Some Common Sense observations about Democrats

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Prologue: there is a substantial reason why moderate Democrats are being challenged by DSA Democrats who as often as not win their primaries.  And there is a substantial reason why Democratic voters are abandoning their party in favor of Republicans, MAGA or otherwise.  Because Democrats of the last 30-45 years have not delivered.  “But, Obamacare.”  A good but unsatisfactory answer to our nation’s healthcare problems.  Can you name a few more Democratic accomplishments?  Bill Clinton’s budget surpluses?  Gotcha!

I, a New York Democrat, assert – with little fear of contradiction – that two New York City Democrats – Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader – are among the most soporific politicians in the country.  In addition, one would be hard-pressed to identify what these two high-ranking Democrats actually stand for.  Well, maybe, “we don’t like Donald Trump” and “we’re not Republicans.”  Not exactly a winning platform.

In contrast to these “moderate” Democrats, we have the DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) crew of “progressive” or “far-left” Democrats.  Not only are they not boring speakers, they surely DO know what they stand for.  And therein lies a huge problem for Democrats in the near and far future.  Who is entitled to call themselves Democrats?  The feckless moderates or the fire-breathing DSA crew?

Many of the original DSA crowd were NOT really all that radical.  Their platform included universal health care, a minimum wage, Pro-Choice, and higher taxes on the super-wealthy.  Not exactly fringe ideas, rather popular ideas.  More like what Democrats used to stand for, before they lost their MOJO (ca. 1981).

But DSA candidates seem to embrace “socialism,” it’s in their name!  As many are typically very young – and as ignorant as their years would have them – they may be forgiven for embracing socialism – a real economic system – because they don’t have a clue what “socialism” really means and they are not aware of socialism’s long history of failure (Economics 101) (Google: “failures of socialism” or “successes of socialism.”  For me to cite one URL would undermine the credibility of this essay.).  Nearly all industrial nations in the world have “mixed economic systems,” with capitalism at their core and lots of socialistIC programs that keep the working class from violent revolution.  Even China.

Old guard Democrats suffer from boring candidates who have no idea what they stand for, while DSA Democrats are the only ones sounding like … Democrats, with a Democratic vision.  If things were that simple, who would YOU vote for?

Most of the (original) DSA “platform” was “progressive.”  But the DSA published a revised platform less than a month ago.  While some of it is … interesting, a lot of it is totally bat-shit crazy.  For starters, it trashes the U.S. Constitution.  It eliminates the Senate and the president is not elected by We the People.  It empties all prisons and defunds the police.  One of its co-chairs – Megan Romer – is … stupid … and she was chosen to be the social media face of the new DSA!  DSA’s revised platform will provide rocket fuel for the ambitions of Republicans running for office.  And Romer’s videos will provide thousands of hours of ROTFLMAO moments, for Republicans, and even Democrats.

Not like this isn’t enough to give us all restless nights, Democrats have one more problem: Israel.   Historically, Americans have seen Israel in a much more positive light than Palestine.  Since 2018, however, this has changed: one, because of American youth attaining voting (and polling) age and, two, support for Israel has slipped, but only among Democrats.  And DSA’s recent platform goes out of its way to boast of its anti-Zionism if not full-blown antisemitism.  More reasons for independents, and moderate Democrats, to withhold their votes from Democratic candidates.  In addition, losing Jewish support for Democratic candidates will have much more serious repercussions than just losing the Jewish vote, as the history of Jews in the United States has parallelled the history of American liberalism.  Wind one down, so goes the other.

Democrats of today are at a crossroads, a crossroads of survival as a major political partiy in America.  Despite conventional wisdom predicting a Blue Wave come November’s midterms, it is my view that Democrats have an excellent chance of blowing the midterms.  While Trump’s net approval rating is -15.4%, Democrats’ net approval rating is -17.1%.  Does that feel like Blue Wave polling?  As long as moderate Democrats and “progressive” or DSA Democrats are at war with each other – especially if any of our candidates is a new wave DSA Democrat – millions of independent voters will not vote for Democrats and millions of Democratic voters will stay home on Election Day rather than vote for “the wrong kind” of Democrat.  Abdul El-Sayed, a DSA Democrat whose platform emphasized the evil of accepting AIPAC money, recently beat Haley Stevens, a moderate Democrat, by 1% in their primary for the U.S. Senate in Michigan.  Polls show El-Sayed losing to the Republican; polls showed Stevens beating the Republican.  David Crowley, a moderate Democrat, narrowly beat Francesca Hong, a DSA Democrat, in their primary for governor of Wisconsin; Hong had a 10% lead in the polls going into the election.  The DSA label was a charm just a few months ago; the charm has worn thin recently.  The DSA label attached to the new DSA platform is a megadose of cyanide.  Democrats’ big tent cannot afford to let these crackers inside; the survival of liberalism is at stake.  The American Revolution succeeded 250 years ago, the French Revolution, 13 short years later, was a catastrophic failure.  We are at the brink.

Final notes

I stand with AIPAC regarding its mission: excellent relations between the state of Israel and the United States of America. But the fact is, their brand has become toxic lately. Every time they support a candidate, that candidate loses (votes if not elections).  In addition, they support candidates who are friendly to Trump.  AIPAC should take a five year vacation from American politics; if they do so, Democrats have a better chance of winning elections.  And the DSA will have one less talking point to attack moderate Democrats with, giving moderate Democrats some time to become better (progressive) Democrats.

As for the antisemitic DSA Democrats, like AIPAC they need to take a five year vacation and use that time to learn the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.  If they don’t care about the history of an issue that they pretend to care about, they should get jobs where being ignorant is not a disqualifying factor.  

We would all be better off if we were not so damned ignorant.

Donald J Trump just called us Communists.  He is quite literally calling for political violence.  Is it an exaggeration to suggest he is inviting his faithful to commit a Holocaust?  Who will be its victims?   Jews?  Democrats?  Any American who rubs him the wrong way?

Post Script

Here are MY criteria (add them up together) for how I would vote in any election.  I believe that these criteria closely match the American voter's.  The biggest factor that would overwhelm these criteria is voters’ TRUST of the candidate, or whether the candidate is a good or bad campaigner.  What factors engender TRUST in voters?   What makes a candidate a good campaigner?  Read my book, Stop the Steal: The Handbook for Democrats who want to win their Elections. 

Democrat, +1

Progressive, +2

old DSA support, +1

old DSA candidate, -1

Pro-Israel, +1

Pro-Palestine, -1

Pro-Hamas, -2

DSA candidate, new platform, -7

Republican, -2

MAGA Republican, -4

DSA candidates, new platform, are far worse than MAGA Republicans as they will bring about the destruction of the Democratic Party as we know it, our Constitutional system, and our standing in the world, and they won't wait.  They are the trash left over after Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

Fareed’s Take