A lot was made of the battle for the
chairmanship between Perez and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison as being crucial to
the Democratic Party’s future, especially heading into a tough midterm
election. Personally, I think Perez’s election will turn out to be less
consequential than most people are saying. After all, how many people outside
of politics really know, or care, who the DNC chair is? Or the chair of the
RNC, for that matter?
There was also little in the way of
substance to distinguish Perez and Ellison, as far as major policy issues. The
basic differences came down to personality and how much the Democrats would
oppose Trump: push for impeachment, or merely block legislation and nominees at
almost every turn. In that respect, Perez was the moderate, although both are
so far out of the American mainstream that the word really ceases to have any
meaning.
Many Republicans, myself included, were
hoping Ellison would be victorious due to his abrasive personality and
scandal-filled personal life—including his past anti-Israel and anti-Semitic
remarks, his affiliation with the Nation of Islam, and his flirtations with
9/11 trutherism. But Perez, in a show of party unity, quickly appointed Ellison
as deputy chairman following his victory. The Democratic Party never fails to
disappoint.
This election, by itself, will not swing
any Congressional races in 2018. It will not make Donald Trump’s reelection in
2020 any more or less likely. But what it does do is show just out of touch and
far out of the mainstream national Democrats continue to be. And that is the
core challenge the party will have to face in the years ahead.
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