Many say Obama's first appointment after being elected was his worst appointment ever. That would be Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff and I couldn't argue against the characterization. But, keep in mind that it was Obama who also appointed Debbie Wasserman Schultz to chair the DNC. Wassermann Schultz had tried-- really hard bribes flying-- for the DCCC chair and Pelosi snubbed her by picking the equally worthless Steve Israel for the job. Wasserman Schultz's self-pitying caterwauling was so loud and unceasing that Obama gave her the DNC job just to shut her up. What, after all, could go wrong?Well, she stunk the place up so bad, she had to be fired but her stench has damaged-- severely damaged-- the core of the organization, perhaps fatally. Establishment hacks go wild when someone reminds them that Wasserman Schultz and her DNC did all they could to fix the primaries for Hillary Clinton, helping the worst possible candidate to win the nomination and, setting in motion a series of events that led to the country's biggest political catastrophe since the Civil War.Today, the DNC is still a smoldering ruin-- primarily because Obama insisted that his guy, Tom Perez, be the new chair. The Democratic base isn't buying it and the DNC is essentially bankrupt. Michael Sainato wrote last month that "The organization reported that May 2017 was its worst fundraising month since the Iraq War in 2003, and April 2017 was its worst fundraising month since 2009. In May, the DNC also reported that it has $1.9 million in debt. Despite the fact that former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez was recruited by Barack Obama to appease the party’s donors, lobbyists and PACs, even they have refused to prop up the failing brand.
Democratic voters have so far refused to fill the fundraising void left by the party’s corporate and wealthy donors. Tom Perez is a painful reminder that the Democratic establishment has suppressed reforms that would prove to voters that the party is prioritizing their interests. Democratic leadership subverted pro-Sanders DNC chair candidate Congressman Keith Ellison’s candidacy, ignored demands to ban superdelegates, and failed to re-enact the ban on lobbyist and PAC donations that Debbie Wasserman Schultz lifted to enable Hillary Clinton to keep up with Sen. Bernie Sanders’ fundraising. Perez’s Unity Tour with Bernie Sanders backfired; he was met with boos at several of the tour’s stops and supporters showed up in favor of Sanders-- not the DNC.Every opportunity for reform has been shut down by leadership, and Clinton campaign officials have been rewarded with leadership positions in the party or cushy mainstream media gigs. Facing calls for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to step down, top Democrats have made excuses for her unpopularity and the fact that Democratic congressional candidates lose when opponents say the candidate is her ally. Perez gave Keith Ellison a fabricated position as deputy DNC chair, which Ellison has used to try to manufacture party unity while the party’s establishment remains in power. In May 2017, former Emily’s List Executive Director and Clinton supporter Jess O’Connell was appointed to DNC CEO. Even though former DNC Interim Chair Donna Brazile left resigned in embarrassment after leaked emails revealed she violated the DNC Charter to help the Clinton campaign, she has remained on the organization’s payroll and the DNC sent out two separate fundraising emails from her in July.Instead of acknowledging that reform is needed to change the direction of the party, Democratic leadership is doubling down on failed strategies and rallying behind unpopular, failing leadership. The DNC has tried to enthuse its supporters with marketing campaigns and slogans, but its efforts have fallen short....The DNC has failed to salvage its reputation after former Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned in disgrace for rigging the Democratic presidential primaries. The DNC needs a drastic overhaul to recoup its losses. The party needs to stop relying on Trump’s ineptitude and develop clear messaging of its own. Unfortunately, the current Democratic leadership isn’t capable of mitigating failure in this respect.
This kind of thing is great for late night TV ratings but if this is what the Democratic Party is counting on to wingback Congress-- this and a slate of sub-par "ex"-Republican self funders and Blue Dogs as candidates-- they won't. Voters don't care about this and they don't care about the careers of self-absorbed politicians; they care about what the politicians offer them.