Democrats in Disarray: Establishment v. Bernie’s “Revolution”

Democrats in Disarray: Establishment v. Bernie’s “Revolution”

Identity politics seemed to help Democrats . . . until it didn’t.  In the wake of their devastating presidential election loss in 2016, Democrats have steadfastly avoided confronting the myriad flaws in their “divide and conquer” strategy that centers on creating a seemingly endless number of imagined underclasses and then nurturing their outrage, fear, and dissatisfaction all the way to the ballot box.

What little meaningful reflection on the devastation of the Democratic Party that has taken place since November has done so on the new fringes created by a seismic shift in the party.  Where once the radical voices screeched about the evils of America, now the more moderate establishment Democrats and pundits are the radicals, advocating moderation and realignment.

As those on these new far fringes plaintively plead with the Democratic Party for sanity, that they listen to the forgotten man—those voters subsumed and devastated by a rampant and regressive global agenda—establishment Democrats, to their left, are eying the extremist, radical base whom they now covet.

How, they wonder, can they win Bernie voters without embracing so much of the socialist Senator’s radical views that they alienate Trump Democrats?  The foundational question for Democrats has become:  who can best woo and win their increasingly shrill, even violent, extremist Democrat base?

Sanders, for all his folksy “aw shucks” posturing, is a political shark.  His bumbling demeanor, tousled hair, and rumpled clothing are endearing . . . until you listen to him.  Speaking out of one side of his mouth, he pledges “unity” with the Democratic Party (worth noting: he’s a self-proclaimed socialist and an Independent), and speaking out of the other, he urges his devout followers to “take over” the Democratic Party and to “take down” President Trump.

CNN reports:

Sanders to faithful: Take down Trump, take over Democratic Party

Bernie Sanders’ permanent “political revolution” rolled into Chicago on Saturday night, as the Vermont senator called on progressive activists gathered here to beat back President Donald Trump’s agenda while remaking the Democratic Party.

Speaking to a crowd of buzzing supporters in former President Barack Obama’s adopted hometown, Sanders ripped Trump’s “incredible hypocrisy” and called the President a demagogue who makes “even a very conservative president like George W. Bush” appealing in comparison.

. . . . “I am often asked by the media and others, ‘How did it come about that Donald Trump, the most unpopular presidential candidate in the modern history of our country, won the election?'” he offered teasingly as chants of “Bernie would have won” filled the hall.

This idea that “Bernie would have won” is still a closely-held fantasy on the regressive left.

Of course, we can never know for sure, but I find it hard to believe that Bernie, with his pro-socialist / anti-America platform, would have won Trump voters. Trump voters voted for America; Bernie is deeply and intensely opposed to all that America is and all that we aspire to be.

Bernie, whose socialist ideals are rooted in his life-long affiliation with socialism and communism, is building support among regressives.  Look no further than his supporters’ plan for a “People’s Party” for 2020, one that Bernie himself nominally rejects as a third party. At least for now. Instead, he urges his rabid fans, take over the Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party, however, isn’t going to sit back and be taken over without a fight.  Instead, they intend to “take over” the Bernie socialists and to mainstream much radical leftist ideology.

The key to their proposed victory over Bernie, Trump, and ultimately, America?  The same losing strategy Hillary rode all the way into the woods.

The Washington Examiner reports:

Democrats are hoping to capitalize on the anti-Trump excitement in their base by staging a coordinated “Summer of Resistance” across the country that’s aimed at countering the agenda of President Trump and the GOP-led Congress.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi kicked off the effort Wednesday at a rally in Dallas, where she told attendees Democrats would work to stop the GOP agenda and Trump.

Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, told the crowd, “You have to take a stand now,” and “Now is the time to help make a difference. There are so many things you can do.”

Democratic activists have been working almost since Trump’s election to coordinate opposition to the Republican agenda, which is focused primarily on overhauling the tax code and repealing and replacing Obamacare.

Establishment Democrats strive to appeal to the Bernie base, and part of that plan is tapping into what they believe to be massive anti-Trump resistance.

The Washington Examiner continues:

Democrats see a chance to tap into the energy of an excited base.

Democrats said they will coordinate events across the country targeting the GOP wish list, which is topped by the Obamacare repeal but also includes other legislation, including a right-to-work measure that would weaken labor unions that Pelosi called that plan “a path to exploitation.” Republicans are also pushing a budget that will likely curb spending and cut taxes. She labeled the budget “indecent.”

The “resistance” effort will primarily focus on stopping the Obamacare repeal, however. While the House managed to pass a bill, the Senate is struggling to agree on a measure. Passage is far from certain, and Democrats hope to sway Republicans against repealing the law.

“Right now our fight is to defeat the repeal of the Affordable Care Act,” Pelosi said, referring to the official name for the embattled healthcare law. “And that is part of the resistance.”

As always, though, the Pelosi Democrats fail to understand that they don’t define the “resistance” and are not calling the shots.  Attempting to absorb the “resistance” into the Democratic Party will not work because to the Bernie factions, the Democratic Party is part of the problem.

That said, the Bernie “resistance” revolution is not calling the shots, either.

Just as the Tea Party could not ultimately be integrated into the GOP, the Bernie revolution cannot be integrated into the Democratic Party.  There is one significant difference:  the Tea Party wanted only for the GOP to return to its stated principles; the Bernie revolution wants to remake the Democratic Party in the image of Stalin.  Will a more ambitious goal prove more achievable than the more modest ideological party realignment sought by the Tea Party?  That remains to be seen.

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