If one were to drop a bombshell about the most divisive issue in the Democratic Party — the Clintonites vs. the Berniecrats — I suppose a week before Election Day would be the most effective time to do it, in terms of affecting liberal turnout. This is why Donna Brazile’s article in Politico — meant to promote the book she wrote as interim chair — is so curious.
Brazile details the ineptitude of Debbie Wasserman Schultz — namely her lack of management and fundraising skills — as well as her own desire to find out whether Clinton rigged the nomination process. Brazile awkwardly writes in first-person how shocked she was to discover that the Clinton campaign was keeping the Democratic National Committee on life support through the “Joint Fundraising Agreement.”
The agreement — signed by former DNC CEO Amy Dacey and campaign manager Robby Mook, with a copy sent to Marc Elias, the campaign’s attorney — specified that in exchange for raising money and investing in the DNC, Hillary would control the party’s “finances, strategy, and all the money raised,” Brazile wrote. “Her campaign had the right of refusal of who would be the party communications director, and it would make final decisions on all the other staff. The DNC also was required to consult with the campaign about all other staffing, budgeting, data, analytics, and mailings.”
Why drop this bombshell now? Why not after the election? Why at all? Frankly, a significant part of the answer to these questions is greed. Brazile is releasing her book today, Election Day. That isn’t a coincidence: that’s to rake in as much money as possible. Let’s not forget that Brazile was outed about a year ago for sharing debate questions to the Clinton campaign. She isn’t some righteous character.
Later, Brazile reveals that she considered replacing Clinton and Kaine with Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Cory Booker — a much better duo — after Clinton’s fall weeks prior to the election. Brazile clearly has an axe to grind against Clinton’s top aides.
“I’m not Patsey the slave,” Brazile told Clinton’s aides (in reference to Lupita Nyong’o’s character in “12 Years a Slave.”) “Y’all keep whipping me and whipping me and you never give me any money or any way to do my damn job. I am not going to be your whipping girl!”
The only other reason I can think of why Brazile might have come out with these “bombshells” is that she simply wants a clean slate for herself and the Democratic Party. Even though former President Barack Obama is extremely popular among Democrats, his presidential tenure decimated the Democratic Party. After his eight years in office, Democrats lost just over 70 members of the House, 14 Senate seats and 900 state legislature seats (not to mention the presidency). And, as Brazile pointed out, Obama left the Democratic Party in serious debt and under the leadership of one of the worst Democratic Party chairs possible — Schultz.
The Democratic Party needed a Trump victory. A Clinton victory would have been met with at least four years of extreme gridlock, only prolonging the inevitable. Democrats needed to wake up and reignite — not under a liberal agenda — under an agenda that excites. Many Democrats didn’t care much for politics when they knew a Democratic president was in office. They didn’t show up for midterms, let alone special elections. Now that an orange orangutan is in the Oval Office (no offense to the great apes), the Democratic Party has woken up.
So even though it was not the best time for Donna Brazile to come out with all this information, she shouldn’t be kept quiet. Reforming the DNC is important. But even more important is voting today — whether you’re in Boston, Massachusetts or Lincoln, Nebraska.
Your message was good . Why now Ms Brazile. I used to admire you but the comments in your book was too low. If you cannot repair do not destroy. On whose side are you since no one is good.
Well written Max. You give this old person hope.