Discussion: Reid Backs Rep. Keith Ellison For DNC Chair: Dems Need 'New Thinking'

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I’d like him to consider doing it full time and not divide it between his congressional work and the DNC.I think it will require a single focus. Otherwise, momentum may be compromised and conflict of interests are likely to occur. Can he sacrifice for the DNC?

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You have me wondering as well. Is this nomination too soon, a knee jerk reaction? Who else should be considered & can we have more time to weigh in? I don’t even know Ellison.

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I agree completely with this sentiment. The DNC chair is a full time job, and as we have already seen, splitting the work is a less than ideal situation.

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Personally, if my Congresscritter split her time between representing me in DC and a second job, I’d be P.O.'ed.

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All the DNC needs to do is what Harry Reid did in Nevada during this cycle and Nevada is now blue, with 3 new Federal Congressman, 1 new Federal Senator, and a State legislature that is now blue. Furthermore, Arizona and Texas may be turned around using his model…

The DNC should concentrate on the Swing States and determine their individual unique situations to turn them around. Plus, Liar Trump, our new Commander in Sheets, and his henchmen will only make things worse in those rust belt areas, so he should help the turnaround, too.

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Ellison is not “someone new” he represents everything that is wrong with the current Democratic Party.
The current Democratic Party is seen (rightly in my mind) as ONLY representing minorities with no concerns AT ALL for the Middle-classes. They are also seen as simultaneously beholden to Wall Street and uncaring about the problems of anybody who won’t give them campaign donations. Bernie had the right idea, but got caught-up in the adoration of the college-class millennials and lost his way and drifted into George McGovern territory.
Selecting an Radical-Left Inner-City Muslim Congressman from Minneapolis, MN will only hurt their image among the people we need to reach out to. You may not like that fact, but it’s true.
If you want to continue to dream of Unicorns and Fairy Tales support this choice, and remain in the political wilderness for another 8 years until Trump and his Fascists declare the Democratic Party “Enemies of the State” and end elections as we know them.
We need to find some FDR Democrats to take back the party from the fringe west-coast “nobody is PURE enough” progressives and the east-coast “how much will you donate?” Third-Way triangulaters and get back to the bedrock Democratic principles of supporting the Working-Class no matter WHO they are, White, Black, Gay, Straight, Male, Female, or Other.
It won’t be easy with all the finger-pointing going on, and lurching to either the right out of fear (as those in office right now are SURE to do) or to the extreme-left out of hubris (as some are suggesting) will be the death of the party.
I don’t have the answers, I wish I did. All I know is it cannot go on the way it did this year with one side of the party demonizing the other and then expecting to win against both the MSM and the Republicans (who now control ALL three branches of Government and are not at ALL shy about using all three as a weapon against their perceived “enemies”.

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So, I am confused. Is Bernie Sanders going to remain in the Democratic Party or is he going to revert to Independent who just caucuses with the Democrats? I think this is important to know because Ellison’s main qualification seems to be his having supported Sanders in the primary. If Sanders is not going to remain a Democrat, then I don’t know that he should be endorsing someone as DNC Chair at all, let alone someone who was one of his spokespeople during the primary. But maybe that’s just me being cranky.

I also think this is a decision that needs to be made with deliberation and with strategic goals in mind, not within a week after the party won the Popular Vote and as some sort of purge.

I am also extremely suspicious of Chuck Schumer and his motives for anything, having not heard a word from him during the election campaign and having refused to provide any of his huge surplus of campaign donations to the Florida Senate race or any of the close Senate races. I know I am kind of obsessed about Schumer so I will take a time out from the topic…

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Oh, I think we’ll manage. First thing is to all the deadwood out of the DNC who got us into this mess.

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What exactly are Ellison’s “new thoughts” that are going to enable the Democrats to defeat the Fascists?

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I dislike Schumer, but Ellison represents a breath of fresh air in a failed institution. The old guard has screwed up, and Ellison is a respected progressive who is well-liked and has a reputation for honesty. And if purge is too strong of a word, how 'bout “clean house”?

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Could we start with a 75 year old member of the Federal Legislature for most of the last 25+ years?

I assume that you mean Sanders. Last time I checked, he wasn’t running, or even a staff member of, the DNC. And it’s the people of Vermont who will decide when and if he will keep or not his job, assuming that he were to run again.

Reality check time: After years of declining fortunes, the Democrats control nothing in the Federal Government. Obama’s executive actions are going to be rolled back, and the SC’s going to be filled with Liberty U grads. 33 of the nations governors are R. Do you want to stick one of the DNC insiders who got us into this mess back in charge?.

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Hey, you said “clean house”…I figured we’d start with a congressional careerist and work from there.

right. because debbie’s, donna’s and the rest of the dnc’s behind the scenes sleaze was all in service to tipping the scales toward a democratic socialist.

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Oh, that’s right. All careerists are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Neo-McGovernites unite! I can feel the wind rising on the prairies of South Dakota already!!

So…who’s my centrist 3rd-party option in 2020, again?

Sorry. But a “breath of fresh air” is not what is needed here. A breath of fresh air is not going to undo the harm of GOP congressional district gerrymandering. A breath of fresh air is not going to win back any State governorships or legislatures. A breath of fresh air that just happens to be from the Bernie or Bust quarter may make certain people feel good. But you are talking cosmetics when you really propose that all we need here is a breath of fresh air. And I do not want a part time DNC chair chosen mainly because he is a breath of fresh air.

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Democrats need a need a new, charismatic personality to unite the party and harness the support of the millions of young people whose heads are exploding right now but rightly or wrongly can’t naturally connect to the Democratic party. Apparently Reid, Sanders, Warren believe that Ellison can do this–and we know that Dean, O’Malley probably can’t. If Ellison is ready to devote himself full-time to this job and has the confidence of Reid, that’s good enough for me. He won’t be the face of D outreach to the white working-class. That outreach could be something for Dean and O’Malley to head up. Could make a good , exciting team. We’re stronger together, right?

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Apologize to the Dirty Fucking Hippies who’ve been right about everything. While I like Ellison I’m not sure he’s the right guy. Can he connect to the youth? We need a fire breathing dyed in the wool hippie. Schumer’s blessing doesn’t give me confidence either, as far as he’s concerned I’d apply Costanza rules…it’s not a good thing if Chuck Schumer endorses you. When they find someone that Schumer opposes you’ll know you’re on the right track.

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i guess if you dead-ender third way dems refuse to accept your historic losses which were caused in great part by your failed third way policies, you, the clintons, dws, et al could start one. but it looks like you’re in for a fight if you think the rest of the party will let you guys drive us over a cliff again in 2018 and 2020.

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