Democracy can not exist without confidence in the vote of its’ citizens. That’s why CASE NO. 16-61511-CIV-WJZ filed in a Florida Court has the DNC in a lot of hot water right now. Apple News is reporting that the DNC is asserting in a court of law that they are a private corporation with no obligation to follow their own bylaws and host fair primary elections. Imagine how citizens who sent their hard-earned money to Act Blue in support of their candidate of choice will feel when they learn that the election process is a charade hosted by the party? Seems far-fetched but this is not from Russian Hackers, this is from transcripts in a US Court of Law. The solution is simple and this has the potential to be a very good thing for democracy, but things may need to get worse before they get better for Democrats.
Rather than reflecting on the consternation everyday voters are having over the conduct of the Democratic presidential primary, the Democratic National Committee is doubling down on the assertion that the primary election belongs to the people who control the party -- not voters. -Thomas A. Hawk, Apple News
Since Thomas A. Hawk does such a great job at explaining the lawsuit, I highly encourage you to read his article in entirety here. The lawsuit puts the DNC in a precarious position. Their lawyer is arguing to dismiss the case on the grounds that they are not legally bound to their own by-laws which state in Article 5, Section 4 of the DNC Charter, “The Chairperson shall be responsible for ensuring that the national officers and staff of the Democratic National Committee maintain impartiality and evenhandedness during the Democratic Party Presidential nominating process.” If the judge agrees to this argument, then all faith will be lost in the party’s ability to host fair elections in the primary cycle. If the judge refuses this argument then the DNC can be held liable in this class action lawsuit to return the contributions made by citizens to Bernie Sanders during the primaries.
How Can the DNC Regain Trust?
The bait and switch tactics being used by the party make it look like some sort of used car salesman in the seedy part of town. If their argument is true then they are only using the primary to excite their base while already having picked the candidate who will get the nomination. Americans do not take kindly to this type of swindle, and it could be disastrous for the DNC brand which has already been getting hammered for quite some time. The solution is simple, and I spell it out in this recent piece titled How to Beat Trump: an Open Letter to Leaders of the Resistance. It’s time to answer some questions about policy instead of focusing on personalities, gender, and skin-color. Regaining trust will require a whole lot of reform starting by tossing the neoliberal/Wall Street wing that has corrupted the party and run it into the ground.
We Need a Strong Democratic Party to Beat Trump!
This will not come about by flashy PR campaigns, and scripted speeches written by focus groups. This will come from authentic, progressive, new leadership within the Democratic Party. Leaders like Nina Turner, Tulsi Gabbard and others have great appeal to Millennials, which now outnumber the Baby Boomers. That’s why I wrote a piece called 'Why Dems Need Tulsi Gabbard More Than Ever which outlines the policy stances that many Democrats want which the party has long since abandoned. Remember when the Democratic Party stood for peace, when they represented unions and the working class?
Obama stabbed unions in the back when he went against his own party to partner with Boehner and McConnell to push for fast tracking the secret TPP which was written by corporate lobbyists behind closed doors. The Rust Belt Voters who went for Obama turned their backs on Clinton. Do you think they became racist or sexist after they voted for Obama, or does it maybe have to do with policy? Clinton was also a staunch supporter of the TPP until she changed course to match Bernie’s stance in the primaries.
There is a lot of discussion about Russia hacking the election, but there has been very little self-reflecting on the policies of Obama and Clinton that caused voters to turn their backs on the party. Consider all of those Democrats who were furious at Bush’s illegal regime change wars only to watch Obama expand upon them while selling more weapons than any president since World War Two, suspending Habeas Corpus, and increasing government surveillance policies. Yes Obama is charming, well-spoken, intelligent, and has a beautiful family, but running a country is about policies. Though he did some good and was popular, there is a reckoning to be had for his neoliberal Wall Street Agenda. Sadly we are all paying the price under Donald Trump.
Who Will Be Our Heroes in the Media and the Party?
It will happen soon enough. Maybe a prominent voice within the party will seize this opportunity to speak up about the lawsuit and topple the corruption at the top of the party? Maybe they will wait for the Republicans to get ahold of this and run with it? Which major media outlet will be the first to blow the story wide open? Does Rachel Maddow have the guts to connect these dots? The problem is not going away. At the time of writing this, Act-Blue has taken $1,638,000,000 from American Voters, can these voters be confident that the party will host fair primary elections? The DNC lawyer is telling the judge in court that the peoples’ vote doesn’t matter to the party. We have him saying that, as a private institution they can pick the candidate regardless of the election process. Americans can not stand for this! Please share in your social networks so that we can build a party that will win the mid-terms and beat Trump in 2020!