Despite a universal hatred of the policies of President Donal Trump and the Republican Party, Democrats can’t seem to get their shit together. While the Party leaders try to rally the troops and do their best to field candidates who can win, especially in otherwise conservative districts, outspoken members of the more progressive members of the Party continue to fight for liberal purity, in lieu of winning elections. It’s “Bernie or Bust” but without the Bernie.
By David Todd McCarty | Thursday, June 14, 2018
Already I’m seeing Memes threatening the Democratic Party that progressives will not vote for a centrist candidate. The threat, one would think, would be that in order to win, the Party must field more progressive candidates. The problem with this logic is that it’s not clear that fielding more progressive candidates would win the seats needed to flip the House. The more liberal candidates have a tendency to drum up excitement in liberal districts, but in the all important suburban districts Democrats view as central to winning, moderates seem to do better.
I believe the fundamental issue at stake is that if you’re not in power, you can be a socialist for all I care, with excellent ideas and a plan for the future, and you won’t get to implement a single one. First we need to win. Then we can try to change the world.
Some would argue that winning but keeping the status quo will not move us forward. I agree. But currently, we are moving backwards. I was not a big Hillary fan (I voted for Bernie) because I felt she represented the status quo, was a Hawk and was too closely tied to Wall Street. That said I voted for her because I knew that the alternative was going to be exactly what it has become. Chaos.
Progressives argue that if you’re not going to vote for a radical Leftist, it doesn’t matter. Well tell that to the immigrant children being ripped from their mother’s arms.
We haven’t even begun to realize the damage that Donald Trump has done to this country with his stacking of the Federal Courts and the Republican’s unconstitutional refusal to seat Merrick Garland. Healthcare. Gender Equality. Guns. National Security. Foreign Diplomacy. It’s a shit show.
So without being too preachy, my thoughts for the Progressives (I could myself among them) is this. We have to do the hard work right now to even get back to zero. You can’t expect to leap forward when we’re falling behind. I haven’t been thrilled by all the candidates put forward so far. But we need Democrats in Congress and ultimately we need a Democrat in the Oval Office.
It’s fine to fight amongst ourselves in the primaries—to a point. But when you decide to take your ball and go home because your horse didn’t win, you’re hurting the country out of spite and I have no time for you.
It’s time to come together. It’s time to fight a common enemy. It’s time to stop the backbiting and petty bullshit and do the best we can with the people we have.
Lord knows its better than the alternative that the Republicans are putting forward. Nazi sympathizers. Trumpers. White Nationalists. Wealthy elites.
It’s time for the Democratic Party to get it’s shit together and save America. Maybe America could actually be great.
It’s certainly not now.
