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Down with Ken Martin; Up with David Hogg. Dems must enlarge their tent! [1]
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Date: 2025-06-10
Here is an excerpt from an article I saw this morning in The Hill (a publication that I’ve found to promote a variety of viewpoints, many I dislike):
Tensions are reaching a boiling point between David Hogg and Democratic National Committee (DNC) leadership as the organization moves to potentially redo Hogg’s election as vice chair. Leaked audio revealed DNC Chair Ken Martin venting his frustration with Hogg, who has come under fire from some within the party for his efforts to oust certain incumbents while serving as a DNC vice chair.
So first we have to recognize that Ken Martin’s election as DNC Chair has always been viewed as a capitulation to the moneyed interests in the Democratic Party. But the flip side of that was that David Hogg’s election as vice-chair has always been viewed as a realization that winning elections requires more votes from young people. Whether there was a grand bargain behind the scenes (...I’ll vote for Martin as Chair if you vote for Hogg as Vice-Chair...) is unknown, but if Democrats want to have a big tent they damn well better get over their penchant for silencing their young.
The Ken Martins of the world may know how to raise money the old fashioned way (i.e. from the wealthy), but it’s folks like David Hogg (and Maxwell Frost and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) who will carry us into the future (...and it’s folks like Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Richie Neal who seek to chain us to the past).
Do Democrats really believe that if we begin to elevate young organizers for public office the old (left) guard will stop donating? Really? Will they begin donating to Republicans instead? That’s obviously a stupid choice for them, and it should be pretty easy to get those wealthy old donors to rally around the Millennial or Gen Z challengers.
For the record, David Hogg has stated: (1) that he only wants to primary incumbents in “safe” House districts and (2) he only wants to primary incumbents who are “ineffective”. Apparently there are 12 incumbents on Hogg’s list, but after a brief search, I was unable to find their names.
It would be prudent for old-guard incumbents to simply pack their bags and say goodbye, so each primary field can be filled with multiple new-guard leaders.
Martin should step back and realize that he’s going to lose far more young voters by calling for a vote to oust Hogg. Young voters know what’s going on, and their impatience is warranted. I’m over 65 and I don’t want to wait another 4 (or 8 or 12) more years to turnover all the current placeholder politicians like Dianne Feinstein. Let them retire or primary them.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/10/2327015/-Down-with-Ken-Martin-Up-with-David-Hogg-Dems-must-enlarge-their-tent?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web
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