Progressives Are Saving the Democratic Party

By Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News

06 July 17

guess the title should say trying to save the Democratic Party. The problem is that the consultant class thinks they know better. They are people like me who went to college and took Political Science. They taught us that the best way to win elections is to triangulate your opponents. Professors taught us that you don’t want to go too far to the right or the left.

It is all logical; there is plenty of data to back up those theories. The problem that the polls don’t know how to address is that voters think neither major party represents them. In other countries there are multiple parties, which gives most people a place to land. In the US there are two major parties that both depend on corporate donations to maintain their dominance.

If you think about it, it makes sense that the true corporate party is winning elections. The Republicans have been representing the billionaire class longer than the Democrats. It wasn’t until the early ’80s that people like Tony Coelho and Terry McAuliffe took the reins of the Democratic Party and forever changed its mission. Tony Coelho set out to prove that the Democrats could raise just as much corporate cash as the Republicans. Terry McAuliffe was the first party chair elected by the “third way” Democrats.

The focus on corporate cash allowed the billionaire class to buy influence in the Democratic Party, thereby gaining control of the whole government. The Democrats were still more liberal than the Republicans, but they moved to the right. For a while, the party continued to be influenced by real progressives like Ron Dellums, Paul Wellstone, and even Bernie Sanders. From the ’80s to 2016, progressives have become less influential over the direction of the party.

I’m not arguing that in 1975 progressives controlled the Democratic Party. I am saying that they had a stronger influence and the party itself was to the left of where it is today. The reason for the shift was sound politics. It was logical, and polling backed up the strategy.

Now let us look at what the Republicans did. They didn’t follow the polls. They moved to the right. They stuck to a core philosophy of individual responsibility. They did not shape their message to public opinion, instead they set out to change public opinion. It took many years, but in the long run it paid off. They developed a loyal base that is turning out on Election Day.

The Democrats did the opposite: they walked away from their base and tried to move to the right, especially on economic issues. When is the last time there was a raise in the minimum wage? Who signed NAFTA? Welfare Reform? On issue after issue, the country has moved to the right. Instead of working to change people’s opinions, the Democrats have sought candidates who look more like the Republicans that are winning.

We are playing the game using the GOP playbook instead of creating our own. Our goal should be to move voters to the left so that we can start winning elections again. It is better to lose an election while changing the demographics for future elections than winning against a weak Republican with a candidate who will only serve one term because they will lose to the real Republican in the next election.

We must once again be seen as the party that represents the working class and the poor. Progressives since the ’80s have been forced to fight a mostly outside strategy. The country is ahead of the Democratic Party on many issues. When gay marriage picked up steam many Democrats had to play catch-up, including President Obama, who was convinced by his consultants to oppose gay marriage during his first campaign. The country was ready – the consultant class wasn’t.

The country is ready for a raise to at least $15 an hour, but too many consultants are saying it is too much. The American people know that they can’t raise a family on the current minimum wage. The American people know that it is wrong for young people to start out in debt because of the cost of a college education. The American people know that private health insurance is not sustainable. The American people know that our criminal justice system is racist.

On issue after issue, the Democratic Party could lead but too often chooses to play it safe and take a moderate position in an attempt to get elected. Progressives have been organizing and shaping public opinion. Independent voters are ready for a bold progressive message. It is time for the Democratic Party to catch up to the rest of the American people and support a progressive agenda. If we don’t, our numbers will continue to shrink.

In 2008, Barack Obama received more votes than anyone has ever received before or since. Right or wrong, many perceived him to be progressive at the time. He disappointed progressives in many ways, but he is an example of how the country is ready for a progressive message.

Progressives are not trying to destroy the Democratic Party, we are trying to save it.

Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.

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