Before Christmas, Debbie Wasserman Schultz took it upon herself to lock Bernie Sanders’s campaign out of the DNC voter files, including files they collected or updated, because they noticed a loophole that allowed them access to Hillary Clinton’s cache. Since then, Schultz has come under scrutiny for her DNC leadership, as some progressives accuse her of being so far into Hillary Clinton’s camp, she’s unpacking a bear-proof picnic basket.
One group backing Sanders, RootsAction, has collected 23,000 signatures calling for Debbie’s removal…in just four days.
Amid charges she’s blatantly tipping the 2016 presidential primary scales in favor of Hillary Clinton, Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is coming under fresh fire from progressives who want her removed from her post immediately.
The progressive advocacy group RootsAction on Tuesday touted the fact that a 4-day-old petition calling for Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s ouster has received 23,000 signatures. Ms. Wasserman Schultz’s detractors argue she’s wounded the Democratic party’s credibility by essentially rigging the presidential primary process in favor of Mrs. Clinton…For months, the DNC — and Ms. Wasserman Schultz in particular — has faced charges it wants to make the primary process as smooth as possible for Mrs. Clinton while limiting opportunities for other candidates, such as Vermont Sen. and liberal favorite Bernard Sanders, at every turn.
Specifically, RootsAction and other critics say Ms. Wasserman Schultz has used the party’s primary debate schedule to reduce media exposure for Mr. Sanders and the party’s other presidential candidate, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
Debbie hasn’t been doing the greatest job on the financial front, either. As of August, the DNC had no money in its “Special Accounts” file, meaning that, as lately as this summer, it couldn’t afford to put on a convention. The RNC, which was behind the DNC in fundraising at this time in 2012, has outpaced Debbie substantially, and without Organizing for Action – Barack Obama’s speciality donor list and targeting project – high-ranking members of the DNC may be called on to sell all non-essential organs by June, just so that they can fly staff into Pennsylvania.
After the disaster with Bernie’s team just weeks ago (the DNC and Team Sanders eventually reached a deal, once Sanders filed suit), tension between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic party are at all-time high. Clinton isn’t the most desirable candidate the DNC could have proffered, and the DNC knows that a more progressive option, like Sanders, would have a difficult time attaining widespread national support. Essentially, they’re at the same place the RNC was just a few short years ago: saddled with a candidate they have to run, lacking money and enthusiasm, and beholden to an Establishment structure. Hopefully, the RNC can pull a coalition together, because it also doesn’t look like Debbie is going anywhere anytime soon.
