On the DNC revelations

copyright, James Staudt, 2017, all rights reserved

The recent Donna Brazile revelations about the control that the Hillary Clinton campaign exerted over the DNC prior to even a single primary vote was cast may not seem surprising.  What it certainly proves is that neither of the two major party candidates - Trump or Clinton - was worthy to hold the office once held by Abraham Lincoln.

So, how did this happen?  The DNC under Debbie Wasserman Shultz, was financially in trouble.  In 2015 they made a deal with the Clinton campaign that the Clinton campaign would help with their debts and in return the DNC would turn over all decision-making, including staffing, to the Clinton campaign.  The Clinton campaign made numerous staff replacements, including according to Tulsi Gabbard (former vice chair of the DNC and a representative from Hawaii) replacing long-time DNC staff with Clinton-selected lobbyists.  In addition, state DNC party contributions would be funneled to the Clinton campaign through the DNC.  According to Representative Gabbard, 99% of such contributions were sent to the Clinton campaign.  So, contributors, thinking that they were helping local candidates, now realize that their contributions were being funneled to the Clinton campaign.

Supporters of Bernie Sanders, who suspected a rigged system, have been vindicated.  My democrat friends have had a very difficult time accepting the fact that the reason Donald Trump is president is not because of Russia as much as it is the fact that the democratic party offered a candidate that is at best extremely divisive or worse, untrustworthy.  This is not to excuse Donald Trump, who I have never considered an acceptable person to serve as president (and, I did not vote for Trump).  However, many of those who voted for Trump were people who knew that the Washington DC deep state is not working for them and were hoping for change from an outsider.  Most, I suspect, have been disappointed.  Nevertheless, this revelation about Clinton campaign control of the DNC will, hopefully, cause democrats to reflect on the party and demand reform.  However, I'm not going to hold my breath.