WASHINGTON — A liberal public interest organization released a report Monday warning that any indictments from Special Counsel Robert Mueller would not benefit Democrats by election time.
According to a 34-page report from the Washington D.C. based Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA), researchers found that the party was looking to bring disgruntled Republican voters over to the Democratic Party side as opposed to reaching out to the progressive base.
The report, funded by Action for a Progressive Future, found the Democratic Party prioritized the “elusive Republican voters” over “people of color, young people and working-class voters overall” and called such a plan to be a “losing strategy.”
“The Democrats are mistaken if they think that revelations of Trump corruption will drive voters to their party in droves. Experience shows us that corruption charges generally breed cynicism, not citizen involvement,” IPA’s Richard Eskow said in a statement.
Eskow added, “That’s especially so in this case, where Republicans will undoubtedly bring up Tony Podesta as well Bill Clinton’s $500,000 speaking fee from a Russian bank.”
Manafort and his former business partner Richard Gates were charged by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia with 12 counts of conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading FARA statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts.
“The best way to fight cynicism is: Voters need to believe that their vote will actually change things for the better,” a spokesman from IPA stated.
The spokesman later said, “Rather than addressing topics beyond the control of the Democratic Party (whether FBI Director Comey, Russia, misogyny of some voters, etc.), this Autopsy focuses on some key factors that have been significantly under the party’s control.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hoped Monday the Special Counsel investigation would continue “unimpeded” saying, “These reported indictments show that the special counsel’s probe is ongoing in a very serious way. The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded.” (RELATED: Schumer Wants Special Counsel Probe To Continue Investigation ‘Unimpeded’)
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Within the report, an aggregated data and analysis illustrate Democratic policies and campaign strategies of the national party hurt turnout from its base in the 2016 general election, according to IPA.
“After suffering from a falloff of turnout among people of color in the 2016 general election, the party appears to be losing ground with its most reliable voting bloc, African-American women,” IPA states.
IPA also makes suggestions such as eliminating the Democratic National Committee system and promote single-payer Medicare for all, free public college tuition, infrastructure and climate change issues.