Someone Other Than Ellison for DNC Chair
The more I learn about Keith Ellison, the more I like him. I’ve been impressed with his ability to align himself with Bernie Sanders but keep a foot in the door with “establishment” Democrats. Chuck Schumer’s endorsement of Congressman Ellison for DNC Chair in indicative. I’ve been impressed with his ability to speak passionately about both economic and social justice issues at a time when some Democrats argue that the Party needs to emphasize one over the other. And I’ve been impressed with his organizing prowess in Minnesota. Congressman Ellison would likely make a superb DNC Chair. But he shouldn’t be elected.
Ellison as DNC Chair would be a gift to Donald Trump. The problem lies in Ellison’s previous ties to Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam. To be sure, this is history. I take Ellison at his word that his eventual denunciations of Farrakhan were genuine. Regardless, Trump and/or his stooges, including those in the media, won’t care. They will be all over the Ellison/Farrakhan connection.
Farrakhan is an anti-Semitic, misogynistic, anti-gay leader of the Nation of Islam, a group implicated in the murder of Malcom X and labeled extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He’s a not a good guy. Trump, who was willing and able to make Debbie Wasserman Shultz a household name with his supporters, will not hesitate in doing the same with Ellison. If Ellison is elected DNC Chair, there should be little doubt that Trump supporters will start learning about Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
To be clear, I do not subscribe to the widely-debated idea that the Democratic Party needs to genuflect before the white working class to win elections (any more or less than we should genuflect before any other group). But allowing Trump to tie Farrakhan to the Democrats is unnecessarily risky. It plays to stereotypes, asinine ones to be sure, of a radical left Democratic party.
Another threat lies in the possibility that Trump will be able to sow doubts about the Democratic Party in the minds of moderates and independents. Even a perceived move towards Farrakhan could fuel more momentum for the emergence of a major third-party candidate. This would be a gift to Trump. A 42% approval rating would be more than enough to win reelection in a three-person race.
I am one of those hysterical Americans who believes that Donald Trump is an existential threat. I believe our democracy is imperiled, our values are at stake, and the security of the world at risk. In this context, I believe Democrats have to do everything possible to win the next Presidential election.
Elevating Ellison to DNC Chair has no practical upside. His political organizing skills can still be brought to bear even if he’s not DNC Chair, and his impact on the party platform has already been and will continue to be felt regardless. In short, nothing precludes him from playing a meaningful and material role in the DNC going forward and it’s critical he do so. But Democrats would shoot themselves in the foot by making him the de facto head of the Democratic Party. It’s just not worth it. The stakes are far too high.