Dem dinner drama: still no keynoter for Saturday; chairman says Gore’s Boca gig not a damper
by George Bennett | November 10th, 2009
-
- Gore: In Boca Saturday
-
- Kucinich: Withdrew after Israel flap
-
- Landrieu: Dumped over health care stance
“We’re still hoping to get an out-of-town keynoter,” county Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel said this morning. But, he said, “you can have a dinner without a speaker.”
The Dems’ $150-and-up dinner at the Palm Beach County Convention Center is on the same night as a “Going Green” lecture at Mizner Park in Boca Raton by former Vice President Al Gore, with tickets ranging from $44.10 to $339.
Siegel said the Gore event doesn’t appear to be having an impact on attendance for the Democratic dinner. Gore’s presentation begins at 5:45 p.m. and the Democratic event begins at 7 p.m. with dinner at 8 p.m., so Siegel said it’s possible to attend both.
The Democrats’ Truman-Kennedy-Johnson dinner (formerly the Jefferson-Jackson dinner) originally booked moderate Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu as keynote speaker, but she was dropped last week because party officials were upset by her unwillingness to commit to shutting down a Republican filibuster of health care overhaul legislation. Liberal Ohio U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich agreed to be Landrieu’s replacement, but he withdrew after several local elected Democrats slammed his history of criticizing Israel and voting against congressional resolutions in support of Israel.
Tags: Al Gore, Dennis Kucinich, Mark Alan Siegel, Mary Landrieu
Where's the money? Use The Post's interactive database of who wants and who's getting federal dollars.
Use these interactive graphics to find and contact Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast legislators.
Sentenced to die for crimes judged heinous and cruel, inmates await execution in a 9 feet by 6 feet cell.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
It is obvious that Vice President Gore’s event will have an effect on the JJ. There is no way that Chairman can pull in a bigger name than Vice President Gore especially since he already has chosen two of the worst speakers possible. The great thing about that event as well is the fact that the discounted ticket cost is $39.00. I am sure it will be a better event then the $150.00 event that the DEC is trying to pull off.
November 10th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
The name needs to be changed once again. I want Lee-Jackson-King day, like we have in Virginia!!! Wahoo Wah!!!!!!
November 10th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Once again the morons ruin the easiest event to have ever. You run an area Dems dominated in a swing state and you can’t get anyone but Landrieu and Dennis KooKoo (the worst Mayor of any city ever)? Are you serious. What clowns! So depressing
Should have got Tester or Jack Reed
November 10th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Tara Laxer and the Young Democrats are doing this event. What is the big deal that the party is doing two events…Grow up. Why don’t they just do a tribute to Wexler or something?
November 11th, 2009 at 11:47 am
God help us if Mary Landrieu were to have spoken. It would be dangerous to have a moderate democrat speaking - might have corrupted us.
Let’s just have Wexler, Aaronson, Klein and all the other tiresome liberal Jewish leaders of our party do the speeches. That way nothing exciting or interesting or controversial would happen and everyone could schlepp home afterward very content and remark that it’s good to have youngsters such as Wexler involved in the local party.
You heard it here - this episode is the beginning of the end for Klein. This type of nonsense will destroy him in his district.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
They dumped Mary for Al? Too see a loser like Al is very pathetic.Mary Landrieu is probably the best dem that the democrats have.Too bad she didn’t run for Pres.last year she would have been alot better than this moron we have now.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:10 am
The announcement of Congressman Dennis Kucinich as the keynote speaker for the Palm Beach Democratic Party’s fundraiser dinner was enthusiastically received by the over 200 attendees of the DEC meeting held on November 5th in South Palm Beach County. Unbeknown to those attending, 4 self-serving elected officials, led by State Representative Kevin Rader, arbitrarily decided to remove Congressman Kucinich from the program. With one fell swoop, 360,000 Democratic voters in Palm Beach County were disenfranchised. This was an old-school, back room political maneuver completely disregarding what the members wanted. This type of behavior is exactly what is wrong with the Democratic Party.
The characterization of Congressman Kucinich as anti-Israel is patently false, and he deserves an apology from the gang of 4: State Representative Kevin Rader, County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, State Senator Ted Deutch, and State Representative Maria Sachs. That kind of rhetoric serves no one, not the Democratic Party, or the nation. Further, the gang of 4 should apologize to the DEC at large for their high handed tactics.
It’s time that elected officials remember that they are chosen to represent the people and not their own interests.
Democracy for America (DFA), Palm Beach County