By Jim Miller
Many progressives were upset after the national Democratic party leadership recruited Obama’s Labor Secretary Tom Perez to block Minnesota’s Keith Ellison in the race for DNC chair and even more dismayed when Ellison lost very narrowly in the second round of voting.
While Perez immediately made Ellison Deputy Chair and did what he could to foster unity, it was evident to numerous observers that putting in a guy who, despite a pretty solid record on policy, supported the TPP and clearly represented the interests of the Clinton wing of the party was a mistake.
The bad feelings weren’t helped by the fact that there was a reprehensible smear campaign waged against Ellison or that big money donors had been stomping their feet and threatening to leave the party if Ellison won. [Read more…]