The Democratic Party needs to be transformed from the ground up. New leadership without ties or obligations to Wall Street or polluter interests is needed. Climate hawk Rep. Keith Ellison, an early Bernie Sanders supporter and the first Muslim elected to Congress, is the right choice. Rep. Ellison has been endorsed by Sen. Sanders for the job, and has the experience, principles, and organizational skills to lead the Democratic Party in opposition to the Trump-Pence-McConnell-Ryan-Roberts administration. He is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a member of the House Democratic Steering & Policy Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus, and the founder of the Congressional Consumer Justice Caucus. Democratic Party leaders leading the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline such as Tulsi Gabbard, former DNC vice chair, and Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and former co-chair of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council, should also be considered for leadership positions. When elected, Rep. Ellison must make rebuilding the Democratic Party in all fifty states to represent and defend the working people of this nation of all colors and creeds his full-time priority.

We as Hoosiers need a native plant as our state flower; we have the Tulip Tree as our state tree, a native bird, the Cardinal, as our state bird. Why do we have a plant that is not even native to Indiana as our state flower???

We have all been affected by the electoral college. This 2016 election is not the first where the candidate winning the majority of the popular vote did not win the required 270 Electoral College votes. Basing our Presidential elections on this method does not give equal weight to every individual person's vote and it puts too much "power" in the realm of one or two states.

A popular story has been told over and over about Christian the Tenth, King of Denmark during World War II. It is said that during the dark days of German occupation, the Danish officials were asked to identify the country’s Jews by distributing the customary yellow star worn across Germany, Poland and Central Europe. King Christian received the order, and subsequently ordered that ALL Danes should wear the yellow star, making it impossible for the Germans to distinguish Jew from Christian. While historians aren’t sure if this actually took place, this example of extraordinary defiance against racism and oppression has been told over and over as a way to highlight the best of what humanity will do to oppose the worst of what humanity is capable of. As Americans, we find ourselves in a similar historic situation to the Danes during World War II. We are being asked to stand by and allow a group to be singled out, registered, tracked and violently and systematically oppressed. There is literally nothing in the world more Un-American and chillingly authoritarian about what Donald Trump is proposing to do. The world is watching us, and history will judge by what we do next. For Japanese Americans, registries were the gateway to concentration camps. Trump advisors are citing Japanese internment as a precedent for the Muslim Registry. This is an injustice that we must never let happen again. People of all faiths and backgrounds must stand with our Muslim and Arab brothers and sisters as they become the targets of racist vigilante violence, attacks by leaders of hate groups, and the racist policies Trump champions. If we allow our Muslim family to be denied their basic Constitutional and human rights then none of us are truly free. If enough people of all faiths sign this petition it can stop a registry from ever being created because it will be clear that the people of this country will never again allow any group to be singled out and their rights and freedoms denied because of hatred and bigotry.

There is no federal law or constitutional provision requiring electors to vote for the party that nominated them, and over the years a number of electors have voted against the instructions of the voters. Electors, ask yourselves: Is Donald Trump the person who best represents our nation? It is still possible to vote your conscience. If there was ever a time to save this country from disaster, it is now. Only you can do it.

We have had enough waste of millions of tax dollars. More importantly, our values have been compromised by threats to a political opponent during an election season.

Since Election Night, incidents of harassment and assault against women, gays, Muslims, and people of color have increased, often accompanied by acclamation of Trump or threats that now that Trump is elected, targeted groups should "leave." Trump has stoked this violence with his own campaign rhetoric. As president, he must act decisively to counter this violence and to prosecute its perpetrators.

We have a right to know he is not hiding something dishonest

The Senate has scandalously refused to vote on a Supreme Court appointment because they wanted a Republican president to do so. When some senators thought Hillary Clinton would win, they start talking about refusing to consider her appointments as well. By failing to act, they have failed to fulfill their obligations and this should not prevent the President from fulfilling his obligation to appoint a new justice to fully staff the court. Please also sign the companion White House web site petition https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/we-people-ask-president-obama-immediately-appoint-merrick-garland-supreme-court

Robert Reich and other thoughtful leaders have called for the resignation of the out-of-touch DNC hierarchy. Bernie Sanders has endorsed Congressman Ellison to replace Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile.

Our citizens have been placed in a hazardous situation, even though it was not the will of the majority. It simply isn't right for the minority to endanger the majority.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned as DNC chairwoman after WikiLeaks published emails showing bias against Bernie Sanders during the presidential primary process. Donna Brazile took over as interim chairwoman and has since faced scrutiny after further WikiLeaks releases showed she had shared a question with Hillary Clinton prior to a CNN town-hall event during the primary. The recent DNC chairs have been mired in controversy that ripped the Democratic Party apart from within. As we debated what really happened, who was to blame, and pointed fingers, Democrats lost the White House to one of the most controversial Republican candidates in history and face a Republican controlled House and Senate. The Democratic Party needs new, unifying leadership. Congressman Ellison has shown that he can bring both wings of the party together. He is a co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, who selflessly transitioned from supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders during the primaries to trying to organize the left in support of Hillary Clinton. Congressman Ellison is someone that Democrats from both wings of the party can easily support. The same can’t be said for others interested in the position. He is the only choice that can reinvigorate grassroots rebuilding of the party more in line with America’s present and future. We need to move away from old school party establishment style politics that failed to energize the party and win the hearts and minds of American voters. He has already lined up support from Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who said that Ellison would be “terrific.” Congressman Ellison also has Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in his corner. There is a growing list of organizations stepping up to endorse him as well such as the 350 Action, National Nurses United, and the Communications Workers for America, and more. Rep. Ellison sits on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Democratic Steering Committee, which determines the party's platform and committee assignments. He also serves as a Chief Deputy Whip for Rep. Steny Hoyer, the Democratic Whip. Congressman Ellison has the experience and would be a step in the right direction to reform the Democratic Party from within as a consensus leader and heal the internal divide by bringing all sides together. For the sake of the Democratic Party and for the sake of our country, we demand that Congressman Keith Ellison be selected as the next Chair of the Democratic National Committee. More on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DraftKeithforDNC/