In defence of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz (aka DWS) by an unapologetic DWS fan. DWS for President 2032. First I am am an unapologetic fan of the political operative DWS. While I agree with only 90% of DWS policies and Philosophies, I am nevertheless very impressed with the political operative side DWS. Other 10% on a personal level for me is revolting. But I will put up with the 10% sawdust to get the 90% ice-cream. There appear to be calls and attempts to rile up and demand that she be sacked as DNC Chair, or even the president replace the DNC Chair. Substantial chunk of people seem unaware of what the DNC Chair is and who gets to be DNC Chair. After reading through one too many negative diaries about DWS I thought I should at least defend her. Primary demands/riles/accusations levelled at her seem to be in the the following vein. There also appears to be a lot of misconception about what the DNC is and who can fire the Chair.
Now In Defence of DWS
Bahh you want me to read about defence of DWS? I just wanted her sacked.
Well lets see. I will get to sacking abit later. but let us run through the arguements against her.
1. DWS is a political operative: I do not like any operatives. --------— That is given. If you are not a political operative then what are you doing running for congress or trying to get elected. So next thing is DWS is probably sufficiently adept and skilled at choosing the allies and friends and making all the political network amongst the various state parties and naional players and their allies to be successful at getting elected DNC Chair. And should you not want a political operative for any political job? Operatives make the bargains, keep things running and make things happen. The most influencing politician on a personal level is the local county council. The people who decide if your local potholes get mended or if your local school gets a few extra benches, or if a park nearby gets its tree chopped or new ones planted. and even how much you get taxed locally. They are the people who run things. Sure national politicians and even statewide politicians might try to set course, but they will need support from all these local operatives (or even dictators, if they have just told you your school cannot have extra money so half the trips are cancelled, or if they just told you like it or lump it,, they will chop down those trees and build a concrete monstrosity, or call them money grubbing bastards if they have just approved a contract to build 1 mile cycle path in a place where no one even rides cycles and there is not even a shop that sells them for 20 miles). Choice of description is upto you depending on your own pesonal circumstances. But operatives aee what make things happen. Come statewide elections or national elections, these are the same people who make the effort to rally votes for whoever they support, organize events, make or break a candidate, support all the pettiness. It does not matter who is national leader, the local tinpot fascist will have a bigger impact on your life. All these tinpots go on to acquire more and more influence and maybe even travel up the political ranks. And they go one to run local governemnt, state g0overnment, get elected to congress etc etc. So really you want an operative who is good and capable and unrelentingly supporting your agenda. I think DWS fits the bill for the democratic ideals and agenda.
2. But she is a calculating, triangulating blah blah: just tell me how to sack her. ------— This is a good thing. progress happens by persuading people who are in decision making roles and functions to decide in favour of your agenda. I think this is admirable skill to be able to calculate what is required to progress and further the democratic/liberal agenda do the little bit of give and while all the time consistently progressing towards the ideals.
3. But she is on TV nearly everyday shamelessly spouting and talking and promoting: So when do you get to the bit about how to sack her?. -----— Well, why is this even a negative thing? This is a positive thing. She is spouting the liberal agenda, making case and arguement for liberal agenda. The talking points, the shameless promotion of the party agenda, well that is what I expect from the National Chair of the Democratic Party.
4. She was on TV just now and she said something I thought was horrible/wrong/bullheaded: The president should fire her? ----— You on an individual level might not agree with one specific thing she said or did. But have you counted how many times you actually agreed with her while she was fighting and arguing with whever her interviwer or the republican opponent was? so do you wnat someone you agree with 90% of the time or someone you agree with 10% of the time? naturally this being DWS, I suspect everything she says, the arguements she makes or statements she makes, she has already calculated and triangulated exactly who this will upset, who this will briong over to her side, who this will make then lean towards her, and who will be oppossed. While I am not privy to her machinations (you like this word do you?), I am pretty confident, she said it knowingly what the outcome will be and she is happy with it. And having seen the policy statements and the level of support she provides to other, I am content with what she is doing.
5. She is a shill for Hillary and is limiting Bernie debates: She is DNC Chair just because of Hillary. Damn it I want her fired. --------— Ahh it would actually better for DWS if Bernie wins. While she may have allies who are also allies of Hillary Clinton, she probably also has allies who are allies of Bernie Sanders (hmm maybe? maybe not). All politicians stand on their own, with their own ambitions, and agendas and pet peeves. To succeed they for loose alliances with other politicians seeing how to promote their own agenda and progress of their own. I personally suspect that DWS is aiming to be the vice president candidate in 2024 and President of USA in 2032. Her success will depend on few other things, but I guess that is the ultimate personal goal. Of course there woudl be other public goals and policy stances. Previously she might have allied herself with Hillary Clinton becasue they share a lot mof the policy positions and also the operating practices. She might on a personal level prefer Hillary over Bernie or even Bernie over Hillary. Both positions have positive outcome for her. Supporting Hillary over Bernie gives her probbaly a senior cabinet position or maybe just more influence in congress. Supporting Bernie over Hillary gives DWS a Presidential primary run in 2020 when she would attempt to be the Democratic party candidate for president. depending on the outcomes, President/VP on 2020, and president on 2024. So on a personal level this current democratic party primary as far as she is concerned is a win win win for her no matter what happens. If Hillary wins 2016 then DWS for president 2032. otherwise DWS for president 2020/2024. There probably is a national strategy behind the debate shecdules ( I might do another diary about it).
Most of the politics related supposedly negative things people say about her are in fact the very things that make DWS an awesome DNC Chair and our future President. I am glad she is promiting a Democratic agenda and not a Republican one. Her skills would have made her successful even in Republican party. For those makign the utterly silly and hidden misogynistic arguement about how she looks ugly unfortunately I have no answer to your misogyny. If you had anything of substance reagrding DWS character or policy then you woudl have attacked them.
Clarifying the DNC — And How To get Rid of DWS as DNC Chair.:
1. What the Crap is the DNC: This is a sort of a congress body of local State/Territory Democratic Parties. Most members of the DNC are the local party chair and the highest ranking local party official of opposite sex. Some more other Democratic Party members who hold certain elected positions who are members of the DNC by virtue of their other elected positions as democrats (aka ex-officio) governors. Additional proportionally distributed 200 extra elected by each state party.. blah blah blah. So basically the People who run, organize, manage, Party stuff at state levelsparty members etc etc elect their representatives (State party chairs and DNC representatives). So these are the people who actually do things locally for the Democratic Party Agenda. The full details are at DNC Charter and Bylaws.
2. What the hell do they do?: Well, they set the agenda for the Democratic Party and work towards achieving democration party goals/objectives and philosophies on a national level. Also they try and elect president of the US (the chief executive/magistrate whatever you want to call it). The agenda/goals/philosophies are decided/adopted at the Democratic Party National Convention.
3. Hey I thought the president did that. What gives?: Oh you thought the president set the agenda and goals? nonono nono. The president is only indirectly affecting the agenda. President tries to persuade the party to support their agenda. The only lever president has is that during the presidential election primary process a lot of delegates to the National Convention are elected. These delegates to the conventions are what the primary is all about. So whoever manages to muster enough support to get selected as the party candidate for president usually has just about enough support to set the policy and agenda targets. But many times part negotiaion on agenda is needed. However due to the nature of how part decides its goals and objectives which get vote don by delegates, there have been instances of party adopting stances which have never been mentioned by the candidate before.
4 Just sack the DNC Chair. President is chief of the party. DNC is just there to rubberstamp: Nope. President has no authority to sack DNC Chair. DNC is not a rubberstamp for the president. Well, DNC chair by design is a post that is won in an election by the DNC (Democratic Party National Committee). Which means unless you command a substantial support in the DNC you will not be elected chair. Usually if the president has enough influence within the DNC (ie with all those local state politicos) president could request some allies who are members of the DNC to try and set into motion action to replace the chair. The DNC Chair naturally would have their own allies. While party tries to present a unified and smooth operation, the underbelly consists of lots of different agenda, ambitions, alliances, rivalries and support networks. Many of them even overlapping and conflicting to varying degrees. Example, the state party people from Louisiana will have hard time saying noto oil since it subsides on oil. But the party might have other ideas. Coal and virginia/kentucky also come to mind. local politics matter, local state parties matter and most importantly the local party officials matter. So basically a president wishign to sack DNC Chair would need to have invested sufficient level of goodwill at the DNC and spend enormous amount of political capital to sack the DNC Chair. Usually DNC chair is an ally of the president based on president having invested in local parties and commanding a substantial chunk of their support. but sometimes, political negotiations take place whereby a president who wishes to advance certain themes might trade his allies support to a candidate for DNC in return for support from the DNC or the chair or the executive committee.
5 Seriously? that sounds like a lot of politicos backscratching. Screw that. Just sack the Chair. This is the crusty bit of the midden. The DNC is a like a bubbling couldron of 10 people with 20 sides and 200 arguements. And yes, there is a lot of mutual supporting and backscratching, as well as a lot of eye gouging and nail raking of politics happennign all the time. So no president is going to pick a deliberate fight with a chunk of DNC unless as a last resort. Of course if a majority of DNC are unhappy with the chair then that is a different story. But when a chair enjoys support from a big chunk, they can be difficult to shift.
6 Are you seriously telling me President does not run the party? Correct. the President does not run the party. DNC runs the party. President might have enough allies to influence certain policy descicions but that is it. The DNC Chair aka “National Chair Of The Democratic Party” runs the party.
If Hillary wins 2016 then DWS for president 2032. otherwise DWS for president 2020/2024. Hope you enjoyed.