The Atlantic: The Democrats Aren't Built For This

They say they want to save democracy. First they’ll need to get out of their own way.

Ken martin has one of those resting dread faces, as if he’s bracing for someone to dump a bucket of rocks on his head. His nervous eyes make him look chronically unsettled—which is probably appropriate for someone trying to run the Democratic National Committee these days.

“The political equivalent of being a fire hydrant” is how Martin describes his job, and then helpfully explains the image to anyone not grasping it: “You get pissed on by everyone.” This is a favorite line and recurring theme: the put-upon chairman, always being hassled by his easily triggered constituencies.

The first time he said this to me, the week before Thanksgiving, the triggered included Martin’s own employees. He had been dealing with a staff revolt following his November 12 announcement that the DNC would be ending its generous work-from-home guidelines. Everyone would be expected to return to headquarters full-time, Martin told his staff, starting in February.

This did not go over well. Thumbs-down emoji filled the Zoom screen. Employees pelted Martin with questions. He told me that he sympathized, but observed that most major public- and private-sector organizations had long since compelled their employees to return to their offices.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/democratic-party-elections-future/685759/