Mar.10

electoral-vote.com

Dem 47

   

GOP 53

The Sheen Is off Martin

Ken Martin has been running the DNC for a little more than a year, having taken over from Jaime Harrison in February of last year. We don't know if DNC chairs get a honeymoon period, but even if they do, Martin's is definitely over. We had an item about Martin yesterday, but the news keeps coming, so here is more.

Democratic officeholders and functionaries have many, many complaints about Martin's leadership. Here is a list of what appear to be the Top 10 sources of griping:

1. He is thin-skinned, and does not take criticism well, nor course-correct.
2. He holds grudges.
3. He relies on his longtime cronies, and does not welcome input from outside his "Minnesota Mafia."
4. He keeps things close to the vest and does not share his plans with other Democrats.
5. He promises money is coming, then doesn't deliver. This happened in both NJ and VA last year.
6. He clung to the "midterm convention" idea long after everyone else knew it was a bad idea.
7. He completely botched the 2024 "autopsy," promising to release it, and then doing a 180.
8. He won't even share the autopsy with most Democratic insiders, leading to frustration and conspiracy theories.
9. The DNC is cash-strapped, and may soon have to lay off some staff.
10. The lack of money is due, at least in part, to Martin doing a poor job as a fundraiser.

That is a pretty long list of complaints for a fellow who's only been on the job for 13 months.

We do not doubt that party chairs serve as scapegoats for anything and everything that ails their party, whether fair or not. We also do not doubt that when things go well, the politicians get most of the credit, but when things go poorly, the behind-the-scenes operatives get most of the blame. That said, there is no question that the #1 job of a party chair is to raise money, and if they're not doing that well, they are failing. We also suspect that while "nice and safe" was what Democrats wanted when Martin was elected a year ago, the events of the lasst year have many party members longing for a different kind of leader—maybe younger, more inspiring, and more of a rabble-rouser.

The party committees tend to matter a fair bit less during midterm cycles, particularly after the primary fields are set (and, in most races, they already are). However, they matter a lot during presidential cycles. The presidency is the big prize, primary debates need to be staged, conventions need to be organized, money is spread thinner and needs to be raised by the bushel and triaged effectively, etc. So, Martin better right the ship, or he could find himself out of a job. (Z)