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Ro Khanna Urges Fellow Democrats to Stop Trying to Out Hawk Trump on Iran War
"We should be the party that says 'Donald Trump, end this war, we're going to support the negotiation'—and then we're not going to get into these wars in the future."
May 27, 2026
Congressman Ro Khanna on Tuesday suggested Democratic voters who believe the party lacks "principles," as a number of respondents said in a new poll, have understandable questions about what Democrats stands for, as he denounced recent comments from several lawmakers who have attacked President Donald Trump for not being hawkish enough when it comes to the war he started in Iran.
"People want a Democratic Party that's going to stand for things, that stands as the party that's anti-war," Khanna told Chris Hayes on MS NOW.
“And we should be the party that says, ‘Donald Trump, end this war, we’re going to support the negotiation’—and then we’re going to not get into these wars in the future,” he added.
Khanna accused his colleagues of sending the message: “Donald Trump, go blow up more things! Why aren’t you destroying more of Iran?”
“I’m not one of those Democrats,” said the congressman, who introduced a war powers resolution with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to stop Trump from launching unauthorized strikes against Iran. “I’m one of the people saying, ‘Yes, let’s get a negotiated settlement. Let’s work toward ending this war.’”
“The Democrats should be for ending this war and be against more of these foreign interventions,” said Khanna. “The last thing we want is to goad Donald Trump into getting us into more conflict there.”
"We should be the party that says 'Donald Trump, end this war, we're going to support the negotiation' — and then we're not going to get into these wars in the future"
@RoKhanna to @ChrisLHayes on some Dems attacking Trump from the right over Iran dealpic.twitter.com/Rxbd7e1iJ6
— Just Foreign Policy (@justfp) May 27, 2026
As examples of what Khanna is talking about, influential Democrats including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) have spent the last several days provoking the president over Iran, and by complaining that the deal to end the war isn't tough enough on the country, which the US and Israel began preemptively attacking in February in violation of international law.
More than 3,400 people have been killed in Iran since the war started, while Israel has expanded hostilities to Lebanon, killing more than 3,000 people. The casualties in Iran have included about 150 people, mostly children, who were killed in an attack on a girls' school when the war started; Amnesty International has called for the US to be held to account for the bombing. A number of other schools have also been attacked, as well as medical facilities.
Despite the carnage—as well as the economic impact of war, which Iran swiftly responded to by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping route, and sending oil prices skyrocketing—Booker on Sunday debuted what Just Foreign Policy executive director Erik Sperling called "Democrat neocon talking points" regarding reports of an impending peace deal.
The senator said reports of the deal—including the reopening of the strait, a lift of US sanctions allowing Iran to sell oil freely, and an apparent agreement to hold formal talks on Iran's nuclear program later—had him "outraged."
"The president said he went into this to deal with the nuclear program. This does not deal with that," said Booker, adding that the easing of sanctions of Iran would allow them to get "billions more" dollars.
"Giving Iran more money, as he has said, will allow them to do things like fuel their terrorist proxies," the senator added.
His comments were followed by Wasserman Schultz's interview on the same network Tuesday, when she said she was "concerned and frustrated over, again, another potential deal, a negotiation for a negotiation, where we're going to unfreeze Iranian assets" and allowing Iran to "rebuild their ballistic missile program."
Another Democrat comes out to the right of Trump, criticizing US-Iran negotiated deal to end the war:
"We're going to unfreeze Iranian assets and give them billions of dollars to be able to control proxies again?"
Rep. Wasserman-Schultz, former DNC chair https://t.co/D7plRDK0Nk pic.twitter.com/gq50DoaDqp
— Erik Sperling (@ErikSperling) May 26, 2026
Booker has taken more than $800,000 from pro-Israel groups including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, while Wasserman Schultz has taken more than $1.4 million.
Murphy also condemned the reported deal on social media Sunday, saying that Trump "hasn’t accomplished ANY of his constantly shifting goals."
"Iran still has its ballistic missile and drone program," he said. "They still have a navy that can close the strait. A hardline regime is still in charge."
Jeet Heer of The Nation said that because the war on Iran "is immensely unpopular... prominent Democrats want to outflank Trump by being more hawkish."
Historian and analyst Stephen Wertheim credited Khanna with articulating "what the vast majority of Democrats believe, but too few of their leaders say and mean."
A March poll by Pew Research Center found that nearly 90% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said the Trump administration had made the wrong decision going to war against Iran.
Khanna also spoke to Fox News over the weekend, saying he would support all efforts by Trump to negotiate a peace deal with Iran and expressing approval of the president's apparent rejection of the "Lindsay Graham wing of the party," referring to the South Carolina Republican, an outspoken advocate for military intervention in Iran and elsewhere.
Khanna's comments, said Sperling, represented "what decent, pro-diplomacy messaging looks like."
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'Everything That's Wrong With the Democratic Establishment': Wasserman Schultz Slammed for Florida District Move
"She is no different than the Jim Crow Republicans that are eviscerating Black Representation across the South," said another District 20 candidate.
May 22, 2026
Less than three weeks after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a congressional map rigged for his fellow Republicans into law, Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz came under fire on Friday for switching districts.
First elected to Congress in 2004, Wasserman Schultz currently serves the 25th District, a target of Florida Republicans' recently redistricting—which is part of President Donald Trump's national push to retain control of the House of Representatives.
DeSantis split up the Democrat's District 25 "into five different districts in his newly approved maps, leaving her with complicated options as Black Democratic leaders and candidates fight to keep her out of at least one of those districts," the Miami Herald reported earlier this month.
Despite that opposition, Wasserman Schultz announced in a Friday video featuring various local figures that she is indeed running there—in District 20.
"I've fought for the people of Broward County my whole adult life, and you've always been able to count on me to deliver results for our community," she said. "And I've waged these battles when our values were on the line, all while still raising a family, beating cancer, and answering President Barack Obama's call to lead our national party."
Wasserman Schultz chaired the Democratic National Committee from 2011 until her 2016 resignation—after WikiLeaks published her emails showing bias in that year's presidential primary. She didn't acknowledge her scandalous departure from DNC leadership in the video, but she did speak in front of an Obama poster and an American flag.
"I'm announcing my candidacy for reelection in Congressional District 20, because we cannot let Trump destroy Broward County's power. And we know Republicans couldn't care less about lowering your healthcare, gas, or grocery bills," she continued. "But I'll use all my seniority and influence in Washington to continue to make our lives more affordable, and make Broward a safer, less expensive place to live, raise a family, and retire. This district deserves a representative who won't be learning on the job and has a proven record of results."
As the Herald detailed last week:
Only two of the five districts her voters were split into favor a Democratic candidate—and both of those districts were created in 1992 under the Voting Rights Act to ensure Black voters could elect a candidate of their choice.
Rep. Frederica Wilson's district, the 24th Congressional District, was drawn to pack an even larger Black majority into the district in the new maps. But DeSantis' office intentionally broke up Black neighborhoods in District 20 as a justification for redrawing surrounding districts in a way that favors Republicans.
Black candidates and party leaders in that district say a well-funded, white Democrat jumping into the race would work to further weaken Black political power.
Elijah Manley, one of the Black Democrats who was already running in District 20, criticized Wasserman Schultz's potential run to the newspaper earlier this month, and again on Friday, after she confirmed her decision, calling her "Jim Crow Debbie."
"Debbie Wasserman Schultz is carpetbagging to FL-20, a Black opportunity district, instead of running in her own," Manley said on social media. "DWS is everything that's wrong with the Democratic establishment. From insider trading to payday lenders."
"She is no different than the Jim Crow Republicans that are eviscerating Black Representation across the South," he added in a statement. "I look forward to retiring her from public office permanently."
As Politico reported Friday:
The district Wasserman Schultz is seeking to represent was previously held by Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned from her seat in April following ethics and legal deliberations over allegations she denies that she stole federal emergency funds and routed them to her campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick is running again. The seat was held by a Black lawmaker for more than 30 years—a fact often raised by existing CD-20 Democratic candidates, all of whom are Black, as Wasserman Schultz was weighing whether to run for the seat...
The other candidates in the race include Manley, Luther Campbell, a former 2 Live Crew member who won a landmark free-speech Supreme Court case, physician Rudolph Moise, and former Broward County Mayor Dale Holness. Several of the candidates have accused Wasserman Schultz of counting on the county’s African American and Caribbean American voters splitting their allegiances, drawing an advantage to her candidacy despite the 20th District having been historically drawn to help with Black representation.
The Florida Legislative Black Caucus said in a lengthy statement that Wasserman Schultz's "decision to pursue reelection in this historically Black district, despite explicit requests from the Black community to seek candidacy in a neighboring district, is disheartening," and stressed that "this is more than a political issue; it is a pressing voting rights and civil rights issue."
"The residents of District 20 deserve transparency, engagement, and genuine commitment to listening," the caucus continued. "Building trust with Black leaders and constituents should be paramount for anyone seeking to represent a majority-Black district. Unfortunately, the actions taken by Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz suggest a failure to prioritize these essential values, perpetuating a narrative of performative allyship rather than meaningful connection."
Wasserman Schultz also faced criticism for her move beyond Florida. Nina Turner, a former Democratic Ohio state senator and congressional candidate, declared: "Time to retire her. Where are you DNC? Her run illustrates her clear disregard and disrespect for the Black community, especially in this moment. This is just as bad as what the GOP is doing across the country."
Mason Pressler, a national committeeman for Young Democrats of Michigan, said that "as progressives field Black candidates for majority-Black seats (PA-03, MO-01, MI-13, etc.), establishment Democrats like DWS are showing their true colors when it comes to protecting black representation. They don't care, and voters must reject this at the primary ballot box."
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'This Is an Internment Camp': Lawmakers Horrified by Inhumane Conditions in 'Alligator Alcatraz'
"I saw 32 people per cage—about 6 cages in one tent. People were yelling, 'Help me, help me'," said Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost.
Jul 13, 2025
For the first time, Democratic lawmakers were allowed to tour U.S. President Donald Trump's sprawling Everglades immigrant detention center on Saturday. They said what they witnessed was "disturbing" and "disgusting."
After Democrats were previously denied entry to the facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz," three Democratic congresspeople from Florida—Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, and Maxwell Frost—journeyed to the remote compound along with another group of Republicans as part of a state-arranged tour.
"Alligator Alcatraz" was erected within a matter of weeks and now contains approximately 900 people who have been rounded up as part of Trump's "mass deportation" crusade, which a court determined was rife with illegal racial profiling.
The administration said they hope to fill the camp with as many as 5,000 people at a time.
Detainees have previously described heinous conditions to their attorneys, including worm and maggot-infested food, sweltering heat, and the denial of medication and showers for days at a time.
Though the Democrats who visited the facility were not allowed to speak with detainees or see their conditions up close, their descriptions of the facilities at a press conference following the visit paint an appalling picture.
- YouTube
Wasserman-Schultz described it as an "internment camp" where detainees are "essentially packed into cages."
"Wall-to-wall humans. 32 detainees per cage," she said. This, she noted, is unusual for immigration facilities, like the nearby Krome detention center in Miami-Dade County, where detainees are allowed to roam freely between buildings.
"The only thing inside those cages are their bunk beds," she said. She later noted that in the unused dorm they toured there were already "bugs all over the mattresses that had not yet been used."
"There are three tiny toilet units that have a sink attached to it," she said. "They get their drinking water, and they brush their teeth where they poop, in the same unit," she continued.
Frost said the lawmakers asked to view the toilets currently in use by detainees, but were denied and instead showed ones in a currently unused part of the facility.
He brought up prior complaints made by prisoners of the camp about the sanitation.
"Some of the biggest complaints we've heard is, yes, there's three toilets, but a lot of the time, only one is working," he said. "They get backed up: Feces being spread everywhere."
Wasserman-Schultz said they also viewed a meal-prep area. While employees of the facility were given large, hearty portions, she says prisoners were fed a "small...gray turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple, and chips" that she said was far too small to sustain a fully-grown man.
Wasserman-Schultz also said she brought a thermostat to measure the temperature within the facility, which the Department of Homeland Security has claimed was "air conditioned." She said that the area just outside the tents that housed the detainees was 83°F and said it was likely much hotter inside due to the body heat.
Moskowitz said there was "evidence of flooding" and "floors that are only about eight inches above the ground," while other lawmakers noted that a hurricane or even a lighter tropical storm could prove catastrophic.
Last week, videos circulated on social media of the facility already beginning to flood due to a minor storm:
Moskowitz also noted the extraordinary cost to assemble and run the makeshift facility, which is estimated to cost $450 million per year according to one U.S. official who spoke to The Associated Press.
"Why are they spending all this money for this?" he asked. "One can't help but understand and conclude that this is a total cruel political stunt meant to have a spectacle of political theater."
The Trump administration has described the facility as a holding tank for "the worst of the worst" criminals as they await deportation. But according to reporting by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times on Sunday, only a third of the people in the facility have criminal convictions, which range from crimes like attempted murder to traffic violations. More than 250 of the people in the facility have not been convicted of or even charged with a crime.
No outside journalists have been allowed to tour the facility, and there are no photos or videos available publicly beyond what has been released by the Trump government. The congresspeople on the tour were told they were not allowed to take any photos or videos inside or meet with any of the detainees.
Instead of being shown the conditions in which detainees were currently being housed, they were shown facilities that had not yet been filled. They were still denied access to some, including medical facilities.
Last week a group of Democrats in Florida's state legislature were turned away when they attempted to tour the camp, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) saying they could not show up unannounced to perform oversight over a federal facility.
Frost said that there has been "ambiguity" about who has authority over the prison, but it was made abundantly clear during the visit that every decision being made was directed by the federal government.
"What we heard very clear is that ICE is giving them the directions from A to Z," he said. "Which means members of Congress are able to come here unannounced. And we will come here unannounced."
"Even with this invitation, so much was kept from us," Frost said.
In a video filmed while riding back from the camp, Frost spoke even more candidly about what he saw and how much it disturbed him.
Though the congresspeople were not given access to the detainees and "pushed back" by security guards, Frost said, "We could see in, and we could hear everybody."
"When those doors opened, what I saw made my heart sink," he said. "I saw a lot of people, young men, who looked like me."
"People were yelling, 'Help me, help me!' I heard in the back someone say, 'I'm a U.S. citizen,'" he continued. "And as we were walking away, they started chanting 'Libertad! Libertad! Libertad!'... 'Freedom.'"
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12 House Dems Join GOP to Approve Tax Gift to Rich Alongside Israel Aid for Gaza Slaughter
"Instead of funding more bombs with American taxpayer dollars," said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, "our leaders should be calling for a ceasefire now, before this violence claims thousands more lives."
Nov 03, 2023
A dozen House Democrats on Thursday evening joined with nearly every Republican in the chamber to approve legislation that would provide $14.3 in military aid to Israel while cutting an equal amount from IRS funding that would be used to target wealthy individuals who avoid taxes—a cut to the agency that would act as a revenue destroyer, not an offset.
Despite the bill being dead-on-arrival in the U.S. Senate, it passed the House in a 226-196 vote, with 12 Democrats voting in favor along with 214 Republicans, and just two Republicans voting with the 194 Democrats who said nay. President Joe Biden has also vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk.
Dubbing the House Democrats who crossed the aisle as the "Tax Cheat Twelve," David Dayen of The American Prospect detailed in his coverage how the group "received a combined $8 million in campaign support from [pro-Israel lobby group] AIPAC and its affiliates last year."
"Not only do some of my colleagues want to send more weapons to carry out war crimes and violations of international law, but they want to do it by providing tax breaks to billionaires and undermining crucial investments in our communities."
—Rep. Rashida Tlaib
The Democrats who voted with Republicans are: Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), Lois Frankel (Fla.), Jared Golden (Me.), Juan Vargas (Calif.), Angie Craig (Minn.), Darren Soto (Fla.), Haley Stevens (Mich.), Frederica Wilson (Fla.), Don Davis (N.C.) and Greg Landsman (Ohio).
While the bill has little or no chance of becoming law, Dayen observed that the group "stuck to their principles" by joining with the Republicans anyway.
Defenders of Palestinian rights horrified by the ongoing onslaught in Gaza criticized all those who voted in favor of the bill.
Progressive Democrats—including Reps. Tashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.)—spoke out forcefully against funding Israeli military operations at a time the IDF is bombing the besieged Gaza Strip without mercy following the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that claimed as many as 1,400 lives. Latest figures put the Palestinian death toll in Gaza well above 9,000 people, including nearly 4,000 children, with thousands more wounded or missing under the rubble.
"The American people do not support funding for war crimes—like the use of white phosphorus bombs—and are calling for a ceasefire," Tlaib said in a statement following Thursday night's vote.
"As the Israeli government carries out ethnic cleansing in Gaza, President Biden is cheering on Netanyahu, whose own citizens are protesting his refusal to support a ceasefire," she continued. "We must be laser focused on saving lives, no matter their faith or ethnicity. The number of children killed in Gaza in just three weeks has surpassed the annual number of children killed across the world's conflict zones since 2019—yet instead of helping end this violence, President Biden baselessly casts doubt on the Palestinian death toll."
Earlier this week, as Common Dreams reported, a CBO score of the proposal showed that the $14.3 billion cut to the IRS would actually slash federal revenues by $27 billion.
Explaining her no vote, Congresswoman Bush tweeted, "I was sent to Congress to save lives, I was not sent to Congress to have my constituent's tax dollars buy bombs to kill thousands of innocent Palestinian men, women, and children. We choose peace and love."
And Rep. Summer Lee said: "I refuse to spend more money on weapons of war and tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of children in Pennsylvania, Gaza, and Israel when what is needed now is investment in American families, de-escalation of violence, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid."
According to Tlaib, increased U.S. military aid for the Israel while it carries out the attack on Gaza, with no humanitarian conditions, takes "us farther away from ending the violence and reaching peace" in the region.
"Achieving a just and lasting peace requires lifting the blockade, ending the occupation, and dismantling the dehumanizing system of apartheid," Tlaib said. "Not only do some of my colleagues want to send more weapons to carry out war crimes and violations of international law, but they want to do it by providing tax breaks to billionaires and undermining crucial investments in our communities. Instead of funding more bombs with American taxpayer dollars, our leaders should be calling for a ceasefire now, before this violence claims thousands more lives."
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While Nation Watched Mueller, Hearing Down the Hall Focused on 'Harmful Chaos' and Real Victims of Trump Era
"Numerous studies have demonstrated the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences on children's developing neural networks and their physical health," one expert said of the administration's family separation policies
Jul 24, 2019
As political observers focused on a pair of congressional hearings Wednesday featuring former special counsel Robert Mueller recounting the contents of his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, another hearing involving the victims of the Trump administration's immigration policies was going on down the hall.
The House Appropriations Committee's Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing, which didn't earn the kind of media coverage Mueller's hearing did, painted a dire picture of conditions for migrant children separated from their families and placed under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and Health and Human Services (HHS) in facilities like Florida's Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children.
"A posted bulletin board had timelines for when staff would notify ICE about kids approaching their 18th birthdays," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). "These children had to be transferred out of Homestead and ORR care and we were told these young adults are arrested by ICE, handcuffed, and sent to an adult ICE prison."
"Children often dread this date," Wasserman Schultz said. "Many become suicidal as the date nears."
Wasserman Schultz, a critic of Homestead, described her concerns over Homestead, including that the company running the facility--Comprehensive Health Services, a subsidiary of Caliburn, where, Common Dreams reported in May, former Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump John Kelly sits on the board--appeared disinterested in education programs and proper care for the children housed there. The congresswoman, who visited the facility earlier in July, also said the shelters were not prepared to stand up to major storms.
"We're in the middle of hurricane season, and many of the shelters for children are tents," said Wasserman Schultz.
The hearing also featured testimony from Amnesty International's executive director Margaret Huang and Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, the president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
Huang, in her prepared remarks, railed against the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants and use of family separation as a deterrence tactic.
"Though domestic and international law require family unity to be preserved wherever possible, the government has adopted practices that do exactly the opposite," said Huang, "jeopardizing family unity and needlessly prolonging child detention by separating caregivers from children and implementing an information-sharing agreement between DHS and ORR that places potential sponsors at risk of deportation."
"These practices are not only antithetical to the principle of the best interests of the child," Huang added, "they have also proliferated the use of 'temporary emergency' facilities when the only 'emergency' is a crisis of the administration's making."
In her comments (pdf) to the subcommittee, Vignarajah said that children experience mental and emotional strain from family separation.
"The harmful chaos created during the zero-tolerance policy that led to separating thousands of children from their families without any plan for reunification is anathema to this nation's values and an abdication of modern-day child welfare protections," said Vignarajah.
The problem continues, she added, despite government assurances.
"Although the zero-tolerance policy was officially rescinded on June 20, 2018, we are deeply troubled by the fact that we continue to encounter such cases," Vignarajah said.
Watch the full hearing:
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As Wasserman Schultz Exemplifies Muddled Stance, This Reminder: Medicare for All "Ain't a Slogan. It's a 94-Page Bill"
"There's only one bill in the Senate that guarantees healthcare as a right, saves families and businesses thousands a year, and reduces total national healthcare expenditures by at least $2 trillion over 10 years."
Jan 29, 2019
As some Senate Democrats offer up half-measures that fall far short of Medicare for All and rush to distance themselves from Sen. Kamala Harris' (D-Calif.) expressed support for eliminating private insurance, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) on Wednesday made heavy use of buzzwords and verbal gymnastics--with phrases such as "the moniker of what you call the concept"--in an attempt to paper over these substantive and crucial healthcare policy differences within the Democratic Party.
"If a Democratic presidential contender offers you Medicare for All, read the fine print."
--Addy Baird, ThinkProgress
"I think we have to look past the surface-level name for it," Wasserman Schultz said during a CNN appearance when asked about Harris' remarks and what Medicare for All really means.
"The moniker of what you call the concept, which we are all fully embracing, is that healthcare is a right and should not be treated as a privilege that is only available to those who can afford it," the Florida congresswoman continued. "That is what Democrats are for, that's what you'll see every Democratic presidential candidate be for. And, as you would expect, they will take different approaches to getting there."
Wasserman Schultz went on to dismiss "the black and white choice of are you or are you not for Medicare for All" as meaningless, arguing that the more important "litmus test" for Democrats is "making sure that everyone in America can get access to quality affordable healthcare."
Watch:
Single-payer advocates have long warned of efforts by politicians to co-opt Medicare for All as a useful and popular campaign slogan while stripping the program of its substance. As Common Dreams reported last week, Medicare for All advocates have also denounced Democrats like Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), and others for advocating various incremental public option plans that would not adequately confront America's for-profit healthcare crisis.
Concisely summarizing the wariness among longtime single-payer activists, Addy Baird of ThinkProgress wrote on Wednesday, "If a Democratic presidential contender offers you Medicare for All, read the fine print."
Harris' remarks in support of eliminating the private insurance industry--which her team has since walked back--during a CNN town hall earlier this week intensified an ongoing national conversation about what Medicare for All would actually look like and how the transformative policy might be implemented.
Warren Gunnels, policy director for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), pointed to the Vermont senator's Medicare for All Act and emphasized in a tweet on Tuesday that Medicare for All "ain't a slogan. It's a 94-page bill."
Democratic Socialists for Medicare for All--a single-payer campaign organized by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)--declared that the recent "obfuscation" by Democrats on the definition of Medicare for All is why they go out of their way to "define Medicare for All according to five guiding principles":
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Establishment Darling Debbie Wasserman Schultz Defeats Progressive Challenger
But 'the very fact that this race was competitive sent a powerful message to the corrupt political establishment'
Aug 31, 2016
The Democratic establishment notched a victory in Florida's 23rd Congressional District on Tuesday, as incumbent Debbie Wasserman Schultz soundly defeated progressive challenger Tim Canova.
With all precincts counted late Tuesday night, former Democratic National Committee chair Wasserman Schultz--who was ousted from that post right before the party convention in July and now has a role in Hillary Clinton's campaign--had roughly 57 percent of the vote to Canova's 43 percent.
But "[e]ven in the face of a loss," the Sun Sentinel reported, "Canova told supporters...that he saw a victory for the cause of reclaiming democracy from 'the corporate oligarchy'."
"Look how far we've come," the first-time candidate said. "We're fighting for American democracy. This is a rigged system and everyone knows it."
And in his concession speech, Canova couldn't help but lob one more dig: "I will concede Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a corporate stooge," he said.
Backing from Bernie Sanders and his grassroots supporters afforded Canova, an unknown law professor, both momentum and an unusually large war-chest; his campaign raised more than $3 million from small donors and forced Wasserman Schultz to fight for her seat for the first time in 24 years.
That in itself was a victory, said Rob Davis, coordinator for the Florida chapter of the grassroots anti-corruption group Mayday.US.
"Despite falling short, the very fact that this race was competitive and forced Debbie Wasserman Schultz to defend her record and campaign for the first time during a primary sent a powerful message to the corrupt political establishment and put others on notice, you can't back big money over the people and not face consequences on Election Day," Davis said.
However, writing at the Atlantic, associate editor Clare Foran wondered if Canova suffered from a lack of clarity as Sanders' campaign transitions to its next phase: the Our Revolution effort to elect progressives up and down the ballot, across the country.
"A number of staffers who resigned from Our Revolution in protest over how it has been run say the organization's 501(c)(4) status made it impossible to coordinate strategy with the Canova campaign, leaving the campaign worse off as a result," Foran reported. "At least some departing staffers believe the organization should be set up under a different legal structure so that it can coordinate with candidates it endorses in the future and do more to help them win."
"I would absolutely say the prohibition on coordinating hurt the Canova campaign," Paul Schaffer, the former data and analytics director for Our Revolution, said to Foran.
Still, as Canova told reporters at Kasa Champet, a Haitian restaurant in Pembroke Pines on Tuesday, "Life knocks us on our ass a lot of times. Everyone gets knocked on their butt a lot of times. The test of character is getting back up on our feet and this movement has been knocked off its feet time and time again."
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Heated Presidential Primary Lives on as Clinton Stumps for Wasserman Schultz
Presidential nominee appeared beside the embattled congresswoman the same day that Bernie Sanders urged supporters to donate to her progressive opponent
Aug 10, 2016
"The Democratic presidential primary lives on in Florida's 23rd congressional district," the Miami Herald reported Tuesday after Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton paused her campaigning to endorse former party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is in the midst of a close primary fight with the Bernie Sanders-backed Tim Canova.
Clinton appeared beside the embattled incumbent at her strip-mall campaign headquarters in Davie, Florida, telling supporters: "I have to have her in Congress, by my side, working day after day...And I am committed to doing whatever I can to support her as she returns to the Congress with your support."
"I really respect Debbie's fighting spirit," Clinton added.
Indeed, Wasserman Schultz has quite a bit to contend with these days. Not only is her progressive challenger (her first primary opponent in 24 years) gaining traction, the former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair was forced to resign from her post last month after leaked emails showed the party improperly favoring Clinton over Sanders during the presidential primary.
The emails validated accusations Sanders and his supporters made throughout his campaign. Following her resignation from the DNC, Clinton announced that Wasserman Schultz would now serve as her presidential campaign's honorary chair.
Those very same emails also prompted Canova's campaign to file an official FEC complaint (pdf) against Wasserman Schultz on Monday, accusing her of using DNC resources to strategize against his congressional campaign.
As the Sun Sentinel put it on Tuesday, "The Canova vs. Wasserman Schultz primary is a microcosm of the Sanders vs. Clinton presidential primaries."
Sanders has also indicated he may travel to South Florida to stump for Canova and on Tuesday sent another email to supporters urging them to donate to his campaign, stating:
Much like in our campaign for president, Tim started off as a major underdog in this race, battling a well-known and well-established person who was the chairwoman of the Democratic Party.
He is running a tough campaign on the kind of progressive platform we need to see in this country: opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, backing free tuition at public colleges and universities, reforming a corrupt campaign finance system and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Tim is on the side of working people and that's why we need to help him win.
Speaking to the congresswoman's campaign staff, Clinton "also touted Wasserman Schultz's budget-committee role in Congress--a senior position Canova wouldn't immediately be able to fill--and the fact that Wasserman Schultz is the mother of school-age children. Canova is unmarried and doesn't have kids," the Miami Herald reported.
"I'm here today with a very simple message," Clinton told the assembled group. "I can't think of anyone who [more] deserves your support for re-election, starting with the primary on August 30th, than my friend Debbie...Please do everything you can to make sure Debbie has a resounding victory on August 30th."
To which Wasserman Schultz responded to Clinton, "We are going to make sure that Broward and Miami-Dade counties carry you."
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Is Debbie Wasserman Schultz 'Dodging Debates' With Progressive Challenger?
'Voters rightfully expect you to defend your record as their U.S. Representative and to appear before them in public debates and town halls,' says Tim Canova
Aug 09, 2016
On the same day he filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, congressional candidate Tim Canova questioned whether the incumbent congresswoman indeed plans to debate him as promised before the August 30 Democratic primary.
Six-term U.S. Rep. Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said last week she would debate her progressive challenger, a law professor who is backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and--as of Monday--the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida.
"Unfortunately, in the eyes of so many, your decision to continue dodging debates reflects contempt for fair and open elections and for democracy itself."
--Tim Canova
But while Wasserman Schultz told a Local 10 News reporter Monday that "we're working out those details," Canova wrote in an open letter on the same day that he has "still not heard from you or anyone on your campaign about setting a schedule for debates."
"Perhaps you have no intention of debating at all and that this was simply a smokescreen," he wrote, noting that he initially pitched a series of six debates with Wasserman Schultz. "I understand. It's a strategy used by many entrenched incumbents who are fearful of having to defend their records."
He continued: "Tens of thousands of voters have already signed petitions calling on you to debate me. Perhaps we will have them delivered to you as your silence continues. Voters rightfully expect you to defend your record as their U.S. Representative and to appear before them in public debates and town halls."
"Unfortunately, in the eyes of so many, your decision to continue dodging debates reflects contempt for fair and open elections and for democracy itself," Canova concluded.
Also Monday, Canova's campaign filed an official FEC complaint (pdf) charging Wasserman Schultz with improperly leveraging her position within the DNC to work against her primary challenger--a grievance based on correspondence unearthed in the pre-convention DNC email leak that cost Wasserman Schultz her position in the party.
"The emails establish that on numerous occasions the DNC, under Wasserman Schultz's direction and control, used its resources to track my campaign, interfere with my campaign events and to assist the Wasserman Schultz campaign in her personal communications strategy," Canova said.
"The emails alone establish a pattern of wholly improper conduct on the part of Wasserman Schultz and clear violations of federal elections and campaign finance laws," he continued.
"She repeatedly used her position as DNC chair for unfair advantage for her congressional campaign," the candidate said. "She sought to use DNC resources to appropriate party fundraising opportunities for herself. And she abused her authority by bullying the media to stifle negative reporting on her divisive conduct at the DNC and to encourage positive reporting on her congressional campaign. Wasserman Schultz's conduct while head of the DNC reflects poorly on her judgment and character, and has unfortunately brought shame and disgrace to our district here in South Florida."
The Wasserman Schultz campaign said there was "no merit to this complaint"--and that a debate schedule will be announced this week.
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Three More DNC Officials Out Amid Email Scandal
Interim DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile apologized for what she called 'insensitive and inappropriate emails'
Aug 02, 2016
Three top Democratic National Committee (DNC) officials have stepped down in the wake of the email scandal that has already forced the ouster of DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
CEO Amy Dacey, communications director Luis Miranda, and chief financial officer (CFO) Brad Marshall all resigned on Tuesday after facing scrutiny for emails that critics say showed favoritism toward Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders during the presidential primaries. Marshall was particularly criticized for suggesting questioning Sanders' religion to sow dislike of him among the public.
Interim DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile apologized on Tuesday for what she called "insensitive and inappropriate emails."
Politico reports:
Dacey's departure now raises question of how the committee's day-to-day operations will run between now and the election. Several senior Democrats have expressed doubts about who might want to take on an assignment that is heavy on the potential downside and short on the potential upside, despite the many functions the DNC would be expected to perform over the final three months of the 2016 campaign.
However, Hillary Clinton's campaign is deep into its takeover of the committee, having moved the entire research department to its Brooklyn headquarters last month and consolidating all rapid response responsibilities in New York as well.
According to Politico, staffers on Capitol Hill are expecting even more firings or resignations as the fallout from the hack continues.
WikiLeaks this month released more than 20,000 emails from DNC staff that showed the committee undermining Sanders' campaign and strategizing media spin to ward off questions about Clinton's controversial fundraising tactics.
In one particularly contentious email, Marshall seemed to suggest casting doubts about Sanders' faith and painting him as an atheist to hurt his chances in rural states. "It might [make] no difference, but for KY and WVA can we get someone to ask his belief," the email read. "Does he believe in a God. He had skated on saying he has a Jewish heritage. I think I read he is an atheist. ... My Southern Baptist peeps would draw a big difference between a Jew and an atheist."
Marshall told The Intercept in July that he did not recall that email and said, "it would not have been Sanders. It would probably be about a surrogate."
In another instance, Miranda emailed Wasserman Schultz with a proposed statement in response to Sanders' endorsement of her rival Tim Canova, writing, "Debbie ...please approve...team thinks this is the right approach...'High Road.'"
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