This is not Janet Carson's first Democratic National Convention. "My husband and I were both delegates for Hillary Clinton in 2008," Carson explained in a…
This is not Janet Carson’s first Democratic National Convention.
“My husband and I were both delegates for Hillary Clinton in 2008,” Carson explained in a phone interview while driving to Philadelphia for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. “I was one of her whips. People don’t realize there is actually a whole lot of work that goes on during the day before the evening program starts, when the media is on and you see all the speakers.”
The work began even before the convention was called to order on Monday and included meetings to finalize the party platform and approve credentials for all attending delegates.
Carson’s role as the chairwoman of the Geauga County Democratic Party means she has the expertise and the commitment to be one of the 160 delegates Ohio sends to Philadelphia to nominate a presidential candidate to run in opposition of Donald Trump, the Republican candidate nominated last week at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.
“I think in Philadelphia, the mood will be one of extreme excitement, pride and making history by nominating the first woman to be the president of the United States,”?Carson said.
Some supporters of Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton’s primary opponent, are not anticipating the same mood. The area around the Wells Fargo Convention Center was filled early Monday morning with protesters unhappy with what they felt was a system that worked against them, and by the end of the day, Philadelphia police had detained over 50 protesters for disorderly conduct — twice as many in one day as the 24 arrested in an entire week of protests in Cleveland.
Yet inside the convention hall, Sanders himself struck a note of unity in a morning meeting with his delegates at which he said, “We have got to elect Hillary Clinton.”
Carson believes this message is the one that will resonate in the long term.
“The last I heard was 78 percent of (Sanders voters) were on board with endorsing and supporting Hillary as the nominee,” she said.
At the national convention, delegates must vote for the candidate to whom they are bound. Delegates bound to Sanders must vote for him through the entire roll call process until Clinton’s delegate vote count number goes above 2,383, the number needed to secure her title as official nominee of the Democratic Party.
Carson believes most of the infighting between Democrats right now is “just media hype and I think most Democrats are focused on bigger issues, like protecting our country and our values. When push comes to shove and we get down to brass tacks, Democrats, Independents and the majority of Americans are going to unite around Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine because they know that that’s what’s best for the country and for their children and grandchildren.”
Carson also sees Clinton’s historic cross-party support as a boon for her in Geauga County.
“In Geauga County, Independent and Republican women supported Hillary Clinton last time she ran,”?Carson said.
She sees this coalition as the “key to victory” for Clinton in Ohio.
Ohio will be a necessary ingredient for a nationwide victory for either party this fall, with its 18 electoral votes and “swing state” status.
With both campaigns very aware of this, Carson believes Ohio voters will be seeing a lot of the Clinton/Kaine campaign.
“Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Sanders, Sen. Kaine and Secretary of State Clinton will be in Ohio many times to speak to Ohio voters and listen — especially listen to what Ohio voters are saying, and to incorporate the wishes of Ohio voters into their platform,”?she predicted.
She added, “(The Clinton) campaign will be in Lake County quite a bit — Lake County is a bellwether county in the state.”
If the Clinton campaign can win Lake County for the Democratic party, Carson believes “Michael Wager will win the congressional seat and Ted Strickland will become our next senator from Ohio.”
While this won’t be Carson’s first convention, it may be one of the most memorable. Besides casting her vote for the first woman nominee for president, Carson is also bringing something personal with her from Geauga County.
“There is something I have to do while I’m there,” Carson said.
She is carrying with her a birthday card for former Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman Joan Haines, who turns 81 the Friday night after Clinton’s acceptance speech.
“Right now, she’s not doing so well medically, but she wants to vote for Hillary Clinton for president in November,” Carson said. “I have a picture of her in her hospital bed with a Hillary sign, and I’m going to take that to Hillary and ask her to sign it.”
