@DNC, @DCCC, @DSCC, & @BoldPAC Democrats: This is NOT How You Keep Progressives Engaged | Dems on Blog#42
So, I get this email, one of dozens I receive each day from the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, Train Democrats, BoldPAC, and a bevy of other organizations. While the subject line succeeded in doing what it was intended to do, get my attention, it also raised my ire.
After so many Democratic voters complained all last year about the terrible email tactics employed by the various arms of the DNC, Clinton campaign, PACs, it is disappointing to see that nothing has changed, anywhere along the spectrum that is the Democratic party. I mean, really, how do you think this Jewish progressive is reacting to this?
Have you people learned ABSOLUTELY nothing from Election 2016?
With a racist as a president, and rich Jewish sellouts like Gary Cohn, Stephen Mnuchin, and Rod Rosenstein as his henchmen, just to name three, and none of the top Jewish Democrats in the leadership calling them out by name as the sellouts they are, how the hell do you think your poor lack of judgment made me feel? How about all the other voters who received the same email blast? Want my opinion on your polls? Treat me with respect and assume that I am at least as smart as you are, while you’re at it.
I became an independent voter on November 9th, 2016, after 34 years of voting as a Democrat. Keep this up and you can rest assured that I won’t be coming back.
What’s a Progressive Anyway?
I am a volunteer campaign fundraiser for a Green Party candidate for New York City Council.
After Our Revolution (OR) endorsed the incumbent Democrat councilman, I complained and started getting insider comments describing how OR is veering off the rails for the establishment candidates. Even local press is so distracted that it’s impossible to get the word out. I blame Sanders for his failure to break away to a third party; it is otherwise impossible to offer voters any clarity. Meanwhile the Democrats are debating whether to support Right to Life candidates!!
The District 38 New York City Council Race
New York City’s political corruption machine smears its grease indiscriminately over the five boroughs. Carmen V. Hulbert, former union organizer, founder of Latinos for Bernie, CD-7
Sanders delegate, is running against the machine for a council seat from District 38 (Sunset Park, Red Hook). http://www.voteforcarmenvhulbert.com.
One of the most diverse and poorest communities in the city, D-38 has become a playground for poverty pimps and gentrifiers. To demonstrate how far these real gangs of New York will go to protect their special interests, read my letter (below) to Nina Turner, Executive Director of Our Revolution that seems out of its league in trying parse the meaning of “progressive” in handing out endorsements.
August 26, 2017
Our Revolution, 603 2nd St, NE Washington, DC, 20002
Dear Ms. Turner,
I am the volunteer fundraiser for Carmen V. Hulbert, the Green Party
candidate for New York City Council representing District 38 in
Brooklyn. Carmen was elected in 2016 as a Sanders delegate from NY
Congressional District 7 to the Democratic National Convention. She was
the co-founder of Latinos for Bernie and a 25-year member of the
Communications Workers of America. As the unopposed Green Party
candidate Carmen is already on the November ballot. Her agenda is one of
steadfast opposition to the municipal corruption machine including the
police who regularly terrorize the most vulnerable members of the
community, the working poor who are also without sufficient means to
support her campaign. We hoped to receive a boost from an endorsement by
Our Revolution.
To that end, John Shultz of Berning Green (Brooklyn) filed our
application on August 10, 2017. When we first inquired about the status
of this request on Wednesday, August 23rd, Erika Andiola replied that
Our Revolution had not received the application. We responded
immediately with proof of a timely submission. Late Thursday evening
August 24th we learned of Our Revolution’s decision to endorse the
incumbent Democratic primary candidate. On Friday Carmen received this
message from your Political Department stating,
“At this time, Our Revolution cannot make an endorsement in your race. …
We will continue to track the progress of this race, and may reassess
our decision at any time if there are further developments.”
If this suggests dissonance between the primary and general election
campaigns, then I invite you to explain your choice, or lack thereof. If
a candidate like Carmen is already on the November ballot, and you
endorse someone else in the September Democratic primary, then how is
that a political revolution? How does it contribute to advancing the
popular cause? What clarity does this bring to the polls?
It suggests instead a totally inappropriate form of hedging and prompts
me to caution Our Revolution against being pimped by the political gangs
of New York, specifically NYPAN, BPAN, DSA, City Hall, Red Horse and
other entities attempting to manipulate the electoral chessboard. They
have every reason to oppose a grassroots candidate like Carmen, an
organic member of the community listening and speaking on its behalf.
The competitive lobbying for OR’s endorsement ought to signal the very
high stakes in a district currently besieged by the world’s most
predatory real estate developers. The gangs want you to play their game.
The people will surely lose if you do.
But genuine revolutionaries resist top-down control and take chances,
don’t they? They act in full awareness of the reactionary forces seeking
destroy their movement. They realize their time is limited and use it
wisely.
Carpe Diem!
Robert Dannin
Robert,
I’m getting lots of emails from long-time progressives complaining about those very same things and expressing a great degree of disillusionment.
Stories like these do nothing to encourage. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/30/16226528/bernie-sanders-single-payer
That Sanders didn’t immediately turn Our Revolution into a party is very disappointing. That there is no counter to the campaign the neoliberal machine is waging is distressing.
Rima,
Cornel West and the Draft Bernie for a People’s Party are promising to deliver a petition to Sanders on September 9th in Washington. It’s too little, too late as far as I’m concerned. For anything like this to work, the hypothetical new party would need Sanders, a couple more senators and a handful of representatives. Doubtful. The Democrats like the Republicans are pushing the country toward the abyss.