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Perez and the disappearing DNC

Party must focus on building strong state organizations

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Democratic Party, gay news, Washington Blade, Democratic National Committee

DNC Chair Tom Perez is traveling with Bernie Sanders, while his party’s national apparatus is suspect. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Democratic National Committee has all but disappeared since its recent elections — except when they’re asking for money.

I receive dozens of emails from the DNC but not one explains who will be making the decisions on how to spend the money they raise or what the criteria for spending it will be. I have tried calling many times but get no response. When I finally got someone in the press section on the phone, I was politely told they would get back to me but no one ever did.

Now before the attacks start I want to make it clear my goal as a Democrat is to see the DNC rebuilt and to build strong state Democratic parties. Despite what some might suggest after they read this, I am not looking to re-litigate the Democratic presidential primary. I was a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton but respect Bernie Sanders’ ideas and hope he will continue fighting for them.

I supported Tom Perez for chair of the DNC and was pleased when immediately after he won he asked dynamic Democratic Congressman Keith Ellison to join him in a leadership role. That was on Feb. 25 in Atlanta. Since then there has been little of substance coming out of the DNC and the staff has all been asked to hand in their resignations.

In the most recent fundraising email from the DNC, signed only by Perez, he said “Next week, Bernie Sanders and I are hitting the road to meet with Democrats around the country and talk about how we’re getting the Democratic Party back on track.” Bernie didn’t sign the letter. Bernie sent out a fundraising letter about the same road trip never mentioning the Democratic Party, but rather asking people to donate to his reelection campaign. My question to Perez is what track are you getting the DNC on?

Sanders is building his own organization ‘Our Revolution’ and raising money for his own campaign. He has said he will only support the Democratic Party if he likes what it does. He was pretty strong about that in an interview after the DNC election when it was reported, “Sanders also implied in response to Tapper’s questioning that he would not give the DNC his presidential campaign’s massive email list, which shattered previous records by raising $218 million online from 2.8 million donors. The list will be used “to transform the Democratic Party into a party that stands for working families,” he said, implying that he wants his new group, Our Revolution, to decide which candidates will get access to that list and reap its benefits.”

My support for Perez was based on his commitment to work toward the goal of rebuilding both the DNC and state Democratic Parties for the future not based on any one person’s ideas. He would urge support of all Democratic candidates in the next two election cycles 2017 and 2018 to take back control of the agenda in state government and Congress.

I don’t question Sanders’ right to fight for the things he believes in. What is being questioned here are the decisions being made by Perez and whether he is truly doing the right things to keep the commitments he made during his campaign to rebuild the Democratic Party in every state and territory for the future.

I recently had a conversation with one of the candidates who lost her bid to be a vice chair of the DNC. She told me she was participating on a DNC transition phone call. My suggestion to her for the DNC was they should be working with Democrats on the Hill to draft a bill to fix the Affordable Care Act. When a draft is created the DNC could hold public forums in every state to bring voters into the discussion and at the same time use the forums to build the state parties. Her answer stunned me; she said she doesn’t think they can as Bernie is already holding forums. Well, Bernie has every right to do that but what does that have to do with the DNC?

Democrats need to focus on taking the party into the future. Not in any one person’s image but rather as state parties that will be able to field candidates who can take back the Congress in 2018 and just as importantly take back state legislatures and governorships to stop the current hemorrhaging of districts through redistricting to favor Republicans in 2020 and beyond.

For the next two years, we shouldn’t be spending money and time challenging incumbent Democrats who have proven they can win in their districts and statewide. The DNC should be discouraging primaries such as the one in Virginia where the Lt. Governor Ralph Northam who has won statewide and has announced for governor is being challenging in a primary by Tom Perriello, a one-term congressman who has never run statewide. Northam already had the endorsement of nearly every Democratic state official and the governor. While in normal times primary challenges may be good, in this case we are wasting millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours that could be better spent on winning the Virginia state legislature for Democrats. Sanders has endorsed Perriello thereby encouraging this primary. Again he is more than entitled to do that but dividing Democrats isn’t helpful to the party in these times.

In Kansas, Democrats came close to winning Mike Pompeo’s open seat. The DNC needs to do an in-depth analysis of that race to find out if we lost because of the issues focused on by the candidate or was it lack of money? We need to know as we determine the type of candidates the DNC and state parties will recruit across the nation in 2018. A good candidate for Democrats in Kansas might be a terrible candidate for Democrats in New York or California. That is why we need strong state Democratic parties to help with recruitment.

Two months seems to be long enough to wait to have staff in place and a focused plan for the work needed to rebuild the party. During this congressional recess, Perez should be touring the nation with Democratic officeholders in each state — those men and women who have won office as Democrats because they found the way to reach their constituency. Democrats need to build a base for the future and highlight those candidates in local news rather than focusing on national figures. These Democratic winners should get the exposure they need to move up the ranks; from school board to county council to state legislature to Congress.

Our goal can’t be to build an ultra-progressive Democratic Party in each state when in some states that won’t win elections. Rather, we must build a strong Democratic Party in each state that can win elections. We should build organizations that can speak to the voters they need to win over. Voters ranging from moderate to progressive; the poor, young and old, millennials, immigrants, workers, the middle class and voters from every ethnicity, gender, race, orientation, religion and culture.

These voters will not agree on every issue or every candidate. But the successful Democratic Party in each state, while supporting the overriding principles of fairness and decency the Democratic Party stands for, will be able to find and support candidates in each area of their state who can and will win.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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Opinions

DC To Host 1st National TDOV Gala on Easter Sunday

Trans USA National Pageantry and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) will host the 1st Annual Blossom Gala at Hook Hall.

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The first International Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) celebration was held 15 years ago, with the goal of addressing the major concern that the only well-known trans-centered day was the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourned the murders of transgender people but did not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community. On March 31, Trans USA National Pageantry and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) will host the 1st Annual Blossom Gala at Hook Hall, which will serve as the culminating event of their TDOV programming in Washington, DC. 

Dylan Drobish (also known as Dylan B. Dickherson White), National Director at Trans USA, offered the following: “It is our hope that Blossom will serve as a reminder not just of the battle we face every day but also of the beauty, excellence, intellect, and resilience of transgender Americans. We believe that this event is especially important given the increased backlash and violence against our community in the last few years alone, with nearly 500 anti-trans bills under consideration across 41 states as of March. However, Blossom—and TDOV itself—is a celebration held in defiance of the idea that trans lives are only worthy of headlines once they have ended.”

Preceded by an impactful, inspiring rally at the national mall (11:00 AM to 3:00 PM) featuring Angelica Ross of Pose and AHSBlossom is a fundraising initiative that blends keynote speakers, a Q&A panel discussion with national leaders in the movement for transgender equality, and the artistry of drag with CHERRY BOMB–an all-trans drag showcase headlined by trans icon, activist, and Drag Race pioneer Monica Beverly Hillz. This pivotal event will also serve as the official public launch of the TRANSform the Vote initiative, which aims to inspire transgender people and allies to make their voices heard at the ballot box.

But make no mistake. Blossom is a celebration, and the event organizers have pulled out all the stops to ensure that ticket prices remain accessible without sacrificing the magic of a true gala experience. For truly gram-worthy “pink carpet” photos, all attendees are invited to “dress to impress” with their interpretation of a timely theme that celebrates the beauty of coming into one’s own as a visible member of the trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming community.  

The event comes at a pivotal time for both the community and the organizations seeking to protect it: This summer, NCTE will officially merge with Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) to create Advocates for Trans Equality, doubling their ability to lead the next chapter of the transgender rights movement. This November, Trans USA will welcome over 80 representatives from across the country to their national competition, which will for the first time also feature a national conference and exposition solely focused on the trans and non-binary community. While monumental, these 2024 events come with unprecedented challenges, as many major corporations and grant programs refuse to provide funding related to “controversial social or political issues”, especially in an election year. 

Despite these challenges, celebratory events like Blossom are, unsurprisingly, now more important than ever, with trans lives having been politicized to such a polarizing extent. Drobish, a former Mr. Trans USA himself offered the following: 

“‘Narrative identity’ refers to the idea that our identities are formed from the internal stories we tell about ourselves (and our interpretation of them). Organizations like Trans USA and NCTE are here to help rewrite the narrative that gets passed down to the next generation of trans and non-binary folks. My message to anyone involved with Trans USA or the movement in general has always been that you are the author of your story—the story that gives your life meaning and purpose—and you get to choose how it’s told. Are you the hero or the victim? Are you the agent or the object? Are you the one telling your story, or is someone else doing all the talking? It’s 2024, and it’s time to take the pen back. Because true visibility isn’t about being seen; it’s about making others feel seen. Seen enough to BLOSSOM.” 

Tickets for the Blossom gala start at just $15, but VIP guests ($100) will receive access to a premium open bar from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, light hors d’oeuvres, and prime seating, in addition to the 20-entertainer showcase with a Drag Race headliner! While doors open at 4:30 PM for the event, advance purchase online is strongly recommended by the organizers, as only a limited number of these VIP tickets are available.

-Dylan Drobish (National Director, Trans USA National Pageantry; Mr. Trans USA 2022, Mr. Freddie’s 2019

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Opinions

Attacking Jews is latest Trump outrage

Anyone who supports equality and peace must vote for Biden

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(Washington Blade file photo by Christopher Kane)

Calling out the Jewish community in the United States as Trump did, is both dumb, and anti-Semitic. The Jewish community has been a Democratic constituency for many years, and attacking them won’t get them to vote for him.

It is a difficult time for many Jews in the world today. I being one of them. I am a strong supporter of Israel, but support Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who believes there will never be peace in the Middle East as long as Netanyahu and his government are in control. Israel cannot keep annexing West Bank land, which should be part of a Palestinian state if we can get to a two-state solution. In fact, they must draw back the settlements now there. At the same time, like Schumer, I believe both Netanyahu and Hamas have to go. Being anti-Netanyahu is not being anti-Israel, just as being anti-Trump is not being anti-United States, or wanting Hamas to go, is not being anti-Palestinian. 

Attacking Jews is just one more outrageous thing coming out of Trump’s mouth. He is a notorious sexist, racist, homophobic, pig. He is an old man who can’t control his mouth and continues to spout nonsense. His apparently limited brain power is tied up in disgusting views of the world and individuals. He mocks those with disabilities like he did to a New York Times reporter, and mocks President Biden for his stutter. There was a recent column in the Washington Post reminding people Trump’s father had Alzheimer’s. I think we may be seeing the disease manifest itself in Trump. 

I have written this election is between two older men. I myself am older, and understand one often forgets a name, a date, or an event. Having just written a memoir, which I hope will be published in May, in its preface I say “these are dates and events as I remember them.” But as neuroscientist Charan Ranganath recently wrote in the Washington Post, that in no way limits how a person can understand complex issues, or in my case work as a consultant and research and write weekly columns. For a president, especially one who is older, it is important for us to know who is surrounding him or her. I am definitely more secure knowing those who will be around and advising President Biden, versus those around Trump. No one person alone, whatever their age, can handle all the issues facing a president.

Whether you are a Jew supporting Israel, a Muslim supporting the Palestinian people, or someone like me supporting both, you are better off with President Biden. If you support the Palestinian people having their freedom, then Trump must strike fear in your heart, after all, he is the one who moved the American embassy to Jerusalem. 

The idea of electing a man convicted of fraud in his business dealings, found liable for sexually mistreating a woman, and who faces another 88 criminal counts, is ludicrous. It actually says as much about the people who would vote for him, as it does about Trump. A man who brags about taking away the right of women to control their own body, and healthcare, doesn’t deserve the vote of any woman. A man who opposes equal rights, affirmative action, and saw good people on both sides in Charlottesville, doesn’t deserve the vote of any Black American. A man who opposes any forgiveness of student loans, denies climate change, opposes making community college free, doesn’t deserve the vote of any young person. 

It amazes me when people compare how things were four years ago to today, and say they were better then. A time you couldn’t find toilet paper on grocery shelves, 1,000 people a day were dying of COVID, the Dow Jones was at 19,000 and today it’s at 39,000. The country was hemorrhaging jobs and in the last three years 13 million have been created. Wages are higher and unemployment lower. 

Of course, as President Biden says, we need to do more. He is doing it, Trump didn’t. Trump gave a $2 trillion tax cut to the wealthy, increasing the national debt. He pledges to do it again. Biden passed a massive infrastructure bill, now creating thousands of jobs building and repairing bridges and roads, in every state. He passed the Chips and Science Act, recently announcing new chip factories in four states, creating thousands of new construction and manufacturing jobs. Those factories will change the U.S. from an importing country, to a producing one. That is some of the real change Biden has brought about. 

Trump talks big, but never produced; Biden is producing for the American people, and will continue to do so.

Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.

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Letter-to-the-Editor

Banning the Rainbow Flag: the latest act of GOP madness

Prohibition included in government spending bill the president signed

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The Progress Pride flag flies in front of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin on July 22, 2022. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

The Republican agenda is an obvious one: Distract from real issues by assaulting the most vulnerable. That’s why they have focused their hatred on the LGBTQ+ community. After years of legislating book bans, curriculum censorship, bathroom restrictions and withholding medically needed gender therapy, their latest act is signature Republican cruelty: For a crucial trillion-dollar budget that would prevent a government shutdown, the GOP slipped in a measure to ban the display of Rainbow Flags at U.S. embassies all over the world.

This is not an act of mere symbolism. In too many countries, being queer is punishable by imprisonment or death. Measures like this give a green light to violence and homophobia both at home and abroad. It places more LGBTQ+ people at tangible risk. It is an outrageous abuse of the political process.

This cynical political maneuver is typical of the GOP, the Party of Destruction. But equally egregious is that President Biden and Democrats approved the budget, knowing the poison pill line item that had already been added.

Now, President Biden vows to repeal the embassy flag ban measure. We will hold him to his vow. Will he expend the political capital necessary to make the repeal happens? We must remember that he and the Congress capitulated to a small group of GOP manipulators and, in this instance, saw the global LGBTQ+ community as expendable.

The Democratic Party positions itself as an ally to the LGBTQ+ community. They must hold their ground. They must represent and defend all of us. Otherwise, an emboldened GOP, led by Trump, will only escalate their merciless attacks on our vulnerable communities.”

Charles Beal is president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation and the Save the Rainbow Flag Campaign.

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