# Donna Brazile Politico Article: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 2, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489 "2017-11-02T13:35:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/1 "2017-11-02T13:35:46Z")
[https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774) There’s a lot here in this article from Donna Brazile about taking over as interim head of the DNC. In a nutshell, the DNC was broke, poorly run by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, financially saved by the Clinton campaign, and then beholden to them because of that. They were biased in favor of Clinton and as a result Bernie Sanders, and probably all of the down ballot candidates suffered because of that. ---
**Author:** ![LonghornDave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LonghornDave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonghornDave)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/2 "2017-11-02T13:49:31Z")
This describes the control her campaign had and when it started. > [@](#): > > When I got back from a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, I at last found the document that described it all: the Joint Fund-Raising Agreement between the DNC, the Hillary Victory Fund, and Hillary for America. > > The agreement—signed by Amy Dacey, the former CEO of the DNC, and Robby Mook with a copy to Marc Elias—specified that in exchange for raising money and investing in the DNC, Hillary would control the party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised. Her campaign had the right of refusal of who would be the party communications director, and it would make final decisions on all the other staff. The DNC also was required to consult with the campaign about all other staffing, budgeting, data, analytics, and mailings. > > … > > This victory fund agreement, however, had been signed in August 2015, just four months after Hillary announced her candidacy and nearly a year before she officially had the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/3 "2017-11-02T14:06:19Z")
_When I got back from a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard…_ Please. Anybody who is anybody just calls it The Vineyard. Correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t Brazil been bought and paid for by the Clintons for decades? What changed? Why is she telling us this _now_? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/4 "2017-11-02T14:09:16Z")
She may be on the defensive there, having been caught leaking debate questions to Hillary ahead of a Democratic primary debate. So her taking a strong stance against the HRC control and influence over the DNC may be compensating for that. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/5 "2017-11-02T14:31:01Z")
That’s old news. It’s a bit late to be “compensating” for that. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/6 "2017-11-02T14:35:19Z")
It’s never too late. It’s not like the entire purpose of her book was to mend fences with the Sanders wing, but once she’s writing one anyway it’s in her interest to pose as opposed to Clinton control so as to compensate for her own prior pro-Clinton tilt. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/7 "2017-11-02T14:41:17Z")
Pretty heavy shit there, **John**. Leaking the questions was crucial, since there was no way anybody would have guessed what they might have been! > [@](#): > > …The released emails also showed Brazile telling the Clinton campaign before a March 6 debate that there would be questions about the contaminated water in Flint, Mich… [http://thehill.com/media/324580-brazile-sending-clinton-town-hall-topics-mistake-i-will-forever-regret](http://thehill.com/media/324580-brazile-sending-clinton-town-hall-topics-mistake-i-will-forever-regret) Shit, Hillary’s fingerprints are all over that problem, the way she falsified all those reports and stymied any legal action about it. You can be sure the unhappy residents of Flint are totally grateful to have such a firm ally as Trump in their corner. Guess that’s why the problem was totally fixed so quickly! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/8 "2017-11-02T14:44:52Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Pretty heavy shit there, **John**. Leaking the questions was crucial, since there was no way anybody would have guessed what they might have been! Just to be clear, I don’t think it is, which is why I didn’t say it was. I just said it was old news, which it is. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/9 "2017-11-02T14:48:32Z")
> [@LonghornDave](#): > > [https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774) > > There’s a lot here in this article from Donna Brazile about taking over as interim head of the DNC. In a nutshell, the DNC was broke, poorly run by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, financially saved by the Clinton campaign, and then beholden to them because of that. > > They were biased in favor of Clinton and as a result Bernie Sanders, and probably all of the down ballot candidates suffered because of that. It appears that Donna Brazile is saying that the DNC was bought, and paid, for by the Clintons. Bernie never had a chance. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/10 "2017-11-02T14:54:29Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > It appears that Donna Brazile is saying that the DNC was bought, and paid, for by the Clintons. Bernie never had a chance. What a novel thesis! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/11 "2017-11-02T14:54:42Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Why is she telling us this _now_? Obviously speculating, but maybe there is more bad news that she thinks is likely to come out about the Steele dossier, and she wants the campaign to be left holding that bag rather than her. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/12 "2017-11-02T14:58:20Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Obviously speculating, but maybe there is more bad news that she thinks is likely to come out about the Steele dossier, and she wants the campaign to be left holding that bag rather than her. I’m only speculating, but I wonder if the Clintons dis’ed her or dumped her or otherwise snubbed her and she’s mad as hell and isn’t going to take it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/13 "2017-11-02T15:08:00Z")
Is this about face from Brazile as big a deal as I think it is? Im envisioning this snowballing. I think it could be the beginning of the end of the Clinton wing of the Party as we know it. Am I giving this piece from Brazile more importance than it merits? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/14 "2017-11-02T15:10:43Z")
With any luck, it’s the beginning of the end for the Clintons. Time to move on! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/15 "2017-11-02T15:15:18Z")
So maybe the complaints of the voting public that Clinton was hand-picked by Dem insiders wasn’t full of shit like some on this board have suggested? _(No one in this thread that I know of, but several posters that regularly attempt to win debate by shouting down the opposition come to mind)_ ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/16 "2017-11-02T15:51:18Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > It appears that Donna Brazile is saying that the DNC was bought, and paid, for by the Clintons. Bernie never had a chance. You’re exaggerating the influence of the DNC on the voters. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/17 "2017-11-02T16:45:07Z")
Good lord, this is supposed to be a scandal, let alone news? The party nominee who was supported by the vast majority of superdelegates and DNC members, had a lot of sway within the Democratic Party apparatus? Next you’re going to tell me that there’s gambling going on in Las Vegas!!! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/18 "2017-11-02T17:26:11Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Good lord, this is supposed to be a scandal, let alone news? The party nominee who was supported by the vast majority of superdelegates and DNC members, had a lot of sway within the Democratic Party apparatus?! Did you read the article? Firstly, I’m not sure anyone is saying it was a “scandal”, but the issue is the “undue influence” Hillary had over the DNC long before she was the nominee. Influence bought by her campaign. Brazile is claiming that: > [@](#): > > When the party chooses the nominee, the custom is that the candidate’s team starts to exercise more control over the party. If the party has an incumbent candidate, as was the case with Clinton in 1996 or Obama in 2012, this kind of arrangement is seamless because the party already is under the control of the president. When you have an open contest without an incumbent and competitive primaries, the party comes under the candidate’s control only after the nominee is certain. When I was manager of Al Gore’s campaign in 2000, we started inserting our people into the DNC in June. This victory fund agreement, however, had been signed in August 2015, just four months after Hillary announced her candidacy and nearly a year before she officially had the nomination. > > \ > > Had I known this, I never would have accepted the interim chair position, but here we were with only weeks before the election. Call it the latest infighting issue with then Democratic party, or just rounding out the story of “What Happened”. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/19 "2017-11-02T17:32:09Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > With any luck, it’s the beginning of the end for the Clintons. Or the end of the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489/20 "2017-11-02T17:33:50Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > You’re exaggerating the influence of the DNC on the voters. I am? I didn’t write the Donna Brazile story. I believe it’s being suggested that the Clinton’s bought the loyalty of the DNC, and the DNCs super delegates, before Hillary officially ran for POTUS. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donna-brazile-politico-article-inside-hillary-clinton-s-secret-takeover-of-the-dnc/800489.md?page=2)