Hillary is CNMI Democrats’ choice

Those present at the first-ever NMI Democratic Caucus on Saipan last Saturday raise their hands for their ballots to be collected. Former secretary of state and former New York senator Hillary Clinton was the CNMI Democratic Party’s choice after caucuses on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota were held. (Dennis B. Chan)

It’s Hillary Clinton for the CNMI Democratic Party, after nearly 200 people showed up in caucuses on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota to back a Democratic presidential candidate and elect delegates to represent the NMI in the Democratic Party National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This was the first Democratic caucus in NMI history. A total of 132 people showed up for the Saipan caucus, 16 for Tinian, and 41 on Rota, according to the official caucus results.

Clinton garnered 102 votes and four delegates were allocated to her and Sanders earned 65 votes, garnering two delegates.

“Rota and Tinian carried the day for Hillary Clinton,” said local representative for the Clinton campaign, Janet King, after the votes had been tallied. A lot of people on Saipan came out for Sanders, King said, but “overall Hillary is the choice for the CNMI.”

Speaking to a crowd at the Royal Taga Hall at World Resort, where supporters wore T-shirts of their preferred candidate, adorned themselves with stickers, and waved flags, King called the day’s event “one direct way” to get the CNMI “closer to the ear of the president.”

King said that she believes in Clinton for her extensive years in the Democratic Party, working with myriads of groups, and called the constituents Clinton has served as two-term senator for New York and as secretary of state “very, very broad.”

That constituency is “now working to get closer to the NMI,” King said. Clinton is serious and “what we in the CNMI need,” she added. “This opportunity for 11 delegates to be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,” is “one step closer to the president.”

Stephen Woodruff, the official local representative for the Sanders campaign, for his part, thanked supports for taking time to participate in a “historic occasion.” “This is the first time the people in the CNMI have ever had an opportunity to help choose who will be next president” and “I firmly believe that the next president will be a Democrat,” Woodruff said, extending “greetings” from Bernie Sanders himself.

Sanders, Woodruff said, “has consistently adhered to principles of honesty and commitments to certain core values.”

“Civil rights, justice for ordinary people, economic justice, social justice,” Woodruff said. “That’s Bernie Sanders. Which is one reason why he is the better choice tonight.”

Woodruff defended Sanders’ policies against those who say they weren’t “realistic,” saying that economists have found them “sound.” He also called Sanders “the amendment king” during his 25 years in U.S. Congress.

“He knows how to get things done” and “has all the experience to do the job from day one,” Woodruff said.

“The corrupting effects of money and politics. The way that the system is rigged in favor of big corporations because of their money—Bernie Sanders is committed to ending that. He is committed to revitalizing the American middle class which has been destroyed over the last 30 years by massive transfers of wealth from the middle class to the top one percent in the country.”

“Biba Bernie!” Woodruff said, to cheer and applause.

While the choices seemed clear heading into the caucus, local attorney Michael White offered another option, the “uncommitted” vote.

“Why should we vote uncommitted?” White said, speaking to the crowd on Saturday. “Because it’s the smart thing to do.

“There are 2,083 delegates needed to select the Democratic nominee for president. As of the today, the leading candidate has barely half of that number. There are a lot of big states that haven’t voted yet” and “everything is still up in the air” and there are “a lot of heavy delegate-rich states that haven’t voted yet.”

“What happens at the convention, if we support candidate A and candidate B goes into the convention with an absolute majority of the delegates? How will president B feel about the CNMI at that point? I think it’s better to remain uncommitted.”

White said that if the nomination is decided at the time of the convention, the NMI “ can vote with the winner.” “We don’t have to cast our ballots for the loser,” as you do if you commit to a candidate that heads into the convention without a majority of delegates.

“Look at it another way,” White urged. “What do we know about what the candidates will offer the territories, including the CNMI? If we go uncommitted we’ll be in a better bargaining position to work with the next president of the United States to try and get what we need to try and improve our situation. The smart choice is to vote uncommitted.”

A total of 22 voted for the uncommitted option.

Rock De La Fuente garnered zero votes.

‘Exciting’

For many at the caucus Saturday, a chance to exercise their vote was an exiting one.

“We came to practice our rights to vote,” said college student Kim Bautista, who came with a cohort of other students.

“This is democracy in action,” said Ajani Burrell, a Sanders supporter and instructor at the Northern Marianas College, who called it exciting to be part of a presidential election so far away from the mainland.

“[Sanders] seems to be one that has been supportive of and fighting for the middle class Americans for the longest time,” Burrell said, while standing in line in to register at the caucus on Saturday. “Middle class America has not seen the gains that other parts of the economy have. I have more faith in him to represent the interests of the middle class.”

“I am voting for Hillary Clinton,” said Magdiel Corpuz, a college student. “She is very supportive of immigration and of students like myself. I see a lot of college students here and also young people.”

“We need a mother,” said NMI Democratic Party Chairman Rosiky F. Camacho. “A mother like Hillary would probably would be the best for American and for us.”

Mo Howland, a physician at the local hospital, backed Sanders “because he is interested in restoring the balance of money and power away from the upper one/tenth and back to the people.”

“He is going to do good things against crime by giving free college to the thug class that doesn’t have a way out of the ghetto,” said Howland, before he registered to vote on Saturday. “And I see him as being internationally stable by looking for diplomacy and coalition rather than America being the world’s policeman.”

“More power to the people is good for anybody, even in the CNMI,” Howland added.

Herb Soll, a retired judge and Democratic supporter, said he was in the 2012 Democratic Convention with former judge Edward Manibusan, “the first two people” there at the convention when the party was first admitted to the Democratic National Party at the convention.

“It was very impressive,” Soll said of the turnout

Asked what he thought of the day’s turnout, Soll said, “It was very impressive,” and added he “absolutely” encourages more part activity in the future.

For Clinton delegates, Angelo Villagomez, Joseph Hill, Janet King, and a to-be-decided female delegate will representing the NMI in Philadelphia.

For Sanders, it will be Woodruff and to-be-decided female delegate.

Based on the voting, Clinto was allocated four delegates, an equal split of male and female. Sanders garnered two.