An old petition calling for the resignation of Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), has resurfaced and is picking up steam online amid the Iowa caucus chaos.
The Change.org link first started circulating two years ago in response to Perez’s endorsement of incumbent New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo over challenger Cynthia Nixon. Now, its zombified corpse has seen renewed publicity from political figures and political fan accounts alike.
12,000 people have signed a petition calling on DNC Chair Tom Perez to resign over this embarrassing Iowa fiasco. https://t.co/eOL3sCpO0k
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) February 4, 2020
Twitter users with varying political ideologies—everyone from Sanders supporters to an account with the display name “Republicans for Yang“–began sharing it Feb. 3 in response to the “botched” Iowa caucus on that same day.
https://twitter.com/Michaelhaung1/status/1224464059900317696
DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee: DNC Chairman Tom Perez Must Resign Now! – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/sXbIn0QuCY via @Change
— Kids are Still in Cages (@happynosferatu) January 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/Michaelhaung1/status/1224549448983904256
The Iowa caucus earned the labels of “mess” and “disaster” after trying and failing to use an app to calculate results. The resulting issues sparked plenty of anti-Perez sentiments on Twitter, particularly in reference to a tweet that claimed the DNC put in three years of preparation for the big night.
https://twitter.com/DNC/status/1224456542478462977
“You prepared for this for three years?” Cullen Tiernan, the press assistant for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), asked in the replies.
You prepared for this for three years? 😳
— Cullen Tiernan 🦉 (@CullenYossarian) February 4, 2020
— Hilary Agro 🍄 (@hilaryagro) February 4, 2020
So, let me get this straight: in 2016, @DNC was hacked by the Russians. Now, we have no results in Iowa because of an app created TWO MONTHS AGO & never tested or vetted, and you want to run the country? See where I'm going here? #IowaCaucusDisaster
— Brian Keating (@captkeating) February 4, 2020
Jackass Olympics. You win the Gold.
— Thomas Paine (@Thomas1774Paine) February 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/opnmindtexas/status/1224560658018111489
how's that going, chucklefucks
— i bless the rains down in castamere (@Chinchillazllla) February 4, 2020
“The Democratic party has become the Republican party,” one reads. “They are beholden to the same donors. There is no current party representing the people, only corporate interests.”
Another says that the chairman’s resignation would allow for progressive growth within the party.
“Tom Perez cannot manage a party that is moving further left and is closer to its roots than it has been in decade, especially when he and other establishment, corporate Democrats feel the need to dream up new ways of tampering with the Democratic caucus or primary results,” it reads. “Please resign, Tom Perez. Allow Democracy to flourish.”
Some, however, kept it simple.
“That was a mess,” one reads. “A total mess.”
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