Donna Brazile, former chair of the Democratic National Committee and CNN commentator, says women should see themselves as political movers and shakers, because what is missing in current discordant American political life is more women.
Women need to close the skills gap and the power gap that exists with the men who are now the leaders of the divisive, uncivil political scene that sends death threats to opponents and sets out to destroy them rather than just defeat them in the next election, she said.
“We are in for a summer of massive volatility,” Brazile told the audience of financial professionals at the Invest In Women Conference put on by Financial Advisor magazine in Atlanta last week. In the past the political party in power has lost seats, and America should prepare itself for a red wave of Republican victories in congressional and governor races in November, she said.
Between Covid, the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan and inflation, President Biden’s approval rating has been falling, which does not bode well for other Democratic candidates. Brazile has been a Democratic consultant for many candidates and did two stints as the chair of the Democratic National Committee, as well as being a news correspondent and consultant for national television stations.
She said what the current political discourse needs is civility. “We need to listen, respond and compromise,” she told the audience in a presentation that included tales of her family life with eight siblings in Louisiana.
“Like many of you, I am exhausted [by the political battles of today], but I’m still in the game,” Brazile said. Given the death threats, which are real, and the problems that go along with running for office, why should women take on that burden? “Because democracy matters [and] because some of us have to take the leap. The incremental steps forward [in society] have been made because women” pushed for them.
“If more women would get involved, we would see a sea change” in the way public life is conducted, Brazile said. She lamented the Washington of the past where people of both parties got together and socialized, as well as conducted business. “Now, we don’t spend any time together,” she said. Brazile said that throughout her political career, she has tried to find ways to cross the political aisle to talk to the other side.
The moderate voters and politicians have been cut out of the political process, she said. “It is difficult to move this country forward if there is no middle,” she said.
And the lack of being listened to means, “the American people are in a sour mood. Two-thirds of people think the country is going the wrong way,” she said. But it is not just in the U.S. “The threat to democracy is worldwide,” she noted.
“We need everyone to stand up and speak up” for what is right, she said. “Women do not see themselves as leaders but we are the leaders of the future” and the future is hope. Brazile encouraged the audience of mostly women financial professionals to “find your inner strength,” because without that “we are missing all the talent that is in this room.”