The Democratic National Committee (often referred to as the DNC) has fresh leadership with new chair Tom Perez, who was the former United States Secretary of Labor during the Obama administration.
Perez faced criticism from his opponent, Keith Ellison, who was backed by Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, echoing the rallying cry of left-leaning, populist liberals who sought to transform the DNC’s leadership.
Despite a Sander’s-backed Ellison losing to Perez for the DNC’s chair election, there is still hope for Berniecrats who want to change the DNC. Immediately after Perez was declared the victor for the chair race, he appointed Ellison to deputy chair.
This is huge. Remember back in the day when Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton hinted at making the loser Vice President? That was a massive moment of speculation within the party – many saw this as a great idea, while some argued that it would weaken Clinton’s chances.
She made a huge mistake by not letting Bernie Sanders at least have the chance to be her VP. Nevertheless, Clinton lost the election.
Now the DNC is changing the way it views its leftist section of its party; DNC leadership finally understands what is necessary to gain a foothold in taking back this county’s direction – they’ve realized they need to unite.
By making Ellison deputy chair, the party’s leftists will now have significantly more impact onto the party’s goals.
This is imperative for those of us who are sick and tired of politics as usual. Let’s not forget, Democrats really screwed up last year. Debbie Wasserman Schultz – the last DNC chair – allowed her staff to try and undermine Bernie Sanders’ campaign, essentially sabotaging it and rigging it in favor of Hillary Clinton. Once it went public that she was biased against Sanders, she quickly resigned (only to be appointed to a position within Clinton’s campaign, but that’s a whole other topic).
What does this reveal about how the DNC operates? The former leader of the DNC tried to sabotage a campaign that was growing to be the largest movement in the history of the United States. More people attended Bernie’s rallies than Obama’s when he ran in 2008.
She didn’t deserve that position, and I’m ashamed to have been registered a Democrat under her name.
But now, there is a glimmer of hope for the battered political party. This new leader is not afraid to embrace the values of the fast-growing populist left portion of the party.
Tom Perez has taken the right step by naming Ellison to be his second-in-command. I can only hope that with combined efforts, the DNC can revamp its younger sector, promote voting, and ultimately win some elections next time around.