As each election cycle passes, the Democratic Party seems to be going further and further to the left as if something from the bottomless pit were pulling them closer to the edge of the abyss, of which there would be no return. They could stop their descent at any time, however, through repentance, but like all good reprobates, they would rather give the Devil his due.
The Democrats are being forced by their base to become an obstructionist party to oppose anything that’s a part of the Trump agenda, less they legitimize and normalize the new President. They want the Democratic caucus to become, what they not so long ago coined, “the party of no.”
The left previously called the Republicans in Congress the party of ‘no’ because congressional members would not support President Obama’s agenda. The GOP was rewarded by the voters for opposing Obama’s big government policies by winning the House in the 2010 midterm elections and then the Senate in the 2014 midterm.
The electorate agreed with the GOP and joined in by saying ‘no’ too with their votes. Americans had become disillusioned by the Affordable Care Act, government intervention and control of private industries, an exploding deficit with endless spending, and Obama’s many executive orders to bypass Congress. They also became weary of the stagnant economy, which they blamed on the President’s policies.
People who believe that the Democrats will be rewarded by being the party of ‘no’ are making a mistake. The midterm electorate is more centrist and conservative than the voters that make up the Presidential election. Being so, they tend to be supportive of Donald Trump’s plans for growing the economy, nominating originalists to the court, building a border wall and other policies that put America first.
If Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi only work to obstruct this agenda, their Party will pay a high price in 2018. Not only are voters more conservative, but the map and math are against them. For instance, in the Senate, 23 Democratic seats and two Independent seats, which caucus with the Democrats, are up for reelection in 2018 compared to only eight seats for the Republicans. The Republicans currently have 52 seats and only need to pick up eight more to have a filibuster proof majority. Ten of the Democratic seats will be contested in states that Trump won.
The Democratic Party would fare better by moving to the center and to put the nation’s interest above that of the voices that come from the far left. The extreme left is holding the Democratic leadership’s feet to the fire by demanding an unwavering support of the left’s agenda by demanding obstructionism.
The first item on their marching orders is to oppose as many of Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees as possible. This means personal attacks and assaulting people’s character – a tried-and-true tactic of the political left. We’ve seen this already with the confirmation hearings for Jeff Sessions, falsely accused of being a racist.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a colleague of Sessions, accused him of being hostile to civil rights and justice for all; then encouraged members to vote against his nomination. And today, along party lines, the Senate confirmed Sessions.
Senate Democrats have become unhinged and were even boycotting cabinet nominee’s confirmation votes to delay Trump’s cabinet from forming. This didn’t work, thanks to a change in the rules. But it’s almost certain that more ridiculous actions will be forthcoming like sit-ins and chants about how they will overcome.
How close to edge will these politicians and political groups go before they begin falling? Time will only tell.
But first, the Democratic Party will oppose Trump and the GOP on every legislative initiative. They too, of course, will oppose President Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch, by saying that he's an extremist and isn’t mainstream.
What the Democrats don’t get is that they’re not mainstream in the vast majority of the States. Instead of working with the Republicans, they want to prevent Donald Trump from any measures that may turn out to be successful. A successful Donald Trump would not bode well for the future socialist agenda of the left. Politically, socialistic ideas are only popular in dire economic times and fall out of favor in good times. The Democratic Party cannot afford prosperity.
There will be clues about the direction of the DNC with the upcoming election for chairperson this month. They will either elect someone from the left like Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) or it will be a moderate that could make the Party more appealing to traditional Democratic voters and independents.
For the betterment of the country, the Democrats should change their progressive course toward the event horizon and head back to the safe middle. If they do not, they will lose badly in 2018 and continue to be popular only on the coasts. Even that popularity could ultimately be in jeopardy by a strong economy and a successful Donald Trump, who’ll get all the credit because Democrats opposed him every step of the way.