Vermont senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is campaigning for Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to lead the Democratic National Committee. A new strategy for the Dems is greatly needed since the Republican Party swept the executive and legislative branches of government: White House, Senate and House of Representatives. Thus, the DNC chair will be the face of the party.
On Thursday afternoon, Nov. 10, 2016, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean offered himself for a second tenure He wrote on Twitter: “The dems need organization and focus on the young. Need a fifty state strategy and tech rehab. I am in for chairman again.”
Along with Sanders, Harry Reid, and Elizabeth Warren are lobbying for Ellison.
“You can’t tell working people you’re on their side while at the same time you’re raising money from Wall Street and the billionaire class. The Democratic Party has to be focused on grass-roots America and not wealthy people attending cocktail parties.
“Millions of people are willing to put in 20 bucks, 30 bucks, 50 bucks if there’s a party to believe in,” Sanders points out.
Reid says he’s a “terrific leader and a strong progressive who knows how to get things done. Now is the time for new thinking and a fresh start at the DNC. Now is the time for Keith.”
In a letter to his supporters, Sanders writes: “Keith is one of the most progressive members of Congress, and he was an early supporter of our political revolution.
“He is a co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus, a strong believer in grassroots politics, and someone who would be enormously effective in leading the Democratic Party against President Donald Trump.”
Improper use of emails has left the Democratic Party in chaos to a certain extent. If Hillary Clinton had won the U.S. presidency, she would have appointed the chair. Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned in July after her emails were hacked. Donna Brazile was the interim chair but was hit with an email scandal as well, in some circles, she’s blamed for adding the proverbial last nail in the Clinton campaign’s coffin.
Brazile’s emails, which were published by Wikileaks, revealed she had leaked questions for CNN-sponsored events to the Clinton campaign. She took over from Wasserman Schultz, who resigned in July after WikiLeaks released emails showing that DNC staff had discussed scuppering Sanders’ run for the Democratic nomination.
Quoted as saying he’s ready to take the party forward, Ellison is scheduled to make an official announcement Monday, Nov. 13, 2016, about whether he will be a candidate for DNC chairman.
Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress. To have a Muslim DNC chair would be a good move for the DNC, in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country and it’s a good move toward diversity for the party.
Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee says, “It’s time for new leadership of the Democratic Party — younger, more diverse and more ideological — that is hungry to do things differently, like leading a movement instead of dragging people to the polls.
She’s vowed PCCC would support the chairmanship of Ellison.
The election will take place in 2017.
