DWS Cuts Bernie's Influence Out of the Democratic National Convention

Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Florida faithful might swear by her fair play toward Bernie Sanders, but the Democratic National Committee chair has shown her stripes and is driving a wedge between both factions of the Democratic Party, according to a leading Bernie supporter.

Below is a Facebook post on Monday from Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, now devoted to the Bern:

"Apparently Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, doesn’t care if she alienates Bernie followers. The Sanders campaign had been hoping for a significant role at the Democratic convention, but Wasserman Schultz has picked 75 members of the convention’s key committees -- rules, credentials and platform – and accepted only 3 of Bernie’s choices, failing to acknowledge the proportion of the vote Bernie has won in the primaries and caucuses. Negotiations with the DNC have failed to add any additional Bernie picks to any of the standing committees. Worse yet, she’s named as chairs Hillary backers known for their harsh criticism of Bernie (among them Barnie Frank, as co-chair of the influential Rules Committee).

"This is insider politics run amok, at the very time and in the very election that insider politics is disdained – and at the very moment it’s vitally important to unite the Democratic Party. How can Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC be so obtuse?
What do you think?"

If we thought the Nevada Democratic Convention was bad, imagine what will go down at the National Convention with staunch Bernie opponents like Barnie Frank running something as crucial as the rules committee. "The deck is stacked against us," says Reich. "What do we plan to do if the National Convention ends up as big of a corrupt shit show as Nevada? No way we will be voting for Hillary and it doesn't even look like we will get influence on the platform ..."