As everyone knows, I have not (and probably will not) take sides in the Hillary-Bernie drama but can someone in the Democratic National Committee please send out a bat-signal for Howard Dean or David Axelrod to replace current DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz?
The reason: Ms. Wasserman-Schultz’s interview with Ana Marie Cox for The New York Times Magazine, published today is so incredibly tone-deaf that I really am beginning to fear that some of Schultz’s decisions may cost the Democrats the 2016 general election.
A snippet:
Do you notice a difference between young women and women our age in their excitement about Hillary Clinton? Is there a generational divide? Here’s what I see: a complacency among the generation of young women whose entire lives have been lived after Roe v. Wade was decided.
Goodness, she answered a question that wasn’t even asked, for one.
Two, I will defer to the discussion over this “complacency” comment to Melissa McEwan at Shakesville.
Third, even from my own perch of 21st century male privilege, I can see that “the generation of young women” are becoming leaders in social justice movements such as the immigration rights movement and BlackLivesMatter, as well. Young women are activists on a broad range of issues that are right in front of her damn face; Roe v. Wade and abortion rights being but one of the issues.
And let’s not even get into the importance of young women and ESPECIALLY young women of color to maintaining the Obama coalition, which has won two national elections (as opposed to DWS’ leadership which, in part, cost the Democrats control of the Senate in 2014).
I’ll post this other part of Cox’s interview here but will decline comment on it but...how mighty white of Ms. Wasserman-Schultz, shall we say?
You’re one of a dwindling number of progressive politicians who oppose legalization of even the medical use of marijuana. Where does that come from? I don’t oppose the use of medical marijuana. I just don’t think we should legalize more mind-altering substances if we want to make it less likely that people travel down the path toward using drugs. We have had a resurgence of drug use instead of a decline. There is a huge heroin epidemic.
Heroin addiction often starts with prescribed painkillers. Pill mills were a problem in Florida, but the state didn’t make prescribing opiates illegal. There is a difference between opiates and marijuana.
Still, your opinion on this does seem like an outlier. It’s perfectly O.K. to not be completely predictable. I am a person, and I have individual opinions that may not line up ideologically. They’re formed by my personal experience both as a mom and as someone who grew up really bothered by the drug culture that surrounded my childhood — not mine personally. I grew up in suburbia.
It sounds as if these are things that come from a personal place for you. I guess I’m protective. Safety has been my top legislative priority. I’m driven by the idea that safety is really a core function of government.
Please, can we be rid of DWS, already?
My $.02.
UPDATE: Scan has posted a link to Ms. Wasserman-Schultz’s Twitter feed where the DNC chairperson offers a clarification of her comments to Ana Marie Cox and The New York Times Magazine.