Electing A New DNC Chair
As the Democratic National Committee (DNC) prepares to elect a new chairperson in the coming days, it is imperative that we are clear-eyed about what has recently occurred. This will help us to be clear-eyed about the way forward. The next DNC Chair will play an important role shaping our electoral prospects over the next few years.
In the previous edition of this newsletter, I made a point of identifying a focus on the economy (or lack thereof) as the key reason for our recent electoral defeat, and the key for our prospects moving forward. I stand by that assertion.
However, I have lived long enough to know that most things in life are rarely that simple. Something with as many moving parts and countervailing pressures as a presidential campaign is certainly not that simple.
Therefore, some other factors that contributed to Vice President Harris’s and by extension the Democratic Party’s recent defeat merit acknowledgement and some additional consideration.
The vice president waged a valiant campaign for president. At the end of the day I thought that things would break her way. But there were some strong headwinds that made the path to victory more difficult, and therefore the campaign that she ran even more courageous.
President Biden’s Unpopularity
At the time of his departure from the race President Biden’s approval rating was about 37%, and he was trailing President Trump in the polls by an average of about 5 percentage points. These conditions were not insurmountable, but certainly not enviable. This is the hand that Vice President Harris was dealt.
A cold clinical analysis of the situation might have led Vice President Harris to distance herself from the president as fast as possible. But that would have been a tricky proposition for two primary reasons.
To some extent (maybe a significant extent) the Biden record was also her record. It is hard to run away from your own record.
In a very real sense, President Biden was her benefactor. There were several highly experienced, very competent women that candidate Biden could have selected to be his running mate. But he picked Senator Harris. I think that induced a strong sense of loyalty, as well it should have.
Even so, someone among the vast number of consultants on her payroll should have figured out how to navigate that situation. Also, the vice president did not help herself when presented with the opportunity to address this during an interview on The View.
When host Sunny Hostin asked what she would do differently than President Biden, she could not come up with a response that dealt with this head-on. I get it for the reasons stated above. Still, not being able to do so amounted to an unforced error. A straightforward answer could have been:
We should have acted more quickly to address inflation.
We should have acted more quickly to secure the southern border.
We should have managed the withdrawal from Afghanistan much better.
Notice that I used the word WE rather than HE. Accepting your fair share of responsibility for the results of any action is good leadership practice.
And if the follow up question would have been, “Well, why didn’t you do those things at the time?" the follow up answer could have been: “Unfortunately hindsight is 20/20. But I will apply those hard lessons learned to my presidency, and strive not to make the same mistakes.”
Such a response would have been honest and humble. And done without throwing President Biden completely under the bus.
Sexism
To state the obvious, I am not a woman. Therefore, I would not presume to have a handle on all the obstacles both overt and subtle that women must navigate to make it in this world.
However, over the course of my working life I have had some close professional relationships with several women who have hopefully provided me with some valuable perspective and a degree of sensitivity that makes me a reliable ally to my sisters.
One of whom is the person who was my Chief of Staff for my entire tenure in public office. She is indeed a brilliant, beautiful black woman who was highly competent and fiercely loyal, and in my age cohort. For the record I was better at discharging the duties of my office because of her.
A few years ago, during one of our catch-up sessions I sought her insight by asking her point blank, “Over the course of your professional life, have you experienced more sexism, or racism?” Given my limited understanding I was thinking that this question was something that she would need to reflect on for a bit before giving me her answer. But this was not the case. Without any hesitation she emphatically said sexism. It was not even a close call. Of course, this example is anecdotal, but her response did make an impression on me.
As the 2024 election approached, and I assessed the vice president’s chances, I shared with some friends my concern for what I termed “the hidden misogyny”. Meaning, my belief that there is some universe of folks who simply will not vote for a woman to be president of the United States under any set of circumstances, let alone a woman of color. They would mask that feeling by citing other “reasons” for not supporting her. But they would never be that forthright about their actual feelings with a pollster. Therefore, quantifying the depth of that sentiment was a challenge.
Even so, in the same election cycle two women of color, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks of the states of Delaware and Maryland respectively were elected to the U.S. Senate. And at this point the proper acknowledgment must be given to Carol Moseley Braun, who was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate from the State of Illinois back in 1992.
Additionally, of the 75 million votes that Vice President Harris received I assume that at least some of them were men. My larger point is sexism is a real thing. The extent to which that can be accurately captured is more complicated.
Only 107 Days to Campaign
Suddenly, having to make the transition from the number two position on a national ticket to the number one position had to be very difficult. It required a mindset and orientation shift that was massive. I think Vice President Harris managed that circumstance with dexterity and grace. Perhaps with a longer runway she would have been able to better prepare and therefore mitigate some of her campaign’s errors.
Even so, she did inherit a campaign apparatus that was largely already in place. She did not have to build it from the ground up. Moreover, the condensed schedule was apparently not an impediment to her fundraising efforts because she reportedly raised about $1 billion. Where I come from that is a lot of money.
And now for the big "What if?" What if President Biden had made it clear that he would not seek re-election 12 to 18 months before he did? It is hard to say with certainty what would have happened. But reasonable speculation would not be out of line.
President Biden probably could not have immediately endorsed her.
Therefore, the primary process would have been competitive. Given this circumstance, no one else harboring their own presidential ambitions would have simply stood down for Vice President Harris.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that she would have emerged from that process as the party’s nominee.
Also, because there was no competitive primary process, the Democratic Party was able to sidestep the reckoning that is simmering just beneath the surface and long overdue. Meaning, going forward we must determine if we are going to operate and message as a center-left party or a far-left party. That reckoning probably won’t be pretty. But it will be necessary and cannot be avoided indefinitely.
On balance, I think the vice president benefited from the condensed process.
Reasons and Excuses
I admire Vice President Kamala Harris. She was and remains a trailblazing figure in American politics. The headwinds that she faced were significant but not insurmountable. And I believed that she was going to win. But that did not happen.
Reasons are reason. Excuses are excuses. I understand the former. I don’t have a lot of use for the latter. Political parties exist to win elections. Therefore, we need to be clear-eyed about the past and the present so that we can chart the best path forward to secure our party’s and our country’s future.
Unless the Democrats take back the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026 and elect a new speaker of the House in 2027, the DNC chair will be the de facto leader of the Democratic Party until there is the next Democratic nominee for president in 2028. Consequently, the next DNC chair will play a pivotal role in setting the stage for how we operate moving forward.
We are known as a big-tent party. Managing the various views of those who operate under this tent will not be easy. Yet it must be done. Managing through the various factors that could be impediments to winning again will not be easy. Yet it must be done.
The actions of President Trump and his enablers in Congress may serve as a unifying force. Their overreach on several issues is already becoming evident. But this will not be enough. We should not want that to be enough. We need to be clear and concise about what we stand for, what we will fight for and how what we stand and fight for will benefit our fellow citizens.
Since I am not a DNC committee member, I will not have a vote for chair. But I will certainly be watching the outcome from a distance with interest. That vote is currently scheduled for February 1, 2025.
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