The “Democratic” Party.. 30 years and the struggle continues

With the Democratic National Committee meeting next month, it will be the thirtieth anniversary of my membership in this body. As an Arab American and a long-serving member of the Democratic National Committee, I have a story to tell. Because I've been there so long, some people take my presence for granted. Because I have been a vocal critic of the party's spending priorities and lack of budget transparency, others wonder why I stay. After walking the hard path and facing repeated challenges, I have learned to never take anything for granted and the importance of staying the course.

In the early 1980s, when Arab Americans began to organize, some saw our political participation as a threat and tried to hinder our participation. Some candidates shied away from our contributions, refused to endorse us, or removed members of our community from their staff. It was a painful period of exclusion. When Jesse Jackson ran for president in 1984 and welcomed Arab Americans to his campaign, the Arab community responded enthusiastically. Building on this experience, we registered and mobilized Arab-American voters, supported Arab-American candidates, and established “Democratic” and “Republican” clubs for Arab-Americans in twenty American cities. After failing to secure a meeting with the leadership of the Democratic Party, we finally obtained a meeting with mid-level employees. His simple and direct message was: “The reason we do not publicly recognize your clubs or meet with you is that doing so might alienate other groups that are more important to us.” In 1988, we joined the Jackson bandwagon again, and elected more than 80 Arab-American delegates to the National Convention. As Jackson's representative, I took the conference stage to deliver the first-ever debate on Palestinian rights. Jackson was able to appoint eight at-large members to the Democratic National Committee, and I was one of them. Before the matter became public, one of the party leaders asked me to reject this appointment, warning that I would be in the crosshairs of the “Republicans” from day one.

If the Democrats lose the 1988 elections, I and my community may bear the consequences. It was a painful decision, but when I agreed to step down, the next party leader, Ron Brown, promised to compensate me and the Arab community.

After assuming the position of president, he invited me to be the first to meet him, and broadcast a message that the party’s door was open to Arab Americans. A few months later, he attended a meeting of the Arab American Institute, despite threats from some donors to withhold their contributions. Towards the end of his term, when a position became available at the Democratic National Committee, he appointed me to fill it. So far, I have been a member of this committee for 30 years.

For 16 of those years, I served on the Executive Committee, and for 11 years as Chairman of the Resolutions Committee. She also served on the party's Unity and Reform Committee and, for many years, as one of the chairs of the Ethnic Council, which represents 19 European and Mediterranean ethnic groups. Over the years, I learned that the Democratic Party, like its Republican counterpart, needed reform.

It lacks accountability and transparency, and fails to involve members of the Democratic National Committee in the “democratic” decision-making process. I have discovered that the problem with politics in our democracy is that it is not about politics. It's about money. There are hundreds of millions of dollars collected in each election from different party entities, and then transferred to consultants who raise more money and prepare expensive advertisements on television and on social media. Candidates may win or lose, but advisors never lose, because they never take responsibility for their work. When I raised this issue in the Unity and Reform Committee and called for accountability and transparency, I was dismissed from the Executive Committee. This was not my only defeat.

My efforts to get the party to oppose the Iraq War, honor our bylaws calling on Democratic National Committee members to review and evaluate the effectiveness of expenditures, and ban “dark money” tainting Democratic primaries have been in vain. In the face of these defeats, some asked why I remained a member of the party's national committee.

I remember how I was able to move forward after excluding my community for so many years, and it is what Jesse Jackson told me decades ago when faced with a similar challenge: “Don’t quit, because that is what your opponents want.” What they fear most is that you will stay and continue the struggle.” And so I will.