Are Multi-Million Dollar Consulting Contracts Worth the Future of the Democratic Party? [View all]

[PatsFan87]

Great piece by Nomiki Konst about conflicts of interest in the DNC. Instead of Bernie wing vs. Hillary wing, these are the conversations we need to be having. A 50-state strategy is not achievable if we don't deal with the consultant class keeping money away from state parties & state organizing.

https://medium.com/theyoungturks/are-multi-million-dollar-consulting-contracts-worth-the-future-of-the-democratic-party-247f3ecba480#.ooi211sby

Former Chair Candidate, NH State Chairman Ray Buckley broke the news during the Phoenix DNC forum that as an executive member he had never seen the budget — and that most leaders at the DNC, as well as all of the members, had no idea where the record amount of money raised was being spent. When the DNC Chair candidates debated over whether the party should accept lobbyist money (which was banned under Obama’s administration), Buckley stated “the question should not be about whether we need the lobbyist money, but rather where we’ve spent all this money we’ve raised.”

Several DNC members have privately disclosed that they received calls on behalf of Tom Perez from Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, a partner of Precision Strategies and former Executive Director of the DNC when the OFA was housed within it. Dillon is also a Co-Chair of the upcoming Unity Commission, forged out of the 2016 rules committee. The goal of the Unity commission is to set the DNC’s new rules.

Members have repeatedly discussed the frustration with the conflicts of interests within the Democratic party. For Dillon — whose firm received $571,573 from HRC and $593,397 from the DNC, totaling almost $1.2 million — having a seat as a co-chair of the DNC’s rules committee, raises red flags.

One DNC member voting for Mayor Pete Buttigieg stated, “When a firm with a large contract with the DNC co-chairs the new rules committee and makes calls on behalf of a DNC candidate, you can’t help but wonder whether Perez’s interests lie with the DNC members or if he’s cut a deal to keep the contract with Precision.”

Another long time high ranking DNC member stated, “We’ve been quietly complaining about OFA sucking the resources from the DNC. Now to see Dillon — who ran OFA — making calls for Perez, I’m alarmed that these people don’t realize how they killed our party.”