Rep. Keith Ellison, the No. 2 at the Democratic National Committee, is in trouble for taking a selfie with . . . a Democratic state senator from Washington Heights.
DNC chief Tom Perez brought Ellison in (after beating him for the job) to promote party unity. Ellison had been a big Bernie Sanders booster during last year’s primaries, and so was Sen. Marisol Alcantara.
But local Dems are furious because she’s also one of the eight Independent Democrats who join with Republicans to form the Senate majority.
And never mind that she said she planned to do just that when she ran for the job — or that she’s more effective in pushing the progressive agenda as an IDC member than she would be as a mainstream Dem.
A source familiar with Ellison’s thinking told the Village Voice that he was aware of the IDC issue and that the selfie was a form of outreach: “If you can engage with people, you can help bring them back into the fold.”
Hmm. Another DNC official, Assemblyman Michael Blake (D-Bronx) has been called out by the party’s LGBTQ activists for donating $1,000 to the City Council campaign of the Rev. Ruben Diaz (also D-Bronx, and currently a state senator), with whom he maintains a working relationship.
The fierce backlash prompted Blake to release a letter denouncing Diaz and his views on LGBTQ issues and apologizing “for any offense caused by the contribution.” (He also asked for a refund.)
Diaz, for the record, hasn’t joined the IDC — indeed, has mocked it on multiple occasions. His heresy is to oppose gay marriage — now a moot issue.
Hint to Democrats: If you want to build a working majority, you’re going to need to lose some of your litmus tests.