Lobbyists and Superdelegates Corrupt DNC Unity Commission … – Observer

TheDemocratic National CommitteesUnity Commission, which conducted its firstmeetingon May 5, is yet another symbolic gesture from the Democratic Party thats meant to manufacture consent without adoptingmeaningful reforms. The commissions 21 members are biasedin favor of the party establishment; Hillary Clinton selected nine members in addition tothe chair and vice chair of the commission.NewDNCChairTom Perez, a Clinton campaign surrogate, selected three committee members.

This committee ispredicated on Clinton supporters false belief that party unity can be achieved by courting the factions of the party equally, when in truth, Sanders supporters are disenfranchised from the party and their support must be earned. Party unity wont be accomplishedby symbolic diplomacy in which the Democratic establishment reverberates the mantra Democrats are united without making concessions or changingthe fundamentally corrupt mechanisms that enabled the DNC to cheat Sen. BernieSandersout of the Democratic presidential nomination. If theDemocratic Partywas genuinely striving for unity, it would admitwrongdoing and discuss possibilities to rectify the situation and ensure that it never happens again.

The commission wasfoundedin response to Sanders supporters persistent demands that the superdelegate system, a corrupt and undemocratic tool created by theDemocraticestablishment torallysupport for their preferred candidate, becompletely abolished. Its unlikely that many of the committee members who were selected by the establishmentfive of which were Clintonsuperdelegatesthemselveswill outright abolish thesuperdelegatesystem. These superdelegates include Rep. Marcia Fudge, Yvette Lewis, Elaine Kamarck, James Roosevelt Jr. and Jan Bauer. Notably, Kamarck was on the initial commission thatcreatedsuperdelegates in 1982. Sanders superdelegate Larry Cohen is also serving on the commission. Most likely, the superdelegate system will be minimally reformed in amanner that pacifies progressives but maintains the totalitarian power that superdelegates yield forDemocratsto prevent any future grassroots nominees from winning the primaries. The likely outcome from this commission is a few mostlymeaningless changes that will be cited to suppress progressives pushes for reform.

Several of the members on theDNCUnity Commission are examples of why unity within theDemocratic Partycannot be achieved by a commission of opposing sides. Sanders supporters ideological litmus test forwho should be making important decisions within theDemocratic Partyis overtly violated by several of the committees members. Jeff Berman, aClintonloyalist and commission member, is aformer lobbyistfor the private prison company the GEO Group and theKeystone XL pipeline. Berman was alsohiredby theClintoncampaign to whip superdelegates in her favor. Committee member Charlie Baker, former Clinton Campaign chief administrative officer, co-founded the Dewey Square Group, which lobbied on behalf of the health insurance industry during the initial Obamacare debate.The Interceptreportedthat Baker has also been aregisteredlobbyist on behalf of the drug firm Medicines Company. The Democratic Party cant be united by lobbyists and their positions on this committee proves that corporate and wealthy interests run the party.

The Unity Commission also has little authority to re-enact the ban onlobbyistsand PACs making donations to the DNC that was struck down byDNCmembers in February 2017. Rep. Ro Khanna respondedto the vote by saying that every DNCmember who voted in favor of it should resign. TheDemocratic Partyhas no chance for unity while it integrateslobbyists into leadership positions and simultaneously feigns support ofthe interests of working and middle class Americans. These interests are diametrically opposed to one another. Tryingto achieveunity among these opposing forces, one against lobbyists and one that views partnerships with lobbyists as vital to theDemocratic Party, is as futile as trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

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Lobbyists and Superdelegates Corrupt DNC Unity Commission ... - Observer

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