This is a letter I sent to Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She has taken some very-anti Democratic Party views, and has done next to nothing to ensure that the Democrats are in a winning position this fall. And it's not a guarantee that the Republicans, begging to get the White House back, will keep Donald Trump as their candidate.
Dear Chairwoman Wasserman-Schultz,
As a registered Democrat I am concerned with the direction that this party is headed, and I question the very leadership within the party. The major party that is best suited for reform, progressive ideals and values has instead taken a back seat to mediocrity that resembles Nixon Republicans and has little in common with the New Deal Democrats of yesterday. I was happy to hear last week that Brandon Davis will become the general election chief of staff for the party. I would be delighted if he is your successor at the DNC, especially as the party deals with the computer hacking issue.
Under your leadership, the Democrats have lost numerous House, Senate, gubernatorial and state legislature seats. You have been criticized for making unsupported claims. Your leadership has seen the party revert to pre-Howard Dean behaviors, and when the party put up fantastic candidates in red states back in 2014, those candidates did not stand a chance because the party could not fight bad press. I am glad that you have backed off your support for payday lenders, but it is too little and too late.
Earlier this year, when you said that, “Unpledged delegates exist really to make sure that party leaders and elected officials don’t have to be in a position where they are running against grassroots activists,” I was appalled. While some grassroots candidates truly are fringe, others are more democratic, ahead of their time, and far more progressive. For a party that has in recent years taken an anti-Citizens United stance, there has been no sign of the practice of that preaching. I agree with the idea of using the United States Postal Service as an alternative to payday lending. My hope is that the Democratic Party returns to its pro-labor roots and distances itself from Wall Street.
The party has demonstrated an inability to defend against Republican attacks. That Donald Trump's campaign received unprecedented media exposure for free is appalling and the fact that the party has not raised concern about it is shameful. Thanks to a press that has been pushing Trump to run for years, the estimated air time that he has received is worth $2 billion. There is a difference between free speech and fair speech. Free speech is allowing anyone to say (within reason) whatever they please, without censure. Fair speech is giving everyone equal time to do so. I hope that a future Congress and presidential administration restores the Fairness Clause that existed before Ronald Reagan's catastrophic presidency.
Your unwavering support for the Clintons has caused me to question my respect for the party. This is the Democratic party, not the Clinton party, and the fact that Democrats have been endorsing the Secretary in lopsided numbers compared to Senator Sanders raises red flags. The existence of the Clinton Victory Fund has also bothered me; I am left with the impression that the Clintons are the Democratic Party. That is not democracy but oligarchy. Going forward into the general election, Secretary Clinton has to address her vulnerabilities and confront her critics. I would like the party to adopt at least some of Sanders' platform going into the fall. The senator has the correct positions on universal healthcare, the environment, infrastructure, education and practically everything else. It bothers me that we have become a nation of citizens afraid of taxation, allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of by the most powerful, leaving the have-nots with little say in the system.
Speaking of critics, it is time that you address yours. Critics are there for a reason. Your critics are bothered that you have sold yourself out, that you support big business and pretty much support the status quo. The party establishment is sitting around with heads in the sand, failing to recognize that Donald Trump's popularity is in part because he is both politically incorrect and wants to shake up the system. If the Republicans in July overpower Trump and choose someone like John Kasich, I hope that the Democrats can fight back, whether with Hillary or another popular Democrat like Jon Tester or Mark Dayton.
On a quick, final note, I would ask the party to stop supporting weak and highly vulnerable incumbents. Many of these incumbents are weak for good reason: they did not listen or build a rapport with their constituents. For all of [ my] Congressman Chris Gibson's flaws as a member of the GOP, he has on many occasions broke with his own party on many issues. Remember the days when bipartisanship was a given?
For the sake of the Democratic Party I ask that you step down as Chairwoman and allow the party to heal and strengthen. The party should not go into an election cycle with party leadership with this sort of discontent toward the party leadership.
Sincerely,
Alexander Ivanoff
