Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Bustos shakes up staff during DCCC turmoil
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Bustos shakes up staff during DCCC turmoil

Tuesday, Jul 30, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Washington Examiner

Five more Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staffers were ousted yesterday just hours after the sudden resignation of executive director Allison Jaslow. The DCCC has been reportedly plagued with controversy over a perceived lack of diversity among its top ranks.

Jaslow, an Iraqi War veteran, was considered a close ally of DCCC Chairwoman Cheri Bustos. She did not offer a specific reason for her departure yesterday. By the end of the day, communications director Jared Smith, communications aide Melissa Miller, political director Molly Ritner, deputy executive director Nick Pancrazio, and diversity director Van Ornelas had all tendered their resignations.

Top members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus have reportedly been fighting with Bustos over the lack of diversity, demanding more minorities comprise the senior staff of the committee. Meanwhile, an aide who came under fire for a series of past homophobic and racist tweets, Tayhlor Coleman, is still employed by the DCCC.

As the Washington Examiner reported yesterday, spokesperson for the Republican Party’s campaign arm Michael McAdams said, “Mutiny underway at Cheri Bustos’ DCCC. What a disaster for House Democrats.” Present figures, however, show the DCCC currently out-fundraising the GOP.

* Bustos statement

“Today has been a sobering day filled with tough conversations that too often we avoid, but I can say confidently that we are taking the first steps toward putting the DCCC back on path to protect and expand our majority, with a staff that truly reflects the diversity of our Democratic caucus and our party,” Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., the chairwoman, said in a statement.

* Politico

The staff turmoil follows criticism from many Democrats that Bustos has done little to address the lack of diversity in the upper ranks of the campaign arm since winning the chairmanship late last year.

Bustos also rankled some Democrats by routinely saying she was out to “finally” build a “world class” DCCC — which was perceived as a slight to the previous chairman, Rep. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, who helped lead the party back to the majority after eight years out of power.

And lawmakers felt misled about Bustos’ handling of Tayhlor Coleman, a DCCC employee who came under fire for a series of derogatory tweets she sent nearly a decade ago disparaging the LGBTQ community and Hispanics. Coleman is still employed with the campaign arm.

A staff turnover of this magnitude seven months into the Democrats’ majority is jarring, and will present Bustos with a set of new challenges. She will be forced to rebuild the committee’s top leadership from scratch in the middle of a presidential campaign that has much of the party’s best talent tied up.

Bustos is, indeed, under a microscope. Democrats across the Capitol have privately griped about what they see as a subpar campaign committee with a chairwoman unresponsive to members’ concerns, and unable or unwilling to live up to her own promises to hire a diverse staff.

       

14 Comments
  1. - TeacherMan - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:08 am:

    The Democrats eating their own? Has the world turned topsy-turvy?


  2. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:12 am:

    one of the comments heard was “the top staffer has to be a person of color.” the Dems have damaged themselves by driving out the staffer with the military background.


  3. - Responsa - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:28 am:

    Walk away, Cheri. You can’t save this off-the-rails situation from itself.


  4. - @misterjayem - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:30 am:

    “One of the comments heard was ‘the top staffer has to be a person of color.’ the Dems have damaged themselves by driving out the staffer with the military background.”

    If you’re willing to look, non-white veterans aren’t hard to find.

    – MrJM


  5. - dbk - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:38 am:

    The DCCC’s lack of diversity is certainly one issue, but I suspect the en masse resignations are also an indication of discord within the party itself.

    For an analysis of this internal conflict, see for example

    https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/07/the-existential-battle-is-for-control-of-the-democratic-party.html


  6. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:45 am:

    but does it have to be a person of color? I get that the party’s support base percentage wise is different than the demographics of the country. but come on.


  7. - Interested - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 10:57 am:

    Here for all to see is a grade A, bottom class lesson in political cowardice.


  8. - Amalia - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 11:05 am:

    @dbk, that article has lots of quotes from Matt Taibbi so I have zero trust in those comments. I have no idea how he’s allowed to write after his massive misogyny years ago as he described a part of Hillary Clinton’s body as rusted. jerk.


  9. - Precinct Captain - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 11:09 am:

    Not ready for prime time, Cheri. And you’re not going to get a lot of top tier staff people back in the mix until some of the people running for president fizzle out. Yikes!

    And with her lily white band of loyalists, Bustos has now been backed into a corner and has to pick a person of color. Had she had actually followed through on her promises and actually had a diverse senior staff, this wouldn’t be a problem.


  10. - Last Bull Moose - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 3:28 pm:

    Were the ousted staff ineffectual or simply the wrong color?


  11. - dbk - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 3:37 pm:

    @amalia

    I understand and sympathize with your stance. I feel the same about some journalists myself …

    However, the larger point of the piece (which was not by Taibbi) holds: Bustos will not be able to adjust to the progressive uprising in her party.

    I say this as an admiring constituent of Il-17, btw.


  12. - Downstater - Tuesday, Jul 30, 19 @ 11:06 pm:

    The DCCC also has the same structural problems now, above and beyond the diversity issues, that it has had for years. Changing the leadership every few years has not been a good recipe. They parachute in young staffers with little experience to Districts they have often never been in, who arrogantly
    and bluntly refuse the assistance of locals who could be helpful, assuming like DC types do that “locals” aren’t as smart as them. Said staff are often the relative or friend of someone influential with the new Congressman or Congresswoman or their click of consultants. Many a good staffer and consultant has been let go thru the years because they weren’t part of the new in crowd. That “system” and/or process is unproductive, regardless of these current issues with Bustos.


  13. - Free Pass Bustos - Wednesday, Jul 31, 19 @ 10:06 am:

    Maybe she just “misspoke” again?

    https://www.pjstar.com/article/20140912/News/140919653

    How many free passes does she get?


  14. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jul 31, 19 @ 10:12 am:

    ===How many free passes does she get? ===

    lol

    Dude, that article was from five years ago. Have you seen this? https://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/statements/byruling/false/


Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.


* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* After calls for her resignation, Harmon says Feigenholtz 'will need to do additional work in order to rebuild trust with her colleagues and constituents'
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Fundraiser list
* GOP pollster has Sorensen ahead by 6; Fioretti closing ad focuses on Dem opposition to Burke; Suburban man charged after punching election judge
* More on election security
* Showcasing The Retailers Who Make Illinois Work
* Question of the day
* C'mon, Harry
* Your early voting reports
* Chicago Bears open thread
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Supplement to today's edition
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Live coverage
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Yesterday's stories

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller