Statement on California Democratic Party Convention

On Saturday afternoon, Delaine Eastin, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction and candidate for governor, addressed Democratic Party Delegates on the convention floor where she expressed her real concern for the state of American Democracy:

I don’t have to tell you all that our Democracy is in trouble. It isn’t just Trump that is threatening us, it is the lack of participation in our civil society and lack of faith in government.

While the Democratic Party blames Trump and Republicans for many of our nation’s ills, there’s a lack of reflection and responsibility that doesn’t bode well for our party as we move forward.

Nationally, approximately 40% of voters have registered with no party preference. They are not just rejecting the Republican Party; they are also rejecting the Democratic Party.

The very word Democracy means government by the people. But our new party activists, many of whom were inspired by Bernie Sanders, are finding a party loath to embrace their raw energy, activism, and desire for bottom-up, not top-down, leadership.

California is the greatest state in the union, but people are hurting due to the extraordinarily high cost of living, lack of affordable housing and underinvestment in our public schools.

If we want to restore faith in government, the Democratic Party needs to accept some of the responsibility for the current state of our Republic and we must be willing to change.

We must stand up to special interests and ban fracking, regulate the prices of prescription drugs, and pass real campaign finance reform for California.

We cannot be the party of corporate money and dictatorial leadership. We must become a bottom-up organization, and empower our new grassroots activists to lead us forward.

Onward,

Delaine Eastin

Media Inquiries Please Contact Jennifer Rindahl, Campaign Manager: (310) 993-3213   E: jennifer@delaineforgovernor.com