The Democratic Purge Starts To Take Shape

The Democratic Purge Starts To Take Shape

The fight for DNC Chairman doesn’t end until Saturday, but according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, the fight might be moot if Bernie Sanders and his allies get their way. Already in states as varied as Nebraska and Hawaii, Sanders allies have taken over state Democratic Parties: “In California, supporters of […]

February 22, 2017

The fight for DNC Chairman doesn’t end until Saturday, but according to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, the fight might be moot if Bernie Sanders and his allies get their way. Already in states as varied as Nebraska and Hawaii, Sanders allies have taken over state Democratic Parties:

“In California, supporters of the 2016 presidential contender packed the obscure party meetings that chose delegates to the state Democratic convention, with Sanders backers grabbing more than half the slots available. In Washington state, they swept to power at the Democratic state central committee, ousting a party chairman and installing one of their own in his place. Sanders acolytes have seized control of state parties in Hawaii and Nebraska and won posts throughout the party structure from coast to coast.”

The goal of the Sanders takeover is moving the Democratic Party even farther left, something that is making many establishment Democrats very nervous:

“The party will choose its new chairman on Saturday at a meeting in Atlanta. Some in the Democratic old guard harbor concerns that a sharp turn to the left could alienate centrist voters, jeopardize the party’s position in the next presidential election and, before then, lead to primary challenges to incumbent Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections.”

While Sanders plots the takeover of the Democratic Party, liberal groups are warning Democratic incumbents that they’re at risk of a primary challenge. According to McClatchy, these groups are particularly focused on singling out any Democrat who works with Republicans for a primary challenge:

“Liberal leaders have a warning for their lawmakers in Washington: Get in line, or else. Frustrated by the party’s performance on Capitol Hill and emboldened by the mass protests against President Donald Trump, a coalition of progressive groups say they are open to supporting primary challengers next year against Democratic members of the House and Senate – even if many inside the party believe that intra-party races might ultimately only help the Republican Party gain more power.”

According to one of the leaders, Charles Chamberlain, “every single” Democrat is on notice:

“’Every single Democratic incumbent considering aiding and abetting the Trump administration needs to consider their jobs at high risk,’ said Charles Chamberlain, executive director of Democracy for America, a grassroots progressive advocacy group based in Vermont.”

Moveon.org’s Ben Wikler added that any Democrat who works against the extremists left-wing fringe will have an “army” working against them:

“‘It’s up to each and every elected Democrat: If they want to be part of the resistance, they’ll have an army by their side. And if they don’t, they’ll have to face the biggest grassroots movement that I’ve seen in my life,’ he added.”

The Democratic Party’s base is fired up and ready to inflict electoral pain on any Democrat who stands in their way. The result looks to be a Democratic Party that is too busy fighting internal battles to win back any power in Washington, D.C.