Is Keith Ellison really the best person for DNC chair?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

this is one of those times that i am looking for real answers, because I am quite conflicted.

There are many things I like about him, however, there are many controversies around Zionism and Israel and his Imam that are slowly cropping up. I assume there are going to be more of these stories, not less.

Is he worth it for that specific role? Not asking if he is worth fighting for generally speaking, but for that role, which includes reaching out to Democrats in conservative districts, is he the right person?

Also, given he already has a job, should this job be reserved for someone who can give it full time attention?

[DinahMoeHum]

1. AFAIC, the DNC chair is now a FULL-TIME job. . .

. . .which should NOT be filled by a currently active legislator such as a House rep. That person ends up serving two masters while performing neither job well.

A former legislator or a political operative is the answer.

Keith Ellison, as an active legislator, already has enough on his plate as a Congressman without this added burden.

[etherealtruth]

6. agre with you (and Howard Dean) completely on this

[hughee99]

8. Completely agree!

Not only should the DNC chair be a full time job that a person can dedicate 100% of their energy to, but so should an elected office. Someone who splits their time at both of those jobs is short-changing both the party and their constituents, not to mention the potential conflict of interests that could arise as a result.

[Historic NY]

2. Find someone that can devote full time to it....

[Kingofalldems]

3. Howard Dean would be my choice.

[mcar]

4. I think he is a good Rep

but DNC needs full-time attention.

[Gothmog]

5. I have met and like Keith Ellison but I do not support him for DNC chair.

I do not want a sanders supporter in this role and we need a full time DNC chair

[demosincebirth]

7. His views are why Dems lose elections

[baldguy]

13. The reason Dems lose elections is because some of them use RW bullshit to attack other Dems.

[Raine]

9. I was for Ellison but I think the job requires someone who can devote their full attention

to it so I would like it to go to Howard Dean. Dean did a really good job before with his 50 state strategy, we need him now IMO.

[geek tragedy]

10. he seems more like a true believer in progressivism than a party-building evangelist.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that--he represents his district and his values admirably.

But what's his idea for reconnecting with voters in rural Pennsylvania?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. That's how I feel too

[WhiteTara]

51. Or even worse, rural voters in Arkansas.

[Cha]

11. I want someone who can give it their full time Attention.

[Bettie]

12. I believe that it is a full-time job

and that Ellison is better working for us in the Senate.

Howard Dean did a great job previously, if he can replicate that, it would really help us all...party and people.

[dembotoz]

15. insanity is the keep doing the same thing but expect different results

the hrc thing did not work out too well....ie look who is moving into the white house.....

dean is well a bit too much....here comes the new boss same as the old boss.

what i would like is keith oberman....but the other keith is ok too

[La Lioness Priyanka]

17. Didn't we gain a bunch of seats under dean

[Iggo]

19. ...and the White House.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. But let's change because clearly change is more

Important than winning.

[LWolf]

16. I don't know if he's the best,

but he's the best of those currently on the table.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

21. Why is he better than dean?

[LWolf]

23. Dean's a sellout. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

25. To what and whom ?

[LWolf]

28. To corporate health care.

Dean, a longtime supporter of single-payer, seemed to be changing his tune, a point made by host Chris Hayes during the segment.

This evolution of Dean, known within many circles for his spirited critique of the Iraq War during the 2004 Democratic primary, comes as he has settled into a corporate lobbying career.

Dean, though he rarely discloses the title during his media appearances, now serves as senior advisor to the law firm Dentons, where he works with the firm’s Public Policy and Regulation practice, a euphemism for Dentons’ lobbying team. Dean is not a lawyer, but neither is Newt Gingrich, who is among the growing list of former government officials and politicians that work in the Public Policy and Regulation practice of Dentons.

The Dentons Public Policy and Regulation practice lobbies on behalf of a variety of corporate health care interests, including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a powerful trade group for drugmakers like Pfizer and Merck.

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/14/howard-dean-lobbyist/

[La Lioness Priyanka]

29. And this would impact his DNC role?

[LWolf]

32. Yes. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

33. How?

[LWolf]

43. The DNC

is the governing body of the Democratic Party, and has already been compromised by corruption which became quite transparent in the last year. The party does not need a corporate lobbyist as its head. That way lies more corruption and more denial of the voters the party is supposed to represent.

Happily, we know now it won't be Dean. Who will that corrupt party establishment push next?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

45. How was the DNC corrupt, again?

[LWolf]

47. That's certainly

another disingenuous question.

http://www.westernjournalism.com/dnc-corruption-core-latest-evidence/
http://dailycaller.com/2016/07/24/leaked-dnc-documents-show-plans-to-reward-big-donors-with-federal-appointments/
http://thebernreport.com/corruption-in-the-dnc/
http://www.snopes.com/donna-brazile-leaves-cnn/

[La Lioness Priyanka]

49. a lot of those sites you have sent are not real news sites or straight up conservative propoganda

about Donna Brazile, I agree that she should not have sent HRC questions, although even if she had not I think HRC can handle questions on death penalty and lead in Flinch water.

some of you should have not been so taken in by conservative media sources

For example:

In 1997, Farah created the news website WorldNetDaily as a division of the Western Journalism Center. In 1999, WorldNetDaily was spun off[7] as a for-profit division of the Center. The Center and Farah own a majority of WorldNetDaily's stock.[8]

The Center doesn't include either an address or telephone number on its letterhead, but is believed to be headed by conservative author, speaker and media commentator Floyd Brown.[9]

2. The Daily Caller was founded by Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel. After raising $3 million in funding from conservative businessman Foster Friess, the website was launched on January 11, 2010. The organization started with a reporting staff of 21 in its Washington office.

By 2013, the site was receiving over 35 million views a month according to Quantcast, surpassing rival sites such as The Washington Times, Politico, and Forbes.[8] The site has an active community, with over 200,000 comments made each month.

Notable figures have commented on The Daily Caller. Karl Rove said that, "The Daily Caller is necessary reading for anyone who wants to be up to speed with what's going on with politics in America." Larry Kudlow referred to the site as, "one of my faves."[

[LWolf]

50. lol

I expected that. One thing I've noticed about DU: if a site says what DU wants to hear, it's legitimate. When it says something DU doesn't want to hear, it's not. And, right alongside all the perpetual whining about the MSM being biased, there are the accusations about sites "propaganda" when they ARE'NT MSM.

It's convenient that the media can be spun to suit one's propaganda no matter what; either they are MSM so reliable, or they are MSM, so biased; either they are NOT MSM, so are more trustworthy, or they are NOT MSM, so full of propaganda.

That must be why DUers are always complaining about the media; FOX is bad because it spews conservative propaganda. DU wants dedicated media sources to spew neoliberal propaganda, and, when they don't, they can't be trusted.

The bottom line? The DNC is corrupt. I didn't need those links to explain that; all I had to do was watch the convention last summer, and listen to many delegates talking about it. Among many other things, I saw the DNC turn the lights out on my own states' delegates because they didn't like their signs; the same state that delivered all of our delegates to Clinton last month.

You just keep trying to push the establishment message. That's what got us Trump to begin with, and it sure as hell isn't going to help us move forward.

But go ahead.

[NCTraveler]

18. No. Not at all.

He has a job.

[tritsofme]

22. No, the ADL has called his comments "disqualifying" Senator Schumer needs to rescind his endorsement

Now.

[LexVegas]

24. No. nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. We are at war. We don't need an intramural one.

This is not the fight we need now.

We need a DNC chair who was not heavily identified with either the Clinton or Sanders campaign.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

27. Agreed

[DemocratSinceBirth]

35. We need to be fighting against Trump and not among ourselves.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

36. I prefer someone other than Dean or Ellison.

I like Tom Perez for the job. He is progressive and without any known controversies.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

37. Perez would work for me too

[BlueMTexpat]

30. IMO, NO.

He has not demonstrated to me that he really knows what the DNC Chair position should be and would likely spur more divisiveness than unity.

But most of all, he needs to be fighting like Hell against DT's agenda while he is in Congress. If he is to do that, he will not have adequate time to chair the DNC as it needs to be chaired. He simply cannot do BOTH.

Howard Dean not only understands what needs to be done, he also knows how to do it, as demonstrated by his stellar performance in 2006 and 2008. Dean wants the job and is running again.

IMHO, if the Dems do NOT choose Dean as DNC Chair, that will be a VERY grave mistake.

[Begabig]

31. It would be hard to go down...

... From where we were.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

34. That's no reason to pick someone

[Begabig]

39. Absolutely...

... But a baked potato would manage things better from where they were.

I don't know if it should be this particular guy but we need someone center left with ethics and interpersonal skills.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

40. that's my question though. we obvi need a leader, but do we want Ellison

or someone else

[Begabig]

41. Maybe someone like Dean...

... But without the baggage

Too far left and the party splits like it did this election.

Duckworth but without a seat.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

42. More and more I'm liking Perez

[greatauntoftriplets]

44. Not Duckworth.

We need her in the Senate for now.

[Begabig]

48. Someone like her...

Not necessarily her.

A smart veteran always gets my vote...

[Gothmog]

38. I have met and like Keith Ellison but I do not support him for DNC chair.

I do not want a Sanders person to be DNC chair. I also want a full time person

[Equinox Moon]

46. Keith Ellison - PERFECT for the job!

[Demsrule86]

52. I don't think so.

We need someone full time...and Keith said some stuff that is controversial...we don't need that.

[JI7]

53. no. he should already have been reaching out to jewish groups

To explain the things he said and trying to get their support.

The fact he hasn't doesn't help. These are part of the democratic base and it would help to have him defend them and show some unity.

Too bad Dean dropped out. The position is more of an administrative one and deans time as governor helped. And the fact that he didn't have another job.

[JonLP24]

58. I think he has reached out

Keith Ellison defends comments about Middle East in open letter to ADL

In Ellison's open letter to the ADL, he said his 2010 comments were "selectively edited and taken out of context by an individual the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an 'anti-Muslim extremist.'"

"I wish we could have spoken once again before your most recent statement. If given the opportunity, I could have provided a full and proper explanation," Ellison wrote in the letter. "My memory is that I was responding to a question about how Americans with roots in the Middle East could engage in the political process in a more effective way. My advice was simply to get involved. I believe that Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship are, and should be, key considerations in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East."

Ellison, who said he was "saddened" by the ADL statement, added that he wanted to meet soon with Greenblatt "to discuss our shared beliefs and commitment to fairness and justice," and said he was "committed to building a strong relationship with you."

Ellison added that he thought the comments were being surfaced by unnamed "right-wing interests to drive a wedge between long-standing allies in the fight for equal rights."

"My record proves my deep and long-lasting support for Israel, and I have always fought anti-Semitism, racism, sexism, and homophobia - the same values embodied by the Anti-Defamation League."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/12/01/politics/keith-ellison-anti-defamation-league-middle-east/index.html

[coco22]

54. No.

His religion would be uses as a distraction by the repubs among other thing. They couldn't accept Michael whats his name before they chose Reince Prebius in their own party.

I like Keith Ellison though. I believe Howard Dean dropped out after he began reading the various opinions online,he realized that the we the people aren't going for the same old,same old and the playing both sides of the fence.

[samir.g]

55. He had said he will do it full time, giving up his seat in congress

I think he'd be outstanding.

[Warpy]

56. The other two are from very conservative states

so yeah, he's probably the best we can do now that Dr. Dean has dropped out.

[RealityChik]

57. Jennifer Granholm would be my choice!

Former 2-term governor and Attorney General of Michigan. Feisty. Smart. Good speaker. From the heartland and understands the mindset of all those mid-west blue collar democratic voters that Hillary and the DNC neglected and/or neglected in 2016. She's inspirational, is a good debater and easily stands up to republican intimidation. She's not haughty or elitist. Her speech at the Democratic Convention was as electrifying as it was hilarious!

One of the great lines from that speech:

“Donald, you’re so vain,” Granholm said, “you probably think this speech is about you, don’t you now?”

If only she wanted the job of uniting all the warring factions within our party. I, too, am not convinced Ellison is the best choice, but then, neither would Dean. From TV interviews, it was clear to see his heart isn't in it anymore. Besides, he's a lobbyist for the pharma industry now, isn't he?