Cenk Uygur
@TheYoungTurks·6.5M subscribers·72.8K videos
Who Is New DNC Chair Tom Perez?
Posted
February 28, 2017
Views
96,255
Likes
2,856
Comments
477
Engagement
3.46%
February 28, 2017
96,255
2,856
477
3.46%
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17:58Now PlayingIs Tom Perez the progressive you're looking for? Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.
"The race for chair of the Democratic National Committee was cast as a contest between the more centrist establishment and the left. Yet even though the left’s preferred candidate, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) lost, the winner was no moderate. Tom Perez had a solidly progressive record serving in the Obama White House as head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division and secretary of labor. Yes, Perez supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership and is friendlier to financial interests than Ellison, but he will still easily be the most progressive DNC chair in years.
Given that there was little difference between Perez and Ellison on policy, why was Perez pushed to enter by the Obama White House and supported by the more establishment wing? Comparing résumés doesn’t answer the question: Ellison has more experience organizing in state and local races than Perez. The smears claiming Ellison was anti-Semitic were largely missing from the campaign. The only remaining reason for Perez’s entry and victory was simple: In defeating Ellison, the establishment wanted to rebuke the progressive wing and retain control of the party.
Therein lies Perez’s — and the party’s — biggest problem. The Democratic Party needs the progressive wing’s energy and new ideas if it is to recover. The hole is quite deep: Even if Hillary Clinton had squeaked out an electoral college victory, in the last 10 years Republicans gained both houses of Congress, 12 governorships and 850 state legislature seats. It’s fashionable to blame this entirely on President Barack Obama, but these across-the-board losses suggest the leadership issues run deeper. More than 800 state legislature seats lost is particularly remarkable in a such short period of time, something that could not have happened without institutional issues at multiple levels.”*
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Hosts: Cenk Uygur
Cast: Cenk Uygur
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Young Turk (n), 1. Young progressive or insurgent member of an institution, movement, or political party. 2. Young person who rebels against authority or societal expectations. (American Heritage Dictionary)
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