Keith Ellison, U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th district
(Image by (From Wikimedia) Lorie Shaull, Author: Lorie Shaull) Details Source DMCA
I can sum it up in one word: Trust. For many of us, there is a trust issue at the DNC. I have no doubt that Tom Perez is a great guy and is qualified to lead the Democratic Party. What I don't know is where his loyalties lie. Would Perez have condoned the actions of the past two chairs to favor the establishment candidate over the more progressive choice?
We cannot afford to take that risk. Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Donna Brazile have created an environment where progressives don't feel welcome in the Democratic Party. For us to bring many back into the fold we need a meaningful first step. Electing Keith Ellison chair of the party is the first step to healing the division in our party.
Too many in our party dismiss the significance of what was revealed by Wikileaks. So many Americans were energized by the campaign of Senator Sanders, only to learn that party officials were favoring his opponent. It is clear that shuffling a few chairs will not be enough. The leadership of the DNC must be completely revamped. For progressives to feel welcome again in the party, we need to choose the next leader.
Congressman Ellison was the first member of Congress to endorse Senator Sanders. He has our trust. With Ellison at the helm, we will be able to convince many who felt betrayed that a transformation is taking place in the Democratic Party and we can expect a fair nominating process in the future.
In state after state, the party chair race is pitting the establishment against progressives who want to transform the party. The battle lines couldn't be clearer on the national level.
No candidate is perfect. There will be disagreements on issues. The smear campaign has already begun. But let us make no mistake about it. This campaign is not about Keith Ellison's policy towards Israel or any other issue.
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