John has already noted that the knives are out for DNC Chair Ken Martin, late of Minnesota. From Politico,
‘Weak,’ ‘whiny’ and ‘invisible’: Critics of DNC Chair Ken Martin savage his tenure. The new DNC chair has faced messy drama since stepping into the role in February.
Minnesota has its own brand of Democratic politics, which they label Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL). These days, there are ever fewer farmers and laborers to be found in their coalition, but they seem to still like the idea of having a separate identity from national Democrats.
These days, the DFL brand doesn’t seem to translate well to the national scene (cf. Ilhan Omar, Tim Walz). Walz is an excellent example. Having spent 20 years in public office, first as a rural Congressman, then later as Governor, Walz encountered a hostile (or at least skeptical) media for the very first time as a Vice-Presidential candidate.
He couldn’t cope. Follow-up questions were his kryptonite, a substance he never experienced in Minnesota.
Now Ken Martin is being attacked from the left, which would never have occurred in Minnesota. Local media and the state’s political culture universally hailed Martin as a genius, despite mixed results at the ballot box while serving as state Democratic chair.
Back to Politico,
Interviews with a dozen DNC members revealed deep frustration with Martin and concern about his ability to unify and lead a party trying to recover from massive electoral losses in 2024.
Perhaps more profanity would help give him a tougher image?
I do not wish Mr. Martin any luck on his comeback trail, but his quick fall from grace is illustrative of the benefit of a rough-and-tumble political environment.
