This is only for regular posters in the AA forum

[La Lioness Priyanka]

how do you guys feel about Keith Ellison?

I like him, but I worry that his comments on Israel will be the focus of conversations about the DNC. I worry in general that the Sanders brand will bring all Democrats down (so far the ones that Sanders endorsed: Teachout and Feingold, lost worse than Hillary, also a lot of his policies lost in even liberal states like Colorado and California).

I like Tom Perez a lot, he's worked on a lot of civil rights issues, voting rights issues, and he's Obama's guy and that engenders a level of trust from me.

They are both good choices, i was just wondering how everyone here is leaning.

[JHan]

1. It's really unfortunate how this is shaping up to be about the personalities backing these two..

rather than the strategies Ellison and Perez intend to utilize as DNC chair..


The distractions influencing the race already is annoying..

because

/start rant Republicans get away with pushing ridiculous people who have said worse into positions of leadership. Democrats need to stop sowing fucks like it's spring time and focus on the things worth giving a fuck about like:

what our ground game will be and who can light a fire among Dems and get us working hard, and who has the smarts to envision a new 50 state strategy. I also don't want a DNC chair who is on some godforsaken purity shtick. I don't want a Democrat version of the Tea Party, even if we adopt some of their tactics. /end rant

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. Ok. But it's hard for me to not see this

Very purity you are talking about in Ellison, and I wonder how he will prioritize conservative dems in conservative areas of the country

[JHan]

6. that's my concern..

I don't want a Democrat version of the Tea Party. Tea Partiers are stupid and blinded by their ideology. They're morons.

We don't need a version of that on the left. Divisions need to heal, and that can only come about with rational, calm leadership. We all want the same things.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

7. i will be the first to admit that had Ellison not been a sanders guy

my view on him would be different. however, it's not my dislike for sanders that stands in my way, it is my belief backed up my multiple data points this election cycle, that the country does not want a sanders style socialist democracy. at best we want incremental changes made. so if ellison truly buys in to the sanders vision, in my estimation he is reading this election wrong, and therefore will not help us move forward in 2018 and 2020.

[emulatorloo]

12. IMHO Ellison is a solid and thoughtful guy. He isn't a "purity tester"

Nor is he a binary thinker.

If folks are hoping for a purge of the Dem party, Ellison is really going to disappoint them.

[Dream Girl]

2. I like Ellison too, he has some good ideas, I think his shift back to local politics are what we nee

Really like his 2000 county strategy. Israel statements could come back to bite him even though they're not wrong. Perez is sounding pretty good, but need to learn more about him. Hate to say it, but he is probably "safer".

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. I am willing to take edgy for a highly effective person

[sheshe2]

5. Perez

But supporters say his Dominican-American background and Rust Belt childhood in Buffalo, New York could help him attract support from Latino leaders and speak to white-working class voters.

"He is a leader whose character and visions are a strong addition to the conversation around where Democrats need to head," said Henry Munoz, the DNC Finance Chairman, who's stressed that Latinos must play a major role in discussions about the party's future.

Ellison backers argue that the party must take a more populist approach after the 2016 losses, saying Democratic leaders did too little to address the economic pain of working-class voters.

As for the last statement, I say bull...since I believe we did win the election, let's not forget about the Russians hackers and Comey of the FBI.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/labor-sec-tom-perez-plans-bid-for-democratic-leadership/ar-AAluc5F?OCID=ansmsnnews11

[Coolest Ranger]

8. I like Ellison as a person

but his jumping on the Sanders bandwagon has made me not want to trust him. I feel like these Sanders supporters don't want to listen to our ideas because even if we were to get a 15.00 an hour wage not every employer is going to treat black folks on the same level.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. i too like Ellison.

[Starry Messenger]

10. I like both of them.

My take, I think the Democratic Party is going through the same kind of soul-searching the Labour Party did post-Brexit. The fight over leadership there was much sharper and well-defined, but it has similar contours to what is taking place here. It's the same fight over the same group of people--"Did we appeal to the white people enough?"

I think Ellison's call to take Trump seriously as a threat makes him more than a mere Bernie-proxy in this battle, but I can see how for many he'd symbolize a sectarian grouping within the DP. I saw him up close at an event at Netroots a few years ago and really thought him a genuine person. One of the young AA workers he was mentoring in the Fight for 15 movement is now an elected council member in Missouri, maybe he will inspire more people to run for office.

Tom Perez was my hope for Hillary's VP, and I like him enormously and I think he's a tremendous progressive to boot--I don't know why people are saying he's some neo-lib moderate. I think some Bernie people are pushing back on him because he was an early endorser of Hillary, but he's used to running a large organization and creating issues to rally around. He's shaped progress for labor within the boundaries of what he could do quite impressively.

Like I said, hard call for me!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

11. thanks for this feedback. hearing from some of you has made me realize

that i would probably be just fine with either of them

although, i think Perez is still my slight preference.

[DonCoquixote]

13. honestly, both are great

but allan dersowhitz is already saying he is evil because he said stuff about Israel. Even Garrison Keilor took time to diss him. As a Latino, I like Perez, but I really hope that the democrats are not buying the line some say that we have to de ehtnic the party.

[PragmaticLiberal]

14. Nothing against Ellison but I'd prefer Tom Perez.

I met him when he served on the Montgomery County (Maryland) Council and he's a really good guy.

Very bright.

Now if you asked me who I'd want in a perfect world, that would be Martin O'Malley.

[JustAnotherGen]

15. Perez

Ideally I would like HRC.

She knows how to win majorities.

Mid Terms - the "real Americans" don't get to over ride the votes of people in NJ, NY, CA etc etc. I want them to sit there and eat their peas.

Focus on 2018 needs to be seating a House and Senate that can impeach Trump and cripple Pence.

Understand - I don't want anything to get done the next two years.

[forjusticethunders]

16. I like both of them

I dislike how it's basically become relitigating the primary by proxy when they're both very good on the merits. I have a mild preference for Ellison so that Perez (straight from my backyard) can run for MD Governor and maybe set himself up for a POTUS run in the future.

[zippythepinhead]

17. Isn't the subject of your post discriminatory?

The text was fine but the subject sucked, imo.