Ellison: We don't need to decide between social justice and economic justice
As Ellison Makes Pitch, DNC Race Becomes Battle for Soul of Party
Lauren McCauley
Common Dreams
"We have got to reset the future of the Democratic Party on a basis of grassroots activism," Ellison told the rally, held at the American Federation of Teachers headquarters in Washington, D.C. and livestreamed to a national audience. "On the basis of working people striving every day to make a better life for themselves. African-Americans, white Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, and Muslims, and Christians, and Hindus, or people of no faith at all. Folks like you and me. Folks like us need to say the Democratic Party has to be democratic and that starts with getting leadership in there to fight for that."
In a comment that Washington Post reporter David Weigel said was a "subtle swipe at Perez, who'd taken President Barack Obama's administration's position on trade," Sanders at one point said, "Unlike some of the other candidates who are running for chair, Keith knew from day one that the TPP was a disaster."
According to the Post:
Ellison, who often departed from his notes, combined a broad plan for transforming the party with an argument about how it could win back lost voters. "We don't need to decide between social justice and economic justice," he said. "We've got to have all of that. If we don't stand up for both, we won't have either one, because they'll use tribalism and manipulation to divide us... raising the minimum wage is winning as a ballot initiative, but Democrats aren't winning. They like our ideas, but they're not voting for our candidates."
On Wednesday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair outlined just how he would reach those disengaged voters, saying, "We need a 3,007-county strategy. We need a town strategy. We need a precinct strategy."
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