The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is on the precipice of a Dramatic Change, shifting its Role from Oppositional Force Challenging Trump at every turn to a Political Megaphone for a Democrat-dominated Washington, and the Man expected to become the Next Chair of the Party, Jaime Harrison, the Former South Carolina Democratic Party Chair and a Senate Candidate in 2020, is eager to get to work. “I don’t have the job yet,” Harrison said.
Harrison said he believes, especially after Georgia, that the First Job of the DNC will be touting Legislative Victories. “The job of doing the work is on the Hill and in the White House, the job of making sure that message gets out and it is promoted and disseminated to voters and so those voters have an understanding of it, I believe that’s the job of the DNC,” Harrison said, describing the job as getting “that message out” so People “understand this is what you get, when you have Democrats in control.” He added: “The ante has increased dramatically after Georgia.”
The Scenario also presents a Second chance for Biden and his Team of Advisers, many of whom were Top Officials during the Eight years of Obama’s Presidency, a time that corresponded with Democratic State Parties struggling and significant Losses in Down Ballot Races.
In response to questions about how Biden will approach the DNC as President, a Biden Campaign Official said, unlike the Obama White House, the Biden Team will Not be creating an Outside Group like Obama’s “Organizing for America” and “instead will be channeling our efforts through the party structure.”
“Moving forward, the DNC under President-elect Biden will continue to invest in state parties and maintain a strong partnership with them,” the Official said, an important point for State Party Chairs who, more than anything, just want to know that the Funding from the National Party will continue.
But questions remain about just how the Biden White House will Work with the Committee, with much of the focus falling to Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s Incoming Deputy Chief of Staff.
The DNC will fall within O’Malley Dillon’s purview in the White House, meaning Biden’s Former Campaign Manager will be tasked with ensuring that the Political Committee works in step with Biden’s Political Goals. O’Malley Dillon was the Executive Director of the DNC after Obama’s 2008 Election.
Harrison is widely seen by broad swaths of the Democratic Party as the only real Contender for the job of Party Chair. After running the South Carolina Democratic Party, Harrison ran to be Party Chair after the 2016 Election, eventually losing to Perez. Harrison then ran for Senate in 2020, against Sen. Lindsey Graham (R). While he Failed to Unseat Graham, Harrison raised his Profile and turned himself into a Prolific Fundraiser, raising over $130 Million in what became a Nationalized Campaign.
The Committee will Officially consider current Chairman Tom Perez’s Successor, along with a Slate of Vice Chairs and other Top Positions, at a Virtual Meeting on January 21st. But the Decision is Primarily Biden’s, who will be able Highlight his DNC Pick ahead of the Meeting.
Harrison is seen as a Strong pick by Democrats because he has held a Number of Party Roles: State Chair, DNC Officer, and Candidate, and is viewed as someone who understands, what it is like to be a Democrats in a Red State and the Investment needed in places like South Carolina.
The DNC thrived in Resistance to Trump over the last Four years under Perez, turning what had been a Rudderless and Scandal-prone Organization into a Key figure in Biden’s Win. The shift helped Democrats shatter Fundraising Records.
When Perez took over the DNC in 2017, Party Loyalists were aghast at Two Key issues: The State of Disrepair inside the Committee after the Departure of Former Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Level of Distrust raging among more Progressive Democrats over how Bernie Sanders was treated in his 2016 Nominating Fight against Hillary Clinton. Perez got to work on addressing both those Issues, investing Millions in Rebuilding the Party’s Infrastructure and Overseeing the Creation of the Unity Reform Commission that Studied the Issues that led to the Widespread Mistrust.
By many Measures, the Work paid off. Heading into 2021, according to Party Officials, the Base of Donors who give to the Committee every month is Twice as high as it has been at any points in the Committee’s History. The Party raised $102 Million in Online Fundraising alone in 2020, dwarfing the $61 Million they Raised in 2004, what had previously been their best year.
Perez, reflecting on the last Four years, said that whoever takes over for him in the coming weeks will have a job much more Focused on touting Wins than cleaning up after losses. “I’m a firm believer that good governance is great politics,” Perez said. “But what I’ve learned from 2009 and 2010 is that the misinformation campaigns that are going to come out there are going to be relentless. And so we need to make sure that we are not only delivering on our promises, but communicating to people across this country, exactly what we are doing.”
With the Committee’s Role changing, however, Democrats are now facing stark reality: For as Bad as the DNC argued Trump was for the Country, he was Stunningly Good for Business. “Donald Trump was the best tool the Democratic Party ever had,” said Chris Korge, the Committee’s National Finance Chair.
Trump provided Democrats cover for Four years, Tamping down much of the Interparty Fights that mired the Committee ahead of the 2016 Election and allowing the Party to Focus more directly on Defeating every Democrat’s shared Enemy, Trump. He also boosted Excitement among Democrats and Surged Fundraising Numbers. “One of the challenges that we obviously can try to say while we defeated Trump, we haven’t yet defeated Trumpism,” Perez said. “Trumpism is something that persists across America. There’s no doubt about it.”
Harrison said he does Not worry about the Future of the Party after Trump, arguing that continuing to Invest in Infrastructure and Build-Out Parties across the Country will make the Party into a Resilient Force beyond the Trump Presidency. At the heart of that, he said, was Biden, who he argued was a Committed Party Builder. “I believe President-elect Biden has the potential to not only be an amazing president,” Harrison said, “but to be one of the best, if not the best party builders that we have seen in my lifetime.”
For Biden, the Prospect of a DNC focused on Investing in State Parties and Down Ballot Races is a Second Chance.
Although President Barack Obama invigorated Democrats in his Two runs for President, even Loyal Party Members believe One Area where he Failed was in Growing the Party’s Political Infrastructure, instead Focusing his attention on his own Outside Political Committee following his Wins in 2008 and 2012. The results were Disastrous for the Party, including a DNC that was in Shambles by 2016 and Substantial Losses to State Legislatures across the Country. “When I got to the DNC, we had not only a crisis of confidence, but we had an infrastructure that was embarrassingly bereft of the critical components,” said Perez, noting that in the days following Trump’s Election, the DNC has little Capacity to Mobilize around what was a Groundswell of Opposition to the Republican Leader.
While Biden was Not the Top Political Figure in the Eight years that saw the DNC Fall into Disrepair, he and a Number of People close to him were in Positions of Power and some Democrats have worried the same Mistakes that mired the Obama years could follow in the Biden White House.
In a Sign of Hope for Democrats, the Biden Campaign and DNC worked closely during the 2020 Campaign, running a Coordinated effort that included both the National Committee and State Parties. And a Biden Campaign Official said that both Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris “understand the important role the DNC and state parties play” in the Democratic Ecosystem.
Jeff Weaver, who led Sen. Bernie Sanders’ Presidential Campaign in 2016 but has since worked closely with the DNC, said Biden’s Positive Posture toward the DNC during the Campaign was “100%” an Acknowledgment that Lessons were Learned from the Obama years. “Everything happens in a historical context,” Weaver said. “President Obama’s relationship with the party apparatus was not great in 2008, but we are in a different place now and the challenges facing the party are different.”
Now that Democrats have succeeded in ousting Trump, Top Democrats believe the way to continue much of the work that happened over the last Four years is to commit to Building on the Party’s Infrastructure.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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