Burton Run for Party Chair Timely and NeededPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jan. 07‚ 2009Former State Senator John Burton, the liberal legend who did more to help poor people than anyone else in Sacramento, has come out of retirement to run for Chairman of the California Democratic Party. This weekend, Democrats from across the state will pick delegates to the State Democratic Convention in April – where the new Party Chair will be chosen. It’s understandable why many new activists to the Party – inspired to get involved by the “people-powered” movements of Howard Dean and Barack Obama and willing to “crash the gate” of the old establishment – would be skeptical about putting a 76-year-old power broker at the helm of the state Democratic Party. But it’s precisely the same activist spirit and populist fire behind this energy that has defined much of Burton’s long political career. As the Party tries to reach new voters in future elections, Burton’s commitment to technology – as laid out in campaign goals released yesterday – defies the misconception that many activists have about him. And activists who fought for years to get more Party resources into the “redder” parts of California (applying Howard Dean’s Fifty State Strategy to the county level) will have a powerful ally in John Burton. |