Rachel Sklar

Agree, Twitter beefs are silly but let me respond because there's several very important points here. And I hope everyone will read this. For the record: I don't work for @MajorityDems and I am not speaking for anyone but myself. I wouldn't have banned your reporters personally, both because it's not my style and because it's not worth it to make you the victim. But a few things need to be made clear: 1. I have never worked for the party and I have never worked for any candidate. I have worked for MoveOn.org, Media Matters, NARAL, and that very dem establishment organization called Rainforest Action Network. It's all public record. Look it up. I now run projects that build power for overlooked and ignored segments of the electorate in places where's there's little civic infrastructure. David's problem with me is that when I was at NARAL in 2106, we not only endorsed Hillary but I enthusiastically campaigned for her and still do not apologize for it. It was a venal sin in his eyes. He has called me a corporate Dem ever since, with literally no evidence. Just an epithet. 2. Freedom of the press is a crucial American value. It is also only required of governments, for good reaon. Private entities can invite whoever the hell they want to the events they plan, pay for and run. May not be a good look; you may tar their reputation for it, but it does not violate freedom of the press. We routinely barred Lifesite News from private NARAL events. Conflating the two reminds me of right-wingers who claim that effective economic boycotts are a violation of their freedom of speech. It's either a dumb reading on the Constitution or a deliberate obfuscation of the principle to rile up your followers. 3. I have no billionaire donors. I doubt honestly that Sirota has any idea what I have been doing since I left NARAL. He hasn't asked. I don't find him to be curious that way. In my time, I have led many campaigns to get money out of politics. So far, none of them have won. But getting money out of non-profit groups is moving the goal posts. We won healthcare because of private donors, not because we expected ordinary Americans to pony up from their stretched pocket books to entirely fund asymmetrical campaigns against the healthcare industry and big pharma. 4. And this is my big one: If you believe that Majority Dems or any other entity--funded by billionaires or not--can shape the future of the party in two days at once conference, you didn't just witness what happened not even a week ago which was possibly the most distributed, effervescent feat or organizing and power building I have seen in my adult life. But dismissing the legitimacy of a conference where thousands will attend, celebrate and learn just because of who some of the groups funders are doesn't build on that progress. These people work hard for a more just and more democratic future. Let them have joy. There are other parties to attend. I promise the primary season is long and everyone will have their chance to hear more than enough. With that, I am sure everyone has heard plenty from David and I this morning, and I am off to touch grass with the family.