NBC’s Chuck Todd already indicated that the Democratic Party may be lost in leftist land if it considers Tom Perez the “establishment.” Todd made the comments early on Sunday before interviewing the new Democratic National Committee chair on “Meet the Press.” The host asked Perez how he plans to unite his party after such a divided scene at the DNC chair race on Saturday, where progressive activists were clearly peeved that Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) did not emerge victor.
“You do have a lot of Sanders supporters who are skeptical of Clinton wing of the party,” Todd said.
Perez noted that soon after winning the new chair title, he appointed Ellison as his deputy chair and they were “united” on stage.
“Our unity is Donald Trump’s greatest nightmare,” he added.
An example Perez used to try and prove his point that the Democrats are a united force was their victory in a special election in Delaware on Saturday. Perez beamed that 500 volunteers went to the state to ensure the win.
“That’s the energy” of a “revolution coming together,” he concluded.
While Perez was quick to point out this small victory in Delaware, Todd felt it necessary to provide his guest a bigger picture. “Let me show you the hole” your party is in, he said, offering the new DNC chair some ugly statistics.
Since 2008, the Republican National Committee had a $227 million advantage over the DNC. Worse, Democrats suffered election losses, losing dozens of House seats and nearly 1,000 state legislative seats.
“We have to rebuild our party,” Perez offered as a solution. “We also have to redefine our mission.”
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The Democrats have the right values, he said, it’s just a matter of messaging. For starters, he suggested the party work to share their vision in every zip code to get Democrats elected at the local level.
“The Democrats,” Perez said, “are the party of opportunity and inclusion.” Yet, he was quick to dismiss anything President Trump has to offer, including his proposed infrastructure spending bill.
“He hasn’t proposed anything but chaos and carnage,” Perez argued, such as his “racist” executive action on immigration.
Sounds like the status quo in the Democratic Party is here to stay.
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