Keith Ellison is an excellent leader and Congressmen. I support his progressive views (and have supported him financially) which are the heart of our newly remade party, thanks to Bernie and to Hillary’s defeat. But don’t make him head of the DNC. He has a day job already and he is one of the few Democratic members of Congress who regularly goes into the media to advocate on the behalf of the American people and Democratic policies.
Why not?
Because it is a full time job.
Because Howard Dean is in contention — a person who has done the job before with great results in 2008, a person who has a national following, a person who is certifiably progressive and a person who opposed the Iraq War when it mattered and when it took courage to do so. And he is from a rural state.
Obviously the down side of Howard Dean is his age , (I can imagine millennials are done with the narcissism of baby boomers (just look at Trump world)), his carrying water for Hillary and his work as a lobbyist.
And here comes the let’s face the facts folks part of this post.
The Democratic Party needs working white men and their women folk back. They are turned off by being viewed disdainfully as privileged and not well informed people. If you’ve lost your blue collar job, and/or been given a huge pay cut, and are unsure about your pension, you are not privileged. You are not the inheritor of the benefits of slavery, like the professionals, middle class elites, and financiers both north and south, east and west. And yes you may have been hoodwinked by Republicans, like your ancestors were hoodwinked by the Confederacy. But that does not mean Democrats don’t need these folks back.
Cause, most of those polite college educated professional urban and suburban white middle class and upper middle class folks you know. They voted Republican. They always do because it is about taxes.
We just had a bunch of firsts and I don’t think it was a kumbaya moment for all of America. And it was not about race. Eric Holder, first African American Attorney General, did a great job highlighting issues of racial injustice, but he failed to bring to justice those folks who destroyed the economy of working and middle class people — black, white, latino and asian. So can we lay off the need for firsts and focus on results? And unfortunately, President Obama’s superb economic performance does not count, because it was not sold well and came across as trickle down job creation after reviving the banks and corporations.
And while we all want to be understanding and open minded, Keith Ellison converted to Islam as a young adult and was associated through the million man march with Farakhan. He was not born Muslim. He converted from Catholicism. And that of course is his right in the United States. But it makes him a target of many people who may have trouble viewing him as someone who can be trusted to carry on the traditions of our country. That includes Catholics, Jews or Protestants in a post 9/11 world.
Why are we making it harder for us? Sure we have a vision of America where none of these things matter. But they do because the other side has no decency and will mine the prejudices and hate of as many Americans as it can. One of the most atrocious aspects of this campaign — in addition to the treatment Hillary received as a woman and as a dedicated public servant — is the treatment meted the President and First Lady.
To ignore the nativism and bias that motivate people who should be voting Democratic because of their economic interests is unwise. And yes eventually the demographics will make these concerns less important. But tell me where the overwhelming Latino surge was that was supposed to sweep Hillary into office and deliver us a Democratic Senate. It was not there. We need white working class voters. Make it easier for them to vote Demcoratic.
Yes Howard with the scream, Hillary with the emails and whatever else, the President with the birth certificate, Pelosi with her “San Francisco” values, etc. will be attacked scurrilously about something. This is hard ball and so no matter who heads up the DNC they will be attacked without mercy and disgustingly.
But I recall in 2010, two current Democratic Congressmen told me (one who lost in 2010), and I was horrified, that Democrats would have done better without Pelosi as the Speaker. They said that having some white guy from the South, instead, would have helped them. They did not want to have to defend “San Francisco” values. Both of these individuals, men, are progressives. The sexism, homophobia, etc. that was exhibited by their statements was horrifying but it was based on polling information too.
On a side note, it was quite easy to go to DNC fundraisers being headlined by the President in 2010 and 2014 — they were seriously discounted with staffers filling some of the tables. So yes — America — we have had a problem that we cannot ignore ginning up white enthusiasm for the Democratic Party.
We need to win in 2018, not in 2020. We need to do what the Republicans did to President Obama in 2010. I don’t care how we do it. But it needs to be based on organization and a 50 state, 435 district strategy — not counting on urban folks who have been gerrymandered out of many districts and who are not reliable voters.
NOTE — I assume that if anybody reads this entry, almost anyone who bothers to comment will trash this piece. I strongly felt this viewpoint should be put out there even if it sounds like right wing talking points.