Democrats tackle the 'big rebuild'

[DonViejo]

The Democratic National Committee is finally showing signs of life, but progress is slow.

By GABRIEL DEBENEDETTI 05/06/17 08:19 AM EDT

The Democratic National Committee headquarters remains mostly empty, devoid of almost any senior staff. It has a new chairman, Tom Perez, but there’s still no executive director. There’s a completely new organizational chart, but the gutted political, finance, and tech offices remain in search of new leaders.

In other words, the DNC is showing signs of life after a long period of dormancy, but progress is slow. And it’s about to get more painful as Democrats prepare to embark on a delicate round of group therapy sessions — otherwise known as unity commission meetings — that could reopen intraparty wounds from the Bernie Sanders-Hillary Clinton presidential primary fight. In private conversations with fellow Democrats, new Chairman Tom Perez describes the precarious situation as trying to repair a plane that’s already in the air.

The committee had been largely neglected by party leadership in the final years of Barack Obama’s presidency. After an email hack and leaks that intensified charges that the DNC favored Clinton over Sanders, Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was ousted in July, forcing the committee to undergo a high-wire transition in the middle of the campaign.

“It’s not a surprise that it’s such a big task, but it’s like any office. You run, but then you get there and you realize, ‘Wow. This is an enormous task,’” said one prominent state party official who’s been in contact with Perez and his team during the transition. “It’s a turnaround at all levels: structurally, culturally. It’s a big rebuild. If people are saying, ‘Why didn’t he just fill the vacancies?’ those people may not realize: It’s far deeper than that.”

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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/06/democrats-dnc-rebuilding-238065

[vi5]

1. I'll be honest....

...I'd rather hear that Perez is attempting to rebuild and replace at all levels and that it is going to take time than I would hear that "That's it we're done. We filled all the positions with people we already had and we're just going to move ahead with them. Don't worry, we got this."

We need a full rebuild and that takes time. And it sounds like Perez is putting in the effort and giving it his all.

We need new blood and new ideas in there. As the article says "structurally, culturally". That's not an easy task and I'm happy to hear he's not trying to cut corners and just fill spots with insiders.

[R B Garr]

2. This divisiveness has been at a tremendously high cost, with nothing to

show for it. Nothing.

[NurseJackie]

3. Nothing except... vanity and egos. We've seen a lot of that.

But, I take your point... there's been nothing of VALUE created by those who denigrate and smear our party, our platform, and our leaders and candidates. The division and insults (and pouring of salt into re-opened wounds) has served no good purpose at all.

[R B Garr]

4. True! Vanity and egos. What a travesty. It's too bad we can't even have

Howard Dean there helping out even if not in a title role. It was his 50-state strategy. But it sounded like he wouldn't want to be associated with it because all the "fresh ideas" are all self-defeating purity standards.