How to win the battle for the Soul of the Future.
I will admit to being excited and flattered that my article on David Hogg and Welcome Pac was featured in a response by Welcome Pac. Discussions about the future of our party taking place in serious articles and with mutual respect is the best possible way to engage, and it was deeply respectful that Welcome Pac chose to platform disagreement. So I thank them first of all and, of course, link to their article here.
Let me then continue the dialogue by pointing to three points of concern that need further elaboration.
The first is David Hogg and what I call the Don Draper syndrome. For those unfamiliar with the television show Mad Men, I’ll have to explain, which of necessity includes some spoilers. The man viewers know as Don Draper is the show’s lead character. He was a Korean War deserter who was caught in an explosion in which the real Donald Draper was killed. The man Dick Whitman survived. But the dog tags got switched and since the now dead Don Draper was nearing the end of his tour Dick Whitman pretended to be him in order to be sent home. From that point on he needed to pretend to be Don Draper. Draper’s secret is uncovered by one of his newly minted subordinates who uses it to try and blackmail Draper into giving him a promotion. The attempted blackmailer takes the information to the firm’s head, figuring he now has Draper cornered. But the firm’s head, impressed by Draper’s talent and capacity to make money for the firm is unfazed with this purported scandal. The firm’s head looks right at the blackmailer and tells him that a man is whatever room he is in and that Donald Draper is in this room.
I tell this story because it was not David Hogg left wing radical who was elected DNC Vice Chair, but instead David Hogg youth and Democratic activist, his new positions being far more important than the old. This is without a doubt maddening for the Welcome PAC forces, and it is perhaps entirely unfair. But that is how these things go these days. The goal of Welcome PAC should be to co-opt the new David Hogg and not be in a fight with the old one. I am hoping peace will be brokered here. So fingers crossed.
The second concern is what to make particularly of Melisa Byrne, and here’s where I think Welcome Pac once again goes a bit too far. So Ms. Byrne is definitely wrong about the Never Trumpers and snubs them in a pointless cruel way. That’s Strike One. On the question of support for Ethnic Cleansing, the Trump plan to annex Gaza would qualify. DMFI does not support it, but asking if they do is not entirely unfair. Fetterman did voice qualified support, which was not excellent. Her dismay over the impending demise of USAID while overwrought matches where Gordon Brown is, and he's hardly an insane lefty. Article.
The rest of her takes merely argue for a slightly more muscular but not senseless political strategy. I don’t agree with her, but I don’t find her overall point of view to be “pained blather of a random twitter account.” I can disagree mostly without being this disagreeable. The review bombing of Congresswoman Gluesenkamp Perez was wrong, but is there an actual direct tie to Ms. Byrne? Or is mentioning this merely a way to bolster the idea that Byrne’s crew is out of control. When every single movement now has supporters who go too far, blaming the leaders without evidence would be foolish. The merit of college debt cancellation aside, it is clearly a mainstream idea. While no one should be harassed for being on the other side, it is not loopy either.
Finally, and I think most consequentially, we need to evaluate the threats of primaries. First of all, I don’t think Centrists should be required to stand down. However, the defeat of up to 25% of the Squad in 2024 suggests Centrists were in fact not standing down at all (one might peg the number of defeats at 2 of 9 depending on how you count). Welcome Pac won its primary in WI 3rd (which I will admit should not even have been held because Cooke should have been allowed to run unopposed ) But generally speaking, the Center is competing and winning primaries. (The Sanders wing record in primaries has been pretty bleak across the board. ) Welcome Pac makes a deal of suggesting that threats to run primaries against incumbents are evidence of the Left going wild. While I think that concern is not without merit, there are things going on here which complicate the picture.
Currently there are two overlapping but distinct reasons behind the primary threats. The first dissatisfied group wants change coming from the left. That explains Justice Dems and the ACLU to a degree. While there is something to fear from such groups, they also seem not particularly well situated for success. We should be clear about that. The second direction from which primaries might be launched is from a generational standpoint. Two of the other articles to which Welcome PC draws our attention speak primarily to the need for younger leaders. While this could be seen as an attack on Centrists in the party, it is also to some degree a response to having many leaders who are over 80. Age can be seen as problem in and of itself. If Centrists choose to see generational attacks as attacks on them, that is a serious problem for Centrists. This is why I see co-opting David Hogg as important but also urge Centrists to be okay with generational change as well. As someone who ran an ideological, but also generational change, primary, I think we all need to become somewhat more comfortable with primaries. Without them it is hard to get change, and primaries can mix many aspects. One that paired generational shift with a somewhat Centrist slant was that of Seth Moulton’s challenge to John Tierney in 2014. This likely resulted in a House Seat being saved, so primaries can work both ways.
Tension between those of us on the same side of the aisle obviously remains uncomfortable. I don’t think I am necessarily 100% right either. I agree that being welcoming does mean striking out at those who are bullies. But it also means being as measured as possible with attacks. There were places here where the attacks were insufficiently measured. I don’t think Centrists can or should stand down, nor do I think the double standard is reasonable. But I think everyone needs to be careful in what they say, particularly because acrimony itself is bad. While I agree Progressives punch too hard more often, that doesn’t mean Centrists get a pass.
Jason