Politics

TRINI ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR!

Introducing Dorrick Nurse

Trinidad and Tobago national Dorrick Nurse on the convention floor at the recently concluded Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Delegates at national political conventions in the United States are integral to the process of nominating presidential candidates. Recently, Sissymoriah, chatted with Dorrick Nurse, a very special delegate, who hails from Trinidad & Tobago, and resides in Ocala, Florida. Dorrick was one of 4,119 delegates in attendance at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. To get to a convention, potential delegates - representing millions of voters from districts all over the United States - engage in a competitive and intense selection process involving all county and state political organizations. Once selected delegates are then pledged to a specific presidential candidate. Nurse, a die-hard "Trini" and thoroughly engaged American citizen was selected as one of the delegates to formally nominate President Barrack Obama at the Democratic presidential candidate at the 2012 election. Of course, that was after he first ducked into Brooklyn, New York to enjoy the West Indian American parade.

Sissymoriah:             Dorrick, you are active politically in the United States and you are also a patriotic citizenship of Trinidad and Tobago! Tell Sissymoriah what part of Trinidad and Tobago you call home and how nationhood shaped your political ideology.

Dorrick:                      I was born and raised in Curepe. I was a political “child” of our first Prime Minister Dr. Eric Williams. Dr. Eric Williams’ party, the People’s National Movement signaled a new era of political awareness of the masses.

Sissymoriah:            Were you involved in the political process in your homeland?

Dorrick:                      I was never a member of any political party in T&T, however, I would write political letters to the editor of the now defunct Evening News.

Sissymoriah:             What year did you leave Trinidad and Tobago?

Dorrick:                      I left T&T in 1967 for St. Croix, USVI in October of 1969 and came to Brooklyn, New York. In July 1981, I left Brooklyn for Queens, NY where I lived and worked until my retirement. I moved to Ocala, Florida in 2007. 

Sissymoriah:             So the brunt of your working years was in the U.S. Where did you work?

Dorrick:                      I worked for the City of New York in the Department of Information, Technology and Telecommunications.

Sissymoriah:             When did the political bug first bite you in the United States?

Dorrick:                      I attended Brooklyn College in Feb. 1970, where I became involved in the black power movement. I was a member of O.B.S.I.D.I.A.N, which stood for Organization of Black Students Involved in Direct Inter-Action Now.

Sissymoriah:             What was the platform of the organization?

Dorrick:                      A mixture of students were involved in the organization including Caribbean students. The 70s was a period that the black student movement was very vibrant. In our organization we were agitating for better conditions for black students, and improved policies. At the time Brooklyn College was 85 percent Jewish.

Sissymoriah:             So is it fair to say that you came of age politically in the United States?

Dorrick:                      No. It started in Trinidad with Dr. Eric Williams. With Eric Williams came political awareness all over the country. He renamed Woodford Square, the University of Woodford Square. This became a place where average people could talk politics. So I was always politically aware, you could say that I became a lot more involved in the political process as a resident of the United States.

Dorrick:                      Have you always been a Democrat?

Sissymoriah:             I became a citizen in 1999, and immediately joined the Democratic Party. I became more involved when I retired, and moved to Ocala. I joined in the campaign to elect the current president. I registered voters and canvassed relentlessly, as I am doing now.

Sissymoriah:             You were a national delegate at the recently concluded Democratic Convention, which is no small feat. Tell me a bit about the selection process. How did you become a delegate?

Dorrick:                      The selection process is different depending where you are in the United States. Any registered democrat is eligible to become a delegate. However, as a member of a party group, your chances are increased. Your local party, in my case Marion Oaks, has an election to choose a candidate. The chosen candidate must then run against candidates of other local party groups. This election is held at the democratic executive committee (DEC). At this election, any registered democrat voter can vote. The successful candidate then goes to the state convention, which was held in Tampa, FL. in June. At that convention, the delegates there vote for delegates to represent Florida at the Democratic National Convention. There were 300 delegates selected to represent Florida at the convention. Florida had the third largest number of delegates. California and New York were first and second.

Sissymoriah:             What is the most important part of your role as a delegate?

Dorrick:                      A delegate elects the presidential nominee, and helps to adopt a party platform at the Democratic National Convention.

Sissymoriah:             What were the main highlights of the convention for you?

Dorrick:                      The highlights of the convention for me were the speeches by the First Lady Michelle Obama and by Ex-President Bill Clinton. The appearance of Gabrielle Gifford, the Congresswoman who was shot in Arizona, was also very moving.

Sissymoriah:             Hey Dorrick you forgot the president? Remember he was also there!  You didn’t mention him. Wasn’t he a highlight as well?

Dorrick:                      Honestly, the president’s speech was very different from Bill Clinton’s. The things that Clinton said, the current president cannot say. Clinton said in plain words “they hate Obama,” the president cannot say that. Clinton also recounted that as president he left the treasury with a surplus, and the succeeding president - George Bush - left the treasury in deficit. President Obama could not dwell on that or people would say sour grapes: you know what you would meet there when you went up for election. So, President Obama just outlined what could be expected from him in next four years. He had to thread a thin line in his speech.

Sissymoriah:             l know the convention was about serious business but you are also a fun-loving guy, take me inside the best party you attended while you were there?

Dorrick:                      Convention activities took up most of the day from 7a.m. to 10p.m. Then you could walk the street. There were a lot of activities. At an MSNBC event you could go in and get your picture taken, and have a souvenir button made from that. The U.N. had an event where each delegate was entitled to two free drinks. Of course, I took advantage of that and had two vodkas and orange juice. There were many caucus events to which delegates had an open invitation. There was always food, I partook in that. Security was very tight during the period. There were police officers from many states.

                                   

Sissymoriah:             For you, what is the foremost issue of this election?

Dorrick:                      This Election revolves on the economy, and to a lesser extent, Obamacare. The economy is far from stable but it is well on the road to recovery.

Sissymoriah:             From your observations what is the main difference between the current United States electoral process and that of Trinidad & Tobago?

Dorrick:                      In T&T there is no electoral college, as in the US. Even though a presidential candidate wins the popular vote he/she can be rejected by the vote of the Electoral College. This happened in the 2000 Bush/Gore election.

Sissymoriah:             Do you follow Trinidad and Tobago politics?

Dorrick:                      Yes I do. Very much so.

Sissymoriah:             Which system has less potential for vote-rigging?

Dorrick:                      I believe the United States system. Even though there were a lot of complaints with the U.S. election of 2000, I feel there is less chance of vote rigging. In the last election in Trinidad and Tobago there was a lot of talk about voter padding. People who left Trinidad & Tobago long time and live abroad could go home and vote in the elections. In the United States you must meet residency requirements to vote.

Sissymoriah:             In an interview conducted by the Washington Post, during the convention, you said: “I am a Democrat because I am an immigrant and I love what Obama has done for the immigrants.” Please elaborate.

Dorrick:                      President Obama passed a law for young immigrants who were brought here as children and have no legal status. As an immigrant, who has never been illegal, I think that was a bold move. I believe going forward the Hispanic community will agitate for even bolder moves around immigration. Second term presidents tend to be bolder with legislation since they no longer have to worry about reelection. The President will be bolder in his second term. This is an important election for all minority groups, including women.

Sissymoriah:             Any parting words?

Dorrick:                      I urge all citizens, particularly in battleground states not only to register to vote, but encourage their friends also. You can vote by mail and vote early.

Sissymoriah:             With all this activity in the U.S. electoral process, tell Sissymoriah how you stay in touch with the Caribbean community.

Dorrick:                      I am involved in so many community activities. One of the ways I get to relax is by listening to http://www.wackradio901fm.com/ out of Trinidad & Tobago. I am a member of WACK's internet community. I log into the “Shoutbox” under the name Dancer Boy. I really enjoy the camaraderie with the people in the Shoutbox. I love ole talk. That is my thing. I get on WACK throw a little “piccong,” the Trini way. I like the connections that WACK brings. This is the only radio station that brings people from over the world together. The broadcasters are familiar to us. We have a relationship with them. The format is calypso music all day. I am a Trini to my heart so I love WACK.

Sissymoriah:            Thank you so much Dorrick for spending this time with Sissymoriah and good luck on election day November 6. Oh and one more thing...

https://contribute.barackobama.com/donation/index.html