Reboot the Democratic Party
Find somebody who won't drop opposition research on its own candidates or pass financial deregulation
The Democratic Party is eagerly eyeing some big pickups in the midterm elections. However, the party establishment has hit two speed bumps: first, ideological disagreement with people actually running to serve as Democratic politicians, and second, their willingness to sell out their constituents to Wall Street — as the Senate Democratic leadership did on Tuesday.
The leadership is increasingly at odds with both the political desires of its base and maturing next generation of politicians, and the very obvious best interest of the party. It's time for some fresh blood at the top.
The biggest drama has been happening with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), led by the incompetent Ben Ray Luján. In Texas, the DCCC actually published opposition research on Democratic 7th district primary candidate Laura Moser, calling her a carpetbagger and accusing her of corruption for hiring a political consulting firm where her husband is a partner. But not only were the charges ridiculously slanted, that sort of consulting arrangement is absolutely rampant at the DCCC itself.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At first, it seemed the DCCC wanted Moser out because she wouldn't play nice with the corrupt cabal of consultants and nonprofits that run the party. Now it turns out that Moser may have simply been an example the DCCC was trying to create. The party has severe problems in California, where the state has "jungle primaries" where members of all parties compete, but only the top two go on to the general election. This extremely stupid system means that if lots of candidates from one party enter, they might split the vote and none of them will make it to the general election. For example, if 10 Democrats enter but only two Republicans, and the vote is relatively equal, the Republicans could easily be the only ones on the general election ballot even if two-thirds of people vote for Democrats. (Incidentally, California Democrats could have fixed this years ago but have not because it provides a large incumbency advantage.)
This is indeed a danger in California, and the DCCC has been searching for ways to knock candidates out of the race to winnow the field. Ryan Grim reports that DCCC brass have been pointing to Moser as an example of what will happen if people won't take orders.
Ironically, it may have actually backfired. Moser raked in a big fundraising haul over the attacks, and she came in a close second to establishment candidate Lizzie Fletcher in the primary election on Tuesday. Since neither got a majority, per Texas rules they go to a runoff primary in May.
Elsewhere, Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for a special election in Pennsylvania's 18th district — where Trump won by 20 points in 2016 — has closed polls to within a whisker. Panicked Republican committees and reactionary dark money groups have poured some $9 million into the race, but the DCCC has spent a mere $300,000, arguing he probably can't win. Given the utter unreliability of that sort of ex cathedra prediction in modern times, it seems a lot more plausible that they want him to lose because Lamb has said he won't support Nancy Pelosi for Democratic House leadership.
That brings me to the Wall Street sellout. This happened in the Senate, where Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cynically allowed a financial deregulation bill to proceed while pretending to oppose it himself. As this Politico report makes clear, previous Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid had bottled up several similar bills beforehand.
Most of the so-called "moderate" Democrats facing hard re-election campaigns in November voted for it, including Joe Manchin (West Virginia), Joe Donnelly (Indiana), Maggie Hassan (New Hampshire), Claire McCaskill (Missouri), Bill Nelson (Florida), and Jon Tester (Montana). But other Democratic senators who are not vulnerable or facing near-term elections also voted for it, including Michael Bennet (Colorado), Tom Carper, Chris Coons (both from Delaware), Tim Kaine, Mark Warner (both from Virginia), and Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire).
I'm fairly confident these people know what they're doing is wretched and unpopular (either that, or they are extremely stupid). This vote is a combination of two things: a tactical calculation that doing Wall Street's bidding will pay off in terms of campaign contributions, or it will pay off personally with post-office bribes — er, I mean, some cushy lobbying "job."
But it is a strategic disaster for the party as a whole. Chipping away at Dodd-Frank — that is, a significant rollback of the already inadequate response to big banks wrecking the entire world economy — is poison for the Democrats' brand. It's demoralizing to the base, and signals to wavering independents that the party would rather help bankers dynamite the economy again than serve their constituents.
Leadership is supposed to tamp down on intra-party pissing contests, not start them. Leadership is supposed to look after the best interest of the party, not flush it down the toilet for Wall Street lucre.
Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Tom Perez, and Ben Ray Luján should all resign their party positions immediately. It's time to start over.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article mischaracterized the history of California's "jungle" primaries. It has been corrected. We regret the error.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published