Beneath State Party Drama, There's a Basic Human Struggle [OpEd]

California Democrats saw a bitter leadership battle echoing the rift of the 2016 primary. The aftermath offers some fundamental lessons we need to learn.

The race for chairperson of the California Democratic Party between Eric Bauman and Kimberly Ellis has made global headlines, from the New York Observer, to the New Zealand Herald. The highly contentious race ended with a razor-thin victory for Bauman, and with Ellis demanding an audit of the final results. That this seemingly obscure insider political contest is getting global notice is a good indication of how much it should matter to all voters.

Bauman, a 30-year Democratic insider, won by a margin of only 62 votes out of nearly 3000 cast for the two contenders. By refusing to concede immediately, Bay Area-based Emerge California veteran Ellis, whose campaign echoed Shirley Chisholm’s motto “Unbought, Unbossed,” would appear to some observers as crossing the line between loyal opposition and insurgency, something which matters in a state with open primaries.

Some pundits are already forecasting lasting and divisive effects on the State party’s ability to bring desperately needed change to the national picture, such as by taking back the seven remaining Republican House seats in California. Some State and national Democratic officeholders have expressed anxiety over the apparent rift. In contrast, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom ended up endorsing both candidates.

As usual, the reality is a bit more nuanced. The conflict is not completely ideological and represents not so much Left versus Further Left but Old versus Young – or Old versus New. As an example, many of the new generation of Democrats, “Berniecrat” or not, are involved in the YIMBY movement, who, by advocating raw supply growth to ease the state’s housing crisis, often find themselves at odds with traditional Democratic allies in the affordable housing community. Meanwhile, the establishment Old Guard includes liberal legacy titans such as outgoing party chair Sen. John Burton, whose crustily dismissive mien toward the new vanguard would seem at first glance to fly in the face of his more “Progressive” stances in local fights.

Certainly the continuing argument over the role of money in politics exemplifies the continuing fight over the ‘how” versus the “what.” KQED's Marisa Lagos noted similarities between the tone of the state party fight and San Francisco's often raucous intraparty politics – in which there's ultimately very little disagreement about what to achieve. The real disagreement is about how to achieve it, and because of that, conflicts often become personal.

The trick in party politics is to rock the boat enough to keep your end up while not capsizing it. Like all group enterprises, political parties have lots of moving parts. Since those moving parts are human, there are lots of opportunities for things to go wrong. It is what it is. What is important is that everyone should have their eyes on the same prize.

Mike Ege is a long-time Democratic activist and a regular Bay City Beacon writer. We welcome op-ed submissions from our readers on any topic of local interest. To submit yours, email info@baycitybeacon.com.

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