It’s a little ironic to witness Democrats screaming about Russian interference in the 2016 election. It’s even more paradoxical when you realize there’s been a class-action lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and former chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz moving through the courts for almost a year. Not surprisingly, the establishment media has ignored the DNC Lawsuit and the claims of fraud against it. Even worse, they have not mentioned the DNC’s indefensible attempt to have it dismissed.
Since June of 2016, the DNC has been the target of a class-action lawsuit which alleges that the organization improperly favored Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign from the start. The suit was filed on behalf of Bernie Sanders’ supporters who feel cheated out of their donation money after it was revealed, on multiple occasions, that the fix was in.
The suit lists dozens of donors (plaintiffs) to the Sanders’ campaign whose contributions range from as low as $25, up to $3000. They claim to represent people from 45 states and Washington, D.C. The suit argues that the DNC violated its own charter, specifically, Article 5 Section 4. It states that the chairperson of the DNC “shall exercise impartiality and even-handedness” between candidates running for president and their campaigns.
This lawsuit affects anyone who has participated in a Democratic Primary, whether it be by donating money or simply voting. When you give up your hard-earned money in support of a candidate, you need to know the contender you support will be treated fairly. Otherwise, the whole purpose of getting involved is defeated.
As Jared Beck, a Harvard law expert explains, “This lawsuit has nothing to do with politics or political disagreements within the DNC. This case should concern everyone because it goes to the heart of the country’s democratic institutions.”
The fraud was evident from early on, given the fact that the class action lawsuit was filed before the DNC emails were even released: 20,000 Emails, leaked to WikiLeaks, that proved chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the rest of the DNC favored Hillary Clinton.
The DNC messed up in a big way last year. There is enough evidence that speaks to the guilt of the DNC that their lawyers are desperately trying to have the case dismissed before it goes to trial. However, in doing so, the Democratic Party is telling its voters that Democracy does not exist within the party.
During the most recent hearing on April 25, Bruce Spiva, a lawyer for the DNC, argued in its motion to dismiss that the party holds the right to select its candidate any way it chooses. The party is not bound by pledges of democratic fairness. In other words, Spiva’s only defence is an admission of guilt.
“We could have voluntarily decided that, ‘Look, we’re gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way.’ That’s not the way it was done. But they could have. And that would have also been their right,” Spiva argued.
It is clear that this lawsuit has the potential to tear apart the Democratic establishment, especially with a defense like that. Should the lawsuit be allowed to proceed to the discovery phase, the damage to the DNC could be fatal. This is where evidence from private communications can be presented.
Perhaps this is why we are witnessing a full mainstream media blackout with regards to this case. The corporate media has a vested interest in keeping the Democratic Party establishment intact. Democratic voters meanwhile, regardless of their ideology, have the right to know what is going on. What is happening inside the DNC is just as important as knowing what Trump is doing to the country.
It’s a little odd that the Democratic Party does not believe in democracy within their own party. If party leaders want to reserve the right to pick corporate friendly candidates over the will of the voters, maybe that should be written in their charter instead. They may want to change the name of their party as well.
The Democratic Party lost more than national elections last year. In the face of a progressive challenger, it lost it’s soul. Now, even though Trump has become a national embarrassment, the president is still polling higher than the DNC. At the same time, more and more Democrats are identifying as independents.
This lawsuit needed to happen. It’s exposing some of the rotten apples at the establishment’s core. The DNC has a lot to answer for, as does Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Their actions in the 2016 election shouldn’t be brushed off and the DNC’s lawyers can’t simply brush off democracy. If they continue on this path, nothing will change. And that includes their terrible results at the ballot box.
To Mike Weishar, the author of this column: It’s just straight up true – the DNC IS more responsible for Trump being in office than the Republicans. Had they LISTENED to the PEOPLE, they’d have named Bernie rather than Hilary as the nominee who could actually BEAT Cheeto Von Tweeto. Instead, outraged Independents, Progressives and Democrats stayed home on election day. We can blame the highly unbalanced GOP for creating the fear and ignorance necessary to win over the far right political base – and well we should – but if we don’t take responsibility for our own complicity we haven’t learned a thing, and are doomed to repeat the mistakes over until we do. However, I do not agree that “What is happening inside the DNC is just as important as knowing what Trump is doing to the country”, Not. At. All. While the DNC must absolutely be called on the carpet for their part in our current crisis, the fact is that we are in CRISIS. We must ‘Triage’, meaning we have to focus on the most life-threatening wounds first, then clean up and bandage the less critical injuries. And yes, I’m sorry, but I consider this lawsuit to be ‘less critical’ than getting Trump OUT of office, before he gets us all killed. We can play the blame game until we turn blue, and scream about how we got to where we are until we’re hoarse from the shouting – and there will be plenty of time for that later – but please don’t suggest removing the cancer is less important than arguing about how we contracted it.
Getting Trump out of office to be replaced by… President Pence? That’s an even scarier proposition.
Opposing the Democratic Party is not opposing democracy, it is opposing autocracy, or at best, a plutocracy. It seems to me that the lawyers representing the DNC have made this point very well.
That authoritarian approach is what made me switch to the Green Party when the DNC refused to follow its own charter that calls for fairness and impartiality in the primaries.
If what was printed is true, and it is, then it doesn’t matter the leanings of the writer. This attempt to change the subject on the part of hard core DNC backers who will back their party no matter how unAmerican they are being is going to cost us our chance to oust Trump and friends next election cycle. Trump is president because hard core DNC people refused to admit they cheated and accept that that was wrong. Reform or die.
“Trump is president because hard core DNC people refused to admit they cheated and accept that that was wrong.”
So, you’re and others here are saying that Trump won because, “outraged Independents, Progressives and Democrats stayed home on election day.”
That’s certainly a factor. But really, it means that Trump won because “outraged Independents, Progressives and Democrats” were too damn stupid to consider HOW MUCH hung on winning this election. SCOTUS. Climate Change. Civil rights. Women’s Rights… etc etc. They let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
And of course the Trumpchumps were too stupid and ignorant to see they were being conned.
So, sorry to say, Trump’s victory was ably assisted by stupidity and ignorance on the right and left.
I’ll give gerrymandering and voter suppression a role in that victory as well, but stupidity carried the day.
Except you are not a progressive, every post you write is anti democrat
Anti-establishment. The Democratic Party hasn’t been progressive in 40 years