By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--February 27, 2017
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
Ellison, a spirited, African American congressman from the Midwest, was the first Muslim elected to the House of Representatives and was an early backer of Sen. Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign. In the immediate aftermath of the November election, when so many other Democrats remained silent, stunned and shell-shocked, Ellison raised his hand and decided to run to chair the political wing of the Democratic Party. Sanders, unions, and major grassroots groups were with him instantly and went to work. For progressives, electing Ellison to this top post could be, in way, a silver lining to the otherwise disastrous election. Yes, Donald Trump was president, but maybe now the party would finally listen to them. Folks who felt like they played second fiddle to the powers in Washington and Hillary Clinton's headquarters in Brooklyn thought this could be their moment. "This vote is going to indicate whether that transformation is possible and worthy of our time or not," she said at a reception for Ellison.
Support Canada Free Press
Jim Dean, the head of Democracy for America, called the election results disappointing and a missed opportunity for the party to "regain relevance." "[It] proves, once again, how out of touch party insiders are with the grassroots movement currently in the streets, on the phone, and at town halls nationwide," he wrote in a statement. Adam Green, founder of Progressive Change Campaign Committee, said those activists in the streets and progressive organizations will "move on with our lives."So sad. It's almost like a divorce. Maybe they can patch things up, but the party doesn't seem too interested. As Sanders' former campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, put it, the ball is in the Dems' court.
"We're going to have to wait and see. You know, are they really going to create a grassroots party? Are they really going to turn to small donors? Are they really going to articulate a bold progressive economic agenda? If they do those things, I think people will move toward the party. If they don't, a lot of people will walk away," he said in an interview.For now, the allegedly-enlightened Democrat Party needs to take a long, hard look at itself. Why, Democrats? Why do you hate? You had a historic chance to make America's first Muslim congressman the DNC chairman. Why were you the "party of no?"
View Comments
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.