suspend account and vote by voice. the next boat would be the voice vote on what the motion to strike is. they are you believe that will

come out as a no, so your voice vote should be a no. andfowler wished to go on do the balance of the voting by voice for the remainder of what you have to do to complete your business. you would then start taking, once you handle the motion that is being counted, the pending motion is the adoption of the call and the roles as recommended by the rbc. >> so moved. >> second. what i learned growing up is what she just said. after the vote i request to be recognized for 30 seconds to make one comment. chairman perez: absolutely. >> mr. chairman, i am for

facilitating this, and we know the significance of the house and we can feel it. as naacp leader, i have to vote no, and i need my vote tallied no on everything and vaccines as well. chairman perez: ok. >> i am not trying to believe this but i have integrity and i have to go home. >> yes, ms. hoffman, if you would like for the minutes to reflect that the vote was a certain way and that you wished to be recorded as a negative vote or the opposite to what carries, i believe that no one told object to your request -- is it you are vote -- is it your vote and hers? yes, because she did not

leaving any other instructions. please record my vote. chairman perez: without objection. [applause] boatman perez: the first is the motion to suspend which is two thirds in the affirmative -- the first vote is the motion to suspend which is two thirds in affirmative. these stand a major hand -- raise your hand. and proxy is two hands thank you . all those opposed please stand. it appears that the motion carries overwhelmingly. [applause] the secondrez: motion is the motion to suspend the counting that is currently again a two thirds requirement. i would ask all those in favor to please stand and if you have a proxy, please raise both of your hands.

please be seated. all opposed, please stand. >> you are going way to quickly. what was the first thing we voted on? chairman perez: we voted to suspend the rules. why don't you go ahead? >> your first vote, the one that is fully completed was on mr. fowler's motion to suspend the rules and do certain things. so that was adopted. you are now voting to do the certain things, which were to suspend account that is going on

right now, and take that count by a voice vote. you are going to have to first agree to suspend it, and then you are -- if you agree to suspended, you will do the vote here by a voice vote because we need to record what that was. then you will have exhausted mr. fowler's motion to suspend the rules because we can then go back with your consent to voting by voice vote on the balance of the business. chairman perez: which is the committee report. >> mr. chairman, just a point of clarification. we have a vote that will be suspended. i want my vote counted. i support the motion for acclamation, but i was looking for that vote to have been recorded. i cast it. chairman perez: as we just did

with alice, we would make sure the record reflects your opposition to whatever it you believe. >> on the book that is currently being counted, i want that vote counted but i wanted application on the second coat -- count. chairman perez: the minutes will so reflect. let us again review could we took half of a vote. so now we are asking all opposed to please stand. aye's have it. explain exactly what we are voting on so there is no confusion. >> what the chair just announce was your vote on the motion to suspend the count. we stopped in the middle to answer the question of the member in the back. then he asked for the no vote. there were none. judgment -- so now you

are at the point of voting on the proposed amendment, which was the amendment to strike the language -- that is what the language is, the amendment to strike the language that affected the vote of the automatic delegates. chair'spoint, the position is no. the opposition position is yes. those of you who wish to support the chair will vote no. he will take the yes vote first and then the no vote. whorman perez: all those believe the boat should be as, say yes. no -- >> no. chairman perez: the nose overwhelmingly have it. and the motion to strike is not adopted. thei believe we can move to

adoption of the report from the rules and bylaws committee. that is the final frontier of this journey. [applause] chairman perez: it was already motioned and seconded early. this is final passage of the entire package of the reforms. the call and the delegate selection. bill? thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you members of the democratic national committee. unity, and with the indulgence of reverend michael blake and reverend randy kelly and the other religious leaders here, i call your attention to the book of ezekiel 37, where you are directed to

take two sticks and right on those two sticks the different sides and rub them together as a sign of unity to bring judah and effraim together. jesus talks about house divided cannot stand. in the koran, i hope this is the right way to say, section 3:103 and holdfast altogether by the rope which allah stretches out for you and be not divided among yourselves. mr. chairman, i want to thank andyone for your interest your overwhelming dedication to the questions that we have had here.

skeptical of the proposal, but i am a team player and the most important thing we can do is elect them across this fall and in 2020. [applause] thank you. thank you. i am trying to say this without crying. said, "let us go

forth from here to lead the land we love and i asked in his blessing but knowing god's work hour."s truly our thank you very much. >> amen. [applause] chairman perez: ok, the report has been moved and seconded. all those in favor say aye. >>aye. chairman perez: the aye's overwhelmingly have it, and the call is adopted. [applause]

>> this is a great party. gemini now moved that the amendments to the charter and bylaws as proposed by the rules and bylaws committee be approved. all in favor.: >> aye. chairman perez: opposed. >> no. chairman perez: the aye's have it. confused never, ever unity and unanimity. we should never, ever be afraid of having a family debate.

you all heard me say the other day, if you want passionate debate, come to my house at six giving because you will get passionate debate. issues, not about just the red sox or issues, blake knows who is a better team, we do not need to debate that. [laughter] but we talkez: about serious things at that thanksgiving dinner table. we talked about serious things over the last two years. we saw the passion in this room. we saw the classiness of the people like don fowler in allen and jim and lorraine miller and alice hoffman and others. we should never be afraid of passion because what is far , ase than passion is apathy society that loses its sense of moral outrage is doomed to

extinction. i heard that from daniel patrick moynihan when i used to sit in the well of the senate working for ted kennedy, my original political mentor. folks, what we all have in common is we are here to make a difference. we are here to win elections. we're here to win back our .emocracy as we know it we are here to make sure that union members have the right to organize. we are sure it -- here to make sure women have the right to choose and that our immigrant brothers and sisters are protected and that pharmaceutical companies cannot continue to gouge you. we are here to make sure people that lorne other wood and others that have pre-existing conditions can get access to health care. to make sure that the secretary of education gives a dam about public education. we're here to make sure the epa administrator knows climate change. we are here to make sure that

hard-working federal workers can have a fair shake. with each make sure that in west virginia and washington state and wyoming and wherever we are, we compete every day. that is what we are talking about. we have the wind at our back. we have 73 days until the weekend when we organize and lead with our values. that is how we win. today, we demonstrated the values of the democratic party. we trust you and want you to join the party. we will lead with you and listen to you. we want you to have a seat at the table. that is what today was about. that is what this journey to form a better party is about. when we are united, we are at our best, and we will never shy away from those tough discussions. these discussions have made a stronger. , i'm grateful to every, single, solitary person in this room and who has been

following this debate. we are going to win and 73 days. in 73 going to kick butt days. we will send the message across america that this president, we have guardrails. we have -- that is what we are doing. hello i am the first vice chair of north carolina democratic party i was elected in 2017. my entry back into the party was with barack obama. but i was bernie's state director and iran when we lost i ran when we lost in 2016. i sat beside don follett and supported keith. i got upset and walked out of the room. when i came back, don fowler said, i thought you weren't coming back. i am a party person so i came back.

the people in this room welcome back. i want to say thank you to the people in this room that i support that wouldn't come back unless we did this today. i am happy that all of the people who are younger than i am and don't have representation in this room will now feel like the democratic party wants them to come back. [applause] chairman perez: all right. great. where to very quick items of business. let me turn it to stuart appelbaum. thank you for your hard work in all of the resolutions you brought to bear. stuart: good afternoon, everybody. i am still a bomb, cochair of the resolutions committee. we have spent a lot of time, before and during this meeting, talking about process.

but for me, the highlight of every dnc meeting is the resolutions committee report because the resolutions tell the country who we are as a party. committee,air of the i would like to thank everybody who has been involved in this endeavor, and i would also like to ask you to join me in thanking the dnc staff that have worked so hard on the resolutions. for this party. [applause] stuart: the resolutions

committee met thursday afternoon to consider 33 resolutions, which were a combination of message and commemorative resolutions. what would actually throw me would be a free read every resolution now word by word, but i understand we all have copies and we are not going to be doing that at this point. i want to highlight a few of the resolutions, and tell you some of the resolutions that were considered and proposed to the dnc. they included a resolution to kitchen table issues that matter most. a resolution opposing the cruel immigration policies of the trump administration. stressing the

importance of a cyber security and combating foreign interference in american democracy. a resolution supporting efforts americant of 100% by for defense procurement. and commemorative resolutions honoring the life and career of pet lunch later -- ped lunch -- in addition to the resolutions considered by the resolutions committee, the executive committee adopted resolutions honoring the lives of leonard boswell.y

[applause] ken carter. [applause] aretha franklin. [applause] frazi: and arbon thiser. er. it is my resolution to move forward with these resolutions. chairman perez: all in favor? >> aye. chairman perez: all opposed. thank you. our last report is from the budget committee. who is going to present that?

is it all three? ok. >> speaking of winning elections, we need money. unoz.me is henry m i am the money in. >> i am the money out. >> i am lauren johnson, and i tell them how to spend it. that is typically how it works. this is what we are up against. this is what the influence of an almost unlimited amount of dark

money combined with an unethical presidents -- presence in the white house looks like. this is historic information which we promised to you in complete transparency that shows that we have never had to match the rnc dollar for dollar in order to win elections. this is the energy that has been itsted by the dnc and leadership, including every single person in this room over the course of the last year to make sure we have the financial whenrces to win and then and then win some more. to sayto take one moment

thank you to chairman bettis, who has crisscrossed this backyardshen in many and living rooms in order to make sure that the energy exists in order to have the resources to win this election. nobody has worked harder than tom perez. [applause] henry: here is the good news. our major donor fundraising is up. we have raised more in 2018 up to this point and we raised in the entire period of 2017 and in our democratic grassroots victory fund, with seven major investors and have raised over $6 million. the finance team at every level have come together. hadhave to remember that we no finance team, and we had a finance team were a major donor did not talk to online or

digital and wasn't working with direct marketing. look at this, an increase in the number of gifts and the amount of gifts given in direct marketing. caitlin mitchell, are you in the room today? every single member of our staff who contributed to direct marketing and online fundraising , we are on fire, people. thank you so much. [applause] henry: in our online fundraising, 80% increase over 2016 and a recurring donor that is up by 61% and 45% of the donors to the dnc online are first-time donors. so, how do we spend your money? i don't know if don fowler is still in the room, but part of the goal of the presentation was

to exceed your comments from the last meeting, we said it was the most transparent inet's presentation have seen in your transparentdnc -- financial presentation you have seen in your time in the dnc. was not a 2017 budget going forward. not a surprise given how much turmoil that had gone to the building to that point in we got input from all the departments from what we need and review the input and determine what the priorities will be and have a strategic approach to planning and developing new projects. to results are process assess existing costs and not a surprise with the large organization, there were a number of contracts and licenses that were still getting paid for that weren't even being used or there was a whole cleaning from licenses from computer software and everything you could

imagine. that has been cleaned up. the budget has been expanded going forward to address the priorities. the transcription is covering up some of this, but you will seize pie represents the actual dollars of the budget from 2017. the pie is bigger and we are spending more people -- money on people and money on contributions to campaigns, and we are spending more money on technology. all of the areas we want to spend more money on, we are spending more money in those places. senior leadership, almost every single person has seen the leadership in dnc is new. tom has run a rigorous process in recruiting people. as you have seen from the presentations at the caucus meetings and here, with phenomenal folks in various departments. the dncot men in

before, but i've been told we have some of the best staff that has ever been in the building right now and it is thanks to tom and his leadership. everyone likes to talk about the debt. we can see the numbers here. at midyear, where $6.3 million in total liabilities. as i said last time, the fec makes us call everything debt. financial debt, we have $1 million or so owed to our bank right now. we have a line of credit we took out so we could manage our spending against some of the timing issues associated with contributions. tom has made a big emphasis on investing early in the cycle. the rest of the 6.3 number amounts owed to the vendors and legal bills. it is nowhere near its peak in other years. we think it is a good and manageable number. 2018, twoties in

principal ones are organized everywhere and harness data. the programsing in and political organizing across the country and we have reinvigorated the best practices and rule out the iowa vote initiative. element toritical winning elections is data, delivering good data to campaigns and candidates led by data mobilization teams have made nationwide progress in acquisitions, 94 million cell phone numbers tied to actual voters. that is turbocharged campaigns. one example of that is technology specifically. it is our largest investment in talent and people. we have on-site engineering data and security. we are no longer outsourcing our tech security. it is in-house with top-notch people in the highest level of

people we've had in the dnc. all dncthink this is people telling you what you want to hear, but just to prove to you that we are making a difference, we raised money and alabama and i may have talked about this last time for alabama. i had people calling saying they are hearing the dnc is nowhere to be seen in alabama for doug jones, and that was by design. we were not waiving dnc flags and t-shirts, we were waiting doug jones t-shirts. [applause] this is a quote for one of my people, steve bannon. "the dnc came into alabama, slipped in there under the radar, and did an amazing job of organizing. what is my favorite word? ground game. you've got to give the devil it's due. i object to that line. i tell you -- people every day. there is no magic one. you are going to have to outwork

people if you get outwork you are going to lose and i got to tell you, their ability to get votes and that is what it will come down to. those are the priorities of the new dnc. that is where we are investing your money. that is where we are investing the major donor money. when i tell them about it i get excited. i will ask lorna to walk us through some of the things we're doing inside the billing from a personality perspective. -- personnel perspective. see, however can money is being spent in terms of the staffing, we can see we spent a lot of money, almost 70% increase from the time when we came into office in terms of

political and organizing as well as mobilizing. the has been where most of money has been spent because we believe that the grassroots is important and we cannot leave any stone unturned. we are making sure the moneys are spent, and we have the proper's having ever we need them. staffing wherever we need them. for senior staff, we have 50% people of color as well as 58% female. [applause] lorna: we are part of the significant diversity from when we started. 44% are people of color and 51% are female, and we use 10% for lgbt, but we do not know how correct that is, just basic information we have.

internships, we start paid internships early this year, chess allowed more people of color to participate. -- which has allowed people of color to participate. change anden a great advantage to people of color who could not otherwise afford to do internships. vendors, we have minority women owned business year to date 184 vendors. 27% women and 18% people of color. since april 2018, we had a that we would host to teach people how to participate in applying or to become members . -- vendors.

the top three vendors are minorities and women, women owned. [applause] have: we do not just insiders anymore, but people humming from the outside. we do not have automatic renewal anymore. everyone has to apply for renewal each time. trackingdiversity -- moresity, we are tracking closely with contract approval forms. we are trying to address everyone's needs. it is not just the insiders, but open for all. in april, we had a vendors luncheon and teaching others how lunch and to first learn and teach discussion of how we can bring other vendors in.

this was very successful. that includedts the ceo of corel, the principle and the founder and ceo of blueprint strategy, llc. about what thed new dnc is about. the new dnc is about transparency, responsibility, responsiveness, diversity, effective -- and being effective. that is what the new dnc is all about. we are here and prepared to win. as a team, we want to thank all of you who have supported the dnc financially. continue to give. we appreciate every dollar that

you give. it matters and counts, and we are putting it to use. i hope we are giving you the response and transparency you asked for. if it is not clear enough, please feel free to come to any of us to talk about any detail you want about our financial report. [applause] want -- there: i is an unsung hero at the dnc and her name is caitlin mitchell and the digital team. they do the grassroots funding and they put together the videos and they are the ones who are talking to people and doing so much stuff. where folks who are investing large amounts of money and we have many, many, many more folks investing $20 and $30. she has been leading that and i want to say thank you. we are nearing the end of our very productive day here. i want to make sure you know to

help the democrats in florida with a bring -- big primary coming up. a primary in new york coming up. a lot of work to do. i thought it would be so appropriate, as we prepare to head out 73 days before the weekend, the most important election of our lifetimes, to hear from someone who frankly was a general in the movement. i feel like a historian or a foot soldier in the movement. to be here today blessed to have reverend jackson with us and the great city of chicago is a great honor. reverend jackson needs no introduction at all. he has been working his entire life to find in america that works for everyone. he has been fighting for latinos, african-americans, native

americans, asian americans, and everyone living in the shadows. please welcome rev. jessee jackson. >> run, jesse, run. [laughter] jackson: good afternoon. let's have another seven countdown to regaining our nation's honor and direction. i want us to pray for aretha franklin. join hands and bowel our heads w our heads in prayer appeared we pray for a recess sense of community -- prayer. aretha's sense of community.

inauguration.e she sang for the pope. she sang for the common people. let's use the joy she gave us to make us better and never bitter. our families in our treatment. we bless that -- ask that you honor and bless those. amen. we are in a very strange season now. we seek to recover honor of our revived civil war. make a choice, a date with destiny.

december 1, 1955, rosa parks sat in. king responded with a date with destiny. students sat in an america came alive, it was a date with y.stiny ca a massive multicultural expression, a date with destiny. july 2, 1964, the civil rights act passed. dr. king spoke to us in washington. from texas to florida, we could use a public toilet. we could not by ice cream at our johnsons or get a room at holiday inn. --y 2, 1964, august 6, 65

1965, we are today dealing with rules. at, less than one vote per precinct in nixon beat humphrey by 40,000 votes. hillary clinton one and she is the one of the 2016 election. [applause] reverend jackson: it is hard to lose. 3 million and tricky leaks. removing precinct in north carolina. tricky leaks. renews the numbers for voting.

tricky leaks. in georgia, they are trying to close off voting access. tricky leaks. in mississippi, we can win if we fight the tricky leaks. we can win in georgia. [applause] june 25, 2013,n: the supreme court had the voting rights act. it is time for us to hit the road and fight that we passed resolutions. in 73 days we could have our country back again. democratizing rules matters. the strength of our parties, neither left nor right, but the center.

food and social security was demolished neither left nor right. truman aggregate of the military. ,ffordable health care for all not health care for some, but all is the moral center. [applause] jackson: all the issues are not left or right and is not wrong a right. globalize capital, globalize technology and goalless human rights -- globalize humans rights, women's rights, environmental security. the company that makes salting crackers and oreo cookies, making 35orkers were miles an hour -- 35 dollars an hour and they were moved to

mexico where they were making one dollar an hour. mexico did not take jobs from us, we gave them to them. health care for some health care for all? make a choice for the moral center appeared look at the many more were, given health care. less for trump. the moral center. we as democrats need to fight for democracy for states rights and local control. gore was beating bush, he had a lead, 27,000 black votes and that is how he won. win and lose in 2000, -- and not fight

back. we win, we win. preregistration," on sunday and reduce the number of early voting days, suppressed the votes of african americas, we must resist these attacks on democracy. i want to suggest to you today that there are 4 million blacks in the south unregistered, 2.2 million who were registered and did not vote in the last election. them and educate them in the voting. have americans make less than $15 an hour, and a job they

cannot afford health care, a job they cannot afford to go to school, a job where they cannot afford transportation. $15 is the minimum wage for the working people. energy to savele the environment and our planet. [applause] jackson: it seems to me and the puerto rican crisis that everyone has a right to move to florida and vote. andend take florida back turn the lights back on in puerto rico. if we put the lights back on in puerto rico, we win florida. the stakes are high. [applause] reverend jackson: when obama came to office, loss 800,000 jobs that month and had a banking collapse. there was a gain of jobs each

month for eight years. industry was established again. paris and wee in dealt with a ransom nuclear rejections. trump inherited a tailwind and obama inherited headwind. there were job cuts and health benefit cuts and education cuts. where engage in racial polarization and we made the 1% richer and we must be the party to equalize public education. to takebe the party babies out of cages on the border. [applause] jesus was akson: boarder baby, born on a death warrant. he went to egypt as a refugee,

gained asylum, and became a refugee in egypt and mary and joseph were not separated from the baby. babies in cages is be a rallying cry across the nation. billions in the dark in puerto rico is a rallying cry. safety and security in the minds. lyndon johnson opened up the war on poverty. he did not go to harlem and embrace babies and get stereotyped. poor people are not black, they are not brown, they are white, female, and young. democrats. , in appalachia, where we care the most we deserve to win. this is our day.

this is a great opportunity. misogyny,acism, gender bias. it is corrupt, violent, and dangerous. we must take the nation back in 73 days. [applause] careend jackson: people that we know and they must know that we care. we take babies out of cages. we care. turn the lights on in puerto rico. we care.

security. we care. most,e the most, for the deserve to win, and we will win. we are the multicultural, multiracial party. world, through a door, and not through a keyhole. human rights must matter at home and everywhere. spiritst them break our , work harder, be more determined, fight the right fight. love one another as i have loved you. power to see us through. we fall down sometimes, we get up again, over and over again.

we rise with the american flag. we rise for justice. we rise for women. we rise for children. we rise for our future. we rise for hope. rise, wewe rise, we , because we care, we rise. because we care, we rise. because we love people, we rise. love you very much. [applause] reverend jackson: let us stand in joined hands -- join hands.

what a privilege it is to pray, to love one another as we have been loved, and find the joy within each other. worldr nation and for our , except our petition dear god. make us fit for the fight. bitter.better and never cross lines of religion and race, we find common ground. we find hope in one another. we get up again and we rise. bless us and keep us when we see and say and celebrate

how we got over. celebrate by night how we got over. amen. >> amen. [applause] >> thank you, reverend jackson. >> thanks, again. ok, folks.rez: what a way to be inspired. and you, reverend jackson. i am going to turn to jason or quick announcements. i want today thank you for the budget and finance cochair. you are the presentations. but doris and dan have been indispensable in leaving that committee. i want to say thank you to both of them. let me turn to jason briefly and then blake will close it out. jason: i believe there are sodas and snacks outside.

have a safe ride home. i will turn it over to chairman blake. all,man blake: first of can we give the staff that have been serving us and helping us and supporting us a run of applause? [applause] reverend blake: come on, we can do better than that. those outside the room and those outside the hotel, we can show them love right now. [applause] blake: as a perfect unityo say thank you for on behalf of the dnc. if you want to join us for beers and cocktails upstairs, it is on us right now. come on upstairs and let's close on out and let's kick asked and and winovember -- ass,

in november. chairman perez: most in -- motion to adjourn. go forth and win. 73 days until the weekend. ♪ >> here i am, signed, sealed, .nd delivered here i am, sign, seal, delivered, i am yours. ♪

[indiscernible conversations] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

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>> the democratic national meeting wrapping up its summer meeting in chicago. today, members discussed making changes to the 2020 presidential

nominating process and the role of superdelegates. next, first lady melania trump speaks out against cyber bullying during a summit. she talks about her campaign "be best," the effort to provide a self -- healthier and safer online presence. ladies and gentlemen, please lady and welcome the first of the united states, melania trump. [applause] and the secretary of the united states department of health and human services. [applause]