Civic Register
| 11.6.17

What Do Donna Brazile's Revelations Mean For the Future of the DNC?

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What’s the story?

When an excerpt from the upcoming memoir by former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Donna Brazile was published in Politico Magazine on November 2, a firestorm erupted in the Democratic Party. Questions of whether the 2016 Democratic presidential primary was "rigged" in Clinton’s favor and whether Brazile’s timing is undermining the future of the Democratic Party have dominated many a left-leaning news feed ever since.

Why does it matter?

The excerpt featured in Politico offered Brazile’s first hand account of taking over the Democratic Party during the 2016 presidential election. She discovered how deeply in debt the party was and agreements forged with the Clinton Campaign to bail out the party, which Brazile believed tilted the party apparatus unfairly in Clinton’s favor.

Brazile was clear in the excerpt and in subsequent statements that the primary was not "rigged", in her estimation, to ensure that Clinton won. But she believes that the joint fundraising agreement between the Clinton campaign and the DNC gave the Clinton camp undue influence over party decision-making and funds. Money that would have normally funneled to state parties to support down-ballot races instead got funneled up to the Clinton campaign, equating, some have alleged, to money laundering.

However, others have pointed out that the agreement was legal and left the door open for other candidates to make similar agreements with the DNC. The Sanders campaign also had a joint fundraising agreement with the DNC that they never actually used.

Then, on Sunday the Washington Post reported that Brazile contemplated replacing Clinton as the nominee with former Vice President Joe Biden after Clinton fainted following a 9/11 memorial celebration. Current Party Chairman Tom Perez called the idea "ludicrous".

Since the excerpt release there has been a flurry of in-fighting among Democratic figures. One hundred members of the former Clinton campaign penned an open letter accusing Brazile of being taken in by Russian propaganda and decrying the depiction of the inner workings of a campaign that she wasn’t actually privy to. Former Sanders supporters like Matt Taibbi, on the other hand, have pointed to the Clinton-DNC relationship as an example of DNC leadership's increasing disregard for democratic principles.

Meanwhile, current Party Chairman Tom Perez has released a statement that looks towards the future, outlining the ways that the DNC will increase transparency and accountability to their constituents in order to ensure that the 2020 presidential race does not suffer from the same issues.

What do you think?

Are you a Democrat? What do you think Brazile’s revelations mean for the past, and future, of the party? If you're not a Democrat, what's your view on this from outside the party?

Tell us in the comments what you think, then use the Take Action button to tell your reps!

— Asha Sanaker

(Photo Credit: Tim Pierce via Flickr / Creative Commons)

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