Outraged over President Trump’s first week in office, the candidates running to head the Democratic National Committee are doubling down on their vows to lead the rebellion against the White House, arguing his actions cannot go unchecked.
The contenders say the travel ban that Mr. Trump imposed against seven majority Muslim countries, and his barring of refugees from entering the United States are an affront to the values they hold dear.
“Sign me up for the resistance,” said Peter Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind. “From what we have seen in the last seven days I think we might be underreacting.”
“He took office and immediately took a jackhammer to the foundation of America’s moral authority and on the seventh day he did not rest. He piled outrage upon outrage. He did not rest and neither can we,” Mr. Buttigieg said.
Moving fast to deliver on the “America First” agenda he spelled out on the campaign trail, Mr. Trump has signed executive orders gutting much of President Obama’s immigration policy. The new president has also laid the groundwork for a wall to be built along the US-Mexico border and proposed a weekly name-and-shame list of “sanctuary cities” and the criminals they release.
Mr. Trump also inked an executive order that temporarily bans entry to the United States for refugees and other immigrants from Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. The order put a full-stop on all refugees from war-torn Syria.
The decisions sparked outraged around the globe and protests at airports across the country where travelers, including green-card holders, were detained as they tried to enter the country.
Three of the contenders for DNC chairman — Mr. Buttigieg, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez and South Carolina Democratic Chairman Jaime Harrison — joined protests at the George Bush International Airport in Houston after participating in the second of four scheduled “Future Forum” events in the city, where 10 candidates auditioned this weekend for the top job.
“We’ve got refugees who are vetted more than the Trump Cabinet was,” Mr. Perez said at the event, arguing that the refugee program has worked.
He also said he has been thinking a lot about the photograph of Omran Dagneesh, the 5-year-old little Syrian boy whose soot covered face helped bring focus global attention on the Syrian refugee crisis.
“There should always be room in this county for the Omran Dagneeshes of the world, and the assault on our values has begun,” Mr. Perez said. “The Democratic Party has to be part of the resistance.”
DNC contender Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress, accused Mr. Trump during an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation” of establishing a “Muslim ban” and described his actions as “un-American.”
At the DNC forum, he warned Mr. Trump’s actions against “sanctuary cities” are a reminder of how much is at stake for the party and the nation, and how important it is to organize and fight against Mr. Trump.
“Unless Democrats get elected, we are going to see real pain and suffering from our friends, our neighbors and people we care about,” Mr. Ellison said.
He also joined protesters in his home state.
The other candidates running for DNC chair are: New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley; Sally Boynton Brown, executive director of Idaho Democrats; former Fox News commentator Jehmu Greene; Peter Peckarsky of Wisconsin, Sam Ronan of Ohio, Vincent Tolliver of Georgia, and Robert Vinson Brannum from the District.
The 447 members of the DNC will cast their votes for a next chair next month in Atlanta.
The candidates have promised to invest more in state parties and to revisit the role that unelected “superdelegates” have played in the presidential nomination process.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.