​As Vice President Mike Pence cast his “Aye” vote for Betsy DeVos, breaking the tie in the U.S. Senate on the billionaire’s confirmation for Secretary of Education, I could feel it.
 
The result was no surprise. Two Republican senators – Susan Collins of Maine and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski -- broke party lines, but for a week, no one else even considered budging. And, the feeling was palpable across social media.
 
Like air being let out of the balloon. Like a rapid heartbeat slowing to a thump, thump, thump… It was a collective hands-in-the-air, a giving-up – even if temporary.

Dear DSCC members:
 
Some of you are charged with a critical task at the end of this month when you will cast a vote for the new Democratic National Committee chairperson. I implore you to go against the popular, mainstream choices of Representative Keith Ellison and former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and to elect Pete Buttigieg.
 
I’m an average citizen, a registered Democrat in District 91, with but one vote. I vote in off-year elections, do my best to pay attention and watched in horror on TV on the night of Nov. 8 as state by state turned red.
 
There are a thousand reasons why this happened and there will be a thousand more excuses and exclamations of blame. A post-mortem of what happened is critical, but moving forward must be the priority. I believe Mayor Buttigieg is best equipped to do this.