DNC Chair Tom Perez provided a rallying and soulful talk to Democrats in London on April 26th, highlighting the party’s successes in candidate recruitment and victories in recent congressional, state and local elections. Summarising the DNC’s actions since the 2016 presidential elections, Perez addressed some hard truths and sketched out a battle plan to re-establish a government that reflected Democratic values.
“Our democracy is on fire!” Perez said. Basic principles, like the independence of the Justice Department and the right to vote, are being attacked by our own government. Free and fair elections are under threat from foreign manipulation. “Even the way the DNC itself operated has been flawed,” he said, referring to candidate favouritism in 2016.
“One way that we as Democrats have failed is that we only had a 4 year innovation plan. We worked on coming up with new ideas, new solutions every 4 years to get a president elected. If you’re a business and you’re not innovating every 8 months, you’re in big trouble. The new Democratic Party is addressing that,” he said. “We have a 57 state strategy to organise, recruit and communicate in all states, not just in traditionally blue states. We’re going into red districts, listening to voters, and winning!”
“We didn’t get the support we needed in 2016 in some key places because voters lost trust in the Democratic party. The DNC is working to rebuild that trust and to deliver the change that millennials and all of us want to see,” Perez said. “We’re all millennials. We care about healthcare and employment and pensions. We’re concerned about and addressing income inequality and the needs of our most vulnerable citizens.”
“We’re all millennials, no matter what age you are, because you’re all building a bridge to a better Democratic party and a better country. We’re all part of the transformation of the Democratic Party.”
Story by John Scardino, DAUK