Alan Minsky, Executive Director of PDA, writes in Common Dreams (Jan.13) — “Once again, the Democratic Party is in crisis.  Activists both inside and outside the party have a big question to answer: Do insiders pivot to the center or the left? Do outsiders join the party or abandon it?

In both cases, the choice should be obvious: embrace the progressive economic agenda (move left) and enter the party en masse. This moment of crisis is an opportunity to get the party on track, to turn it into what people want and need. Indeed, the table is set for us to transform American politics and save our democracy. Read his entire piece here.

Minsky’s advice couldn’t be more timely with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) set to elect a new Chair and other Party officers on February 1. While most Americans are probably not tuned into the political machinations behind the selection of Dem Party leaders, we can be confident that the “old guard” (Clinton-Obama-Pelosi representing the corporate neoliberal wing of the Party) are deep in the thick of it.

This is the time for the rest of us – the youth, labor unions, climate activists, peace activists and everyone else disillusioned with politics and the status quo – to pay attention and demand a change, beginning with the Democratic Party.

Four hundred and forty-eight (448) delegates will choose the next DNC Chair and officers. 

According to the DNC, the 448 active members of the national committee include 200 elected members from 57 states, territories, and Democrats Abroad; members representing 16 affiliate groups; and 73 “at-large” members who were elected as a slate appointed in 2021 by the party chairman, Jaime Harrison. For a party that claims the word “democratic” and insists that it is a champion of transparency and accountability in government, the official roster of these 448 voters is not public. (https://prospect.org/politics/2025-01-10-opening-dncs-black-box/ )

Of the eight candidates running for DNC Chair, two have caught my eye after reading about each and watching all of them respond to questions at a couple of virtual public forums.  I’ll explain in a future post why I think Ken Martin or Ben Wikler should be the next DNC Chair. But I’d like to hear your thoughts.

NY State Senator James Skoufis

Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin

Wisconsin Dems Chair Ben Wikler

Quintessa Hathaway from Arkansas

Robert Houton from Maryland

Jason Paul, Newton, Massachusetts Democratic City Committee

January 6, 2025

The undersigned organizations write to express grave concerns and to unequivocally oppose the use of the sanctions authority of the United States to attack the International Criminal Court (ICC), an independent judicial institution dedicated to combating impunity for the gravest crimes known to humanity. 

The ICC performs a vital role in international affairs by investigating the worst international crimes that shock the collective conscience of humanity and investigating those accused of committing those crimes. It does so in a manner that protects the due process rights of the accused, the sovereignty of states, including the United States, and the rights of victims. As has been widely observed, supporting the work of the Court is in the interest of the United States, and sanctioning it, conversely, undermines important US interests. The positive role of the ICC has been recognized through previous bipartisan support for investigations into war crimes allegedly perpetrated by Russian officials in the Ukraine conflict (S.Res.531 and H.Res.963), attempts to bring justice for the victims of gross human rights violations in Myanmar, and as a pathway to accountability for perpetrators of atrocities in Sudan.  

Many of the undersigned spoke out when the previous Trump administration subjected two senior ICC officials to sanctions and travel restrictions. At that time, we cautioned that it was “uniquely dangerous, extreme, and unprecedented to utilize a mechanism designed to penalize criminals, their aiders, and abettors, against an independent judicial institution.” The previous sanctions against the Prosecutor and a member of her team raised serious concerns about the ICC’s ability to fulfill its mandate, including the Prosecutor’s obligation to report to the UN Security Council on the situations in Darfur and Libya, and to participate in the annual meetings of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP), the ICC’s oversight management and legislative body, where the US participates as an Observer.

Continue reading To Members of the 119th Congress and the incoming Presidential Administration of Donald J. Trump →