MSNBC: Ken Martin Elected Democratic National Committee Chair
The fact that David Hogg has better name recognition than Ken Martin, and that I am more excited about his being elected vice-chariman of the Democratic National Committee may say something about how rank and file Democrats also view the recent change of leadership. The Democratic National Committee is now entering what will be the single most critical period of its existence. And as a lifelong, contributing member of the Democratic party, while I understand the role of the DNC is primarily raising funds and directing how they are spent, and Ken Martin seems to be a suitable candidate to manage that kind of operation, I think whatever else it can produce that is turned toward opposing the single most corrupt and incompetent President in American history must be done.
The fact that Martin won, without the big endorsements of Schumer and Pelosi, is a big factor in his favor, as far as I am concerned. The Democratic party has had a chronic disability when it comes to defining its messaging, making it clear and relatable, and getting it out. Pelosi and Schumer, who have been excellent in their party leadership in Congress, haven't been nearly as successful when it comes to this aspect of party politics. I like what Martin had to say about how he sees his role at the DNC, specifically, "My job is to go out there and define the Republicans." That's pretty clear. And so is "We will go on the offense against Donald Trump."
Martin's tenure as the chair of Minnesota's Democratic Farmer-Labor Party during a time when the Democratic party actually expanded its majority in Minnesota politics, in spite of stepped-up Republican efforts to gain control of the state, is impressive. Democrats win in Minnesota among constituencies and in places that are typically Republican in other places. And the state party organization plays a large role in helping that happen. Trump tried, and failed, to gain advantage there. That alone is worth putting some trust in their state party leadership to help Democrats nationally.
Maybe We Need to Be Asking a Little Bit More From Our Party Leaders
Not even two full weeks into the second Trump administration, and it has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. In the face of that, we've had some Democrats back down, one even made a pilgrimage to Mar-A-Largo, and there's been a definite softening of the rhetoric, toning down the "existential threat to democracy" language, and crawling under well-placed rocks prepared in advance places in Washington, DC, for the purpose of self-preservation. It's a milquetoast response to the peaceful transfer of power, compared to the manner in which Republicans faced off against the incoming Democratic congress and the Biden Administration in Jauary of 2021.
That generated, from me, notice to my member of Congress and my two state senators that I personally would not tolerate compromise or "soft" opposition to the Trump Administration, and that if they wanted my vote in future elections, I needed to see some backbone, now. My political contributions, at least for now, go to "Leaders We Deserve", the organization that now-DNC Vice Chair David Hogg leads. Instead of protecting their own turf, and their own position, I need to see some Democrats willing to take risks and make some self-sacrifice because I think saving this Democracy is far more important than their getting one more term in office.
One more term to do what?
I'd like to see the DNC take steps to support groups like "Leaders We Deserve" and attach some quid pro quos to candidates getting funds for election campaigns, like their voting records on legislation that is Trump-supporting, or Republican party initiated. The kind of action we need out of our Democratic party legislators involves more than just making some loud noise in committee hearings of which the outcome is a foregone conclusion. So, a Democratic senator got loud with RFK Jr. So what? It will take more than that to save this constitutional democracy.
So I hope that Martin's tenure at the DNC is much more productive than that of his predecessor. That's not much of a challenge, but this is where Democrats must improve, control the narrative, and figure out how to convince a majority of the electorate to vote for them. And I'm hoping that David Hogg's presence will serve to push them into reality and force their effectiveness,
No comments:
Post a Comment