Hopefully not a placater. This election left me with the quote from Network. “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” If a candidate doesn’t feel that, they should not be running.
Kind of embarrassing, but, what does the leader of the DNC actually do? Are they basically in charge of pushing forward candidates into things like primaries or do they actually choose who is able to run?
Lead the party organization, setup and execute the Convention, election strategy, candidate recruitment and party fundraising.
Everyone has heard Lara Trump is RNC co-chair, but lawyer Michael Whatley is current RNC chairman. That’s fairly normal setup: you have someone who is a bit of celebrity.
who can be the face of the convention and fundraising and then someone who is more experienced on the organization side who can get lots of the small details of running a wide-reaching org correct.
The DNC chair is prob someone you’ll hear a lot about the next few weeks and then not much after.
We need a leader who is going to listen to and organize the people first and foremost. Billionaire corporate donors need to be last their guidance has gotten us here it won’t get us out.
Is the fact that he went to Harvard balanced out by the fact that his first job in politics was working for Al Franken?
But, damn, Al also went to Harvard.
I want to get rid of those above 72 (that's the age I can retire without penalty), anyone who has run or thought about running for president in the past 25 to 30 years. Someone unknown. Another governor? NOT from CA. Until they ran, I had never heard of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Others may.
I’m completely over the DNC. Unless they start today vocally repudiating Biden and the position on Zionist genocide there’s a good chance I won’t ever vote for them again. We need a new social democrat or progressive party
We need for reality to make sense & it's not making sense.
Our laws seem to be meaningless, our justice system seems to be broken & we are staring at the end of America , not just as a concept but a country .
Make it make sense....please?
He was a senior advisor for MoveOn, which is a national organization. If you haven’t read his bio yet, I suggest doing that. You’ll have more confidence in his abilities.
Agree 100%. He can make the fifty-state strategy work in the current political arena, with his extraordinary vision, communications skills, innovative ideas and winning personality.
This is a problem for the Democrats. Everything has to be a meltdown. Look, incumbents lost worldwide. Never underestimate people's perception of what an economy really is. It's more than just prices, but when you can't afford the prices, it's time for a change. We're simple creatures.
More and more disgusted by dems how could they keep Jeffries as Leader so clear dems are completely out of touch moderates left w no party and basically do not vote
We won the senate seat, had the lowest drop off of any swing state on the top of the ticket, swung several legislature seats, and have reshaped the state Supreme Court over the last few years. Oh and have had a dem gov for two terms all under his leadership.
Dude flipped the governors seat in Wisconsin in 2018, kept it in 2022, and got our supreme court (another statewide election) flipped to progressive control. That finally ended the extreme gerrymander we had since 2010, nearly flipping the control of the state legislature in 2024 despite Trump.
👆 And dude kept the swing to Trump to just 1.5 points in WI -- lowest of any swing state in the country, & compared to a 6-point nat'l swing.
We lost ALL the swing states. To get someone whose state Harris won, by definition it's a Blue state Dem who's never run a real Pres race. Bad strategy.
Does not seem to be the most inclusive choice. I would prefer someone like Jamie Harrison. Over 30% of AA men voted for Trump, so why not try and expand the reach of the party with a southern black man?
The next leader of the DNC should be someone who owns a shitton of media companies, because the opposition has been playing that game challenge-free since at least 2000.
In the past, when I voted R, I always associated Dems with only being interested in union workers and the rust belt, not just average, non-union people like me. Dems have to find a way to reach everyone. Kamala was doing it w/ help for the middle class as a whole. She needed more time, I think.
I believe we need to pick someone who is the most assertive person lets hope he is because the Democrats need to be more assertive against the GOP these days.
Any new blood would be a step up as Wassermans bernie shaft in 2016 and other moves has not worked for them time to become the party of the people again and not just the other side of the republican oligarch coin
I know he’s been successful at winning down ballot in Wisconsin, but I am not convinced Ben Wikler won’t compromise on progressive values in the name of “finding a middle ground” that we know right-wing voters nationwide aren’t interested in.
Ben Wikler seems like a very nice guy. We had close to 100,000,000 voters stay on the sidelines. Unfortunately America is all about that charisma. Intelligence with a smile. Easy on the eyes. We need someone who will make you run through brick walls. All men must wear ties when they go on TV.
100% agree. Got a firsthand look of his leadership as a volunteer for the Wisconsin Dems. If there’s anyone that can organize on a grass level in Midwestern states it’s Ben Wikler
Sen Baldwin barely won over Hovde, & Trump won WI. Not really the bill for winning natl elections. As well, he talks about meeting voters where they are. Hard pass on me giving up my morals to mygonysts & racists. 90M people didn't vote. The person who has a plan to engage them gets my endorsement.
Why is everyone abandoning Jaime Harrison all of a sudden? He's been fantastic. Nothing against Ben, but I don't see the need to toss effective ppl when what happened wasn't their fault.
Besides the losing anyway, Wisconsin flipped. I know he gets a lot of credit for the 2020 election when he took over a year before but it didn't turn out as well when he was head for four years.
WI had the smallest swing towards Trump (1.5 points) of any swing states (around 3 points on average) and much lower than the national swing (around 6 points). Meanwhile, they won down the ballot, when by all rights they should have lost seats. Ben pulled off a downright miracle.
If you want someone from a state that Harris won, you're by definition gonna get someone from a blue state who hasn't had to fight a close presidential race. That's a terrible way to choose a party leader.
I made the same point so I understand what your getting at. I'm just tired of Democrats losing all the time but it seems like our only option is to choose the best loser.
Good to hear your feedback, Jeff. I've followed the guy closely for the past few years and have seen nothing that suggests that he wouldn't be open to new ideas. What he's done to great effect though is to connect with voters throughout WI which doubtlessly is a strength.
Agree. Also, nerd someone that knows the rules of engagement, but is willing to go right up to the line of what is okay (and occasionally step over it) when it’s worth it.
What's driving me nuts is that Democrats keep nominating the most competent people available, and Republicans keep nominating unqualified and corrupt clowns, and yet Republicans keep winning. What gives?
Zero confidence in the DNC. They’re nothing but the sorta left leaning branch of the $itizen$ United/billionaire ruling class political machine that is driving this country off a cliff. Bernie’s right, it might be time for a 3rd party because there’s no viable choice for working people in the US
Yep. WisDems is a well oiled machine. He pulled together such a great team that really will bring grass roots focus. I liked everyone I worked with further enthusiasm and dedication to progressive ideals.
I honestly don't know who the candidates are but whoever takes over leadership of it needs to greatly expand the box of possibilities in their strategy. If this election proved anything it's that Democrats don't understand how information works in 2024
I think we should nominate a member of the Floyd family, such as myself. We really owe it my saint namesake. We still need to be paying reparations for his heinous death. He could've been a congressmen, so maybe lets make his cousin, uncle, or one of his children the DNC lead.
I don't know who will head the DNC, but instead of raising $1 billion dollars four months ahead of the election, I would like to see them raise that money fours years ahead of the election and spend it on down-ballot races at the local and state level.
When Biden won, I was briefly in the running for a post in the new admin. Why briefly? Because the Dems reward party loyalist, and Biden had to reward ALOT of people and I was at the very bottom of the list. This is problem w Dems - no new blood.
Trump has convinced people he will elevate non-party insiders, Dems have not. I want to see the DNC party gutted and replaced with outsiders who motivate us.
Sorry. Have to disagree.
Dems need an old-time fighter who will kick Trump and the R’s asses.
You can’t treat the cult like you’re debating Bob Dole, Mitt Romney, etc.
Trump’s not a politician, he thinks he a mob boss.
But really, he’s a bully and a punk, and you’ve got to deal with him that way.
Everything needs to be burned to the ground. Nobody who voted against Trump should trust anyone in power. Question all authority. There needs to be resistance and that starts with the people. No more expecting the Democrats or corporate media to actually do their job. Fight and protest.
Fight whom with what? When? This all sounds great in theory but there is no plan, I don't want to fight in a war except as the last possible option. Jumping to the last resort and dismissing any other actions doesn't actually fix anything.
You have to decide for yourself. Do you want to have an authoritarian government telling you what books you can read and how to live your life? It's your decision.
Of course I don't. But here are the two options I'm seeing; support politicians who actually have working people in mind, or join the posting about a revolution with no actual plans or substance behind it. Which do you think most people would feel empowered to do? Which feels more likely to happen?
Trump and Vance want to sow fear. We overcome by showing force. No quarter. By any means necessary. That is how MAGA CULT operates. That is how we operate. Not by being cowardly like Joe Scarborough and his wife. All these democrats better stand up. This is a historical time.
Personally all I can do is wait. Trump has a big mouth and likes to talk. He is a coward and a criminal. His actions will determine what my reaction will be.
Let me be clear. Donald Trump, JD Vance and Elon Musk are my enemies. They are all authoritarian criminals and must by any means be opposed. All of Donald Trump's appointments are criminals and lunatics and are complicit in the destruction of the constitution of the United States.
Regardless of who leads, they should be doing a deep dive into the campaign of UAW President Shawn Fain, and how he won. Because however he did it, is how Democrats should be doing it.
I may not be a party insider, but I’ve run and won in election after election as a Dem in Trump turf.
We win when we fight for working people and communicate that unapologetically, everywhere and to everyone. I’ll bring that message across the country as DNC chair.
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Agreed. Time of new blood, new ideas, and someone willing to get back to what the democratic party used to be - one that represented working class Americans.
And fight hard!
I don't want to see ANYONE who has or even thought about running for president in the past 25 or 30 years on the ballot in '28! Who that person is, I don't know. Someone unknown at the moment.
I'm a black woman, Anella, and a big fan of Ben. He has commanding knowledge about how to get boots on the ground continuously for Dems and has a proven record of success. I'm a big fan too of Latosha Brown in GA who's done wonders turning out voters. Impressive bench!
No black women are running for the job. You can't endorse a candidate like that when one isn't running. There are women candidates (Mallory McMorrow and Stephanie Schriock) and there is a black male candidate (Michael Blake), though.
The DNC itself needs some restructuring. We won't get someone who represents its voters until we get rid of Superdelegates, eliminate backroom deals, and cut the corporate donors out. To be the party of the people, it must listen to them.
I met Ben back when he interned for Al Franken at a fundraiser for Russ Feingold in Madison. Several mutual friends of mine would agree, George. He has that energy to move the Dems forward.
I'm intrigued by Marianne Williamson's take on Wikler. If he has really played dirty politics, I can't support him.
Stacy Abrams seems a better choice.
He did ok here in Wisco. Best he could considering the situation. Lot of low frequency voters coming out of the woodwork here for Trump. Something like 75% turnout. I'd like to think the DNC would learn some lessons from this whole episode but I doubt it, unfortunately 🙄
Comments
Everyone has heard Lara Trump is RNC co-chair, but lawyer Michael Whatley is current RNC chairman. That’s fairly normal setup: you have someone who is a bit of celebrity.
The DNC chair is prob someone you’ll hear a lot about the next few weeks and then not much after.
Change my mind
But, damn, Al also went to Harvard.
We have had too much power concentrated in the hands of a small, elite educated group going back centuries.
Elite Harvard child of rich parents?
Living in a 1950’s marriage?
White colonial ancestry?
Gonna re-think that one.
You're sounding like magaTs - elite elite elite. Try something original.
Peace and love and point taken!
Our laws seem to be meaningless, our justice system seems to be broken & we are staring at the end of America , not just as a concept but a country .
Make it make sense....please?
We lost ALL the swing states. To get someone whose state Harris won, by definition it's a Blue state Dem who's never run a real Pres race. Bad strategy.
Nationally, ~21% of black male voters went to the polls for Trump, and let’s not forget to account for voter suppression efforts in key areas.
Arguably, we likely saw a shift here in all battleground states, not just the southern ones.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/30/us/politics/skoufis-democratic-national-commitee-chair.html
The Democratic Party has been ineffective at saving America for the better part of a decade.
They couldn't protect America or its children from a rapist, a fraud, and a complete moron?
This is their homepage today 👇
Money&Power&Money&Power&Money&Power&Money&Power.
Also, I love his voice🤭
MAGAs will continue to flood the zone with lies. Grass roots will never overcome that.
This is the way!
Being from WI I’m familiar with Ben. He’s an effective establishment dem, but he’s absolutely not a creative thinker.
https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/winkler-for-chair?r=tetwz
Dems need an old-time fighter who will kick Trump and the R’s asses.
You can’t treat the cult like you’re debating Bob Dole, Mitt Romney, etc.
Trump’s not a politician, he thinks he a mob boss.
But really, he’s a bully and a punk, and you’ve got to deal with him that way.
I think fighting for America’s soul was much better than we’re not going back.
We win when we fight for working people and communicate that unapologetically, everywhere and to everyone. I’ll bring that message across the country as DNC chair.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/james-skoufis-announces-bid-lead-dnc-vie-chairmanship/story?id=116337908&cid=social_twitter_abcn
https://chuffed.org/project/help-muhammad-and-his-family-in-gaza
I don't want to see ANYONE who has or even thought about running for president in the past 25 or 30 years on the ballot in '28! Who that person is, I don't know. Someone unknown at the moment.
https://www.damemagazine.com/2024/11/20/democrats-policies-drowned-out/
Stacy Abrams seems a better choice.