President Obama declined Friday to endorse his labor secretary, Tom Perez, to head the Democratic National Committee. Obama said that while Perez was “wicked smart,” others who were also competing for the post were his friends and he would therefore not get involved.
“Tom Perez has been, I believe, one of the best secretaries of labor in our history,” the president said at a White House news conference Friday. “He is tireless. He is wicked smart. He has been able to work across the spectrum of labor, business, activists, he’s produced. If you look at his body of work on behalf of working people – what he’s pushed for in terms of making sure workers get a good deal, better wages … he has been extraordinary.”
Obama then added: “Now others who’ve declared are also my friends and have done a great deal as well. And the great thing is, I don’t have a vote in it. We’ll let the process of unfold.”
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is also seeking the job. He has been a controversial choice for the role due to past comments he has made in defense of anti-Semitic Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan and for suggesting that U.S. foreign policy is determined by Israel. In a 2010 speech, Ellison, who is Muslim, said, “The United States foreign policy in the Middle East is governed by what is good or bad through a country of 7 million people.” The Anti-Defamation League called the comments “both deeply disturbing and disqualifying.”
Ellison nevertheless has the backing of many prominent liberals, including those in organized labor. “He is a proven leader who will focus on year-round grassroots organizing to deliver for working families across America. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party will embody the values that our members stand for every day,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Thursday about the Minnesota Democrat.
Perez also has strong ties to organized labor but only announced his bid this week.
