I prefer to be honest about who the Democratic Party really is and what they stand for. By this, I mean the endless battle between the “progressive” and “mainstream” Democrats (read Bernie vs Hillary) wings. I supported Bernie in the primaries and enthusiastically supported Hillary in the general (and if you need to know why you haven’t been watching the Trump presidency in action), but seeing Kamala Harris attacked and the Democrats once again engage in their circular firing squad makes me cringe. So let’s be honest:
The Democratic Party, the only viable and electable alternative to Trump/Pence in 2018 and 2020, is not progressive. Were it genuinely progressive, we would have had single payer as part of the Affordable Care Act, if not at least a public option. To refresh your memory, the public option was shot down on the way to getting 60 votes by 1 Democratic Senator (Max Baucus, MT). 1. There were no repercussions for him, no fear that going against his party or his President would mean anything. No Dept. of Interior threatening Montana with illegal sanctions for his vote; no primary threat from Brian Schwietzer; no tongue lashing from fellow westerner Harry Reid.
With Wall Street Reform, there was not really a threat that Democrats wouldn’t go along with the bailout –in fact, Democrats pretty much led the effort as GWBush was anemic and failing as a leader. Time and time again, with backs against the wall, Democrats, the people in leadership (Reid, Pelosi, and yes Obama and certainly the Clintons) either took the easy path out of misguided advice from pundits, or used that pundit advice as an excuse to take the path that most enriched the donor class and key economic sectors hedging their bets and funding Democratic candidates. I prefer to be honest that for the past 20 years, the Democrats have paid lip service to progressives. And I also prefer to be honest that the Overton Window has been successfully moved such that if former conservative Republicans Dick Lugar and Bob Dole were entering politics today, they’d have to run as Democrats.
A tip of the hat and a well-played to the right. No matter who is elected, the central compromise of our society, that our corporate state will survive intact, with the only argument being how much is marginally shaved off to support the unwashed masses, being the difference between the parties. This is who the Democratic party is.
And I am a loyal, lifelong Democrat far to the left of my party on almost every issue.
Donald Trump is doing a great job shedding light on this – his incompetence and the inability of the current Republican party to lead the government they hate, makes the Democrats the only rational alternative. A great deal of suffering not only here but around the world (i.e. a war with North Korea) mean there really is not a choice. It is morally irresponsible for people who love America and want to fix some of our problems, albeit marginally, to cast their lot anywhere else but with the Democrats.
I am unconvinced that if Trump is ousted and Pence runs in 2020, that the Republicans will lose. I am super unconvinced that if they put up a Kasich/Haley (or Susana Martinez – Gov NM) ticket they wouldn’t win against our best candidates. I think we’ll ride a typical midterm out-party sweep to take back the House and stop the worst of the worst (ending Medicaid) from happening in 2018. Republicans have NEVER paid a price for being dishonest public servants. NEVER. Not in the 20s with Teapot Dome. Not in the 70s, when Ford almost beat Carter (had Reagan been the 1976 nominee he would have beat Carter); not the financial crisis or W’s illegal war/billions siphoned off by Cheney’s war profiteer companies; and they won’t pay a price now. Nixon was made to be about Nixon’s human foibles, not an entire Republican establishment that aided and abetted him. Trump’s will be about Trump’s excesses, not about a Republican establishment bowing down to his appointment of destructive cabinet officials and incompetent lieutenants. And so it will be again.
The rules are different for Republicans, because they are the guardians of the corporate state. Hillary loses 4 in Benghazi, and it’s a 2 year investigation. Reagan loses 200 marines in Lebanon, and it’s the middle east, shit happened, move on. 9/11 happened on GW Bush’s watch. Do you think America rallies around the flag for Al Gore? No.
My message is not to run blue dog Democrats or cede any ground in terms of message (Single Payer should be THE Democratic message moving forward). My message is that the circular firing squad, attacking otherwise good, solid Democrats (see Harris) who would, as President, be 1000x better than what we have, is counterproductive. We face a 1000+ deficit in state legislatures and a climate with gerrymandered/citizen united financed rightwing candidates. We will be lucky in 2020 to have a bare House majority, a bare Senate majority and the White House. And we can build from there.
And be honest that the Democratic Party is, at its core, the left wing of the corporate state. You can improve that by ending Citizens United (SCOTUS appointment), endorsing at least Medicare for all or at best single payer, and showing people that their lives are made better by Democrats. Then we can work to put good Democrats in positions of power. But it may take a 2020 Joe Biden Presidency or its equivalent to repair what the Republicans have wrought. Otherwise, we risk, like the Democrats in 1924 thinking “surely, with Teapot Dome, this will be the Republicans undoing), being out of power for 8 more years, and only coming back after the Republicans crashed the worldwide economy and set the stage for WW II.