Problems with the Democrat Party

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By Tyler Carpenter | Staff Writer

The Democratic Party is eating away at itself. Here’s why.

The Democrat Party has decided to take on the little guys, the minority groups. By doing so they have given home to many issues that are heavily discussed in the political discourse of this country. The only problem is that by housing so many groups and views, at some point there are going to be conflicting beliefs which will make those who are part of the Democrat Party leave. So in what ways are they eating themselves?

The first thing that is happening is the Democrat Party is slowly being split into two parties. The first party is those who follow Bernie Sanders and his very far-left beliefs. These progressives tend to focus on class issues and will be demanding the minimum wage to go up to $15. This party works well for the Democrats because it resonates with everyday people who are trying to survive every day life.

The second party is those who followed Hillary Clinton’s liberal beliefs who place identity politics at the height of their platform. Identity Politics aim is to make voters think of themselves as separate minorities such as: women, LGBTQ, Black, Hispanic, etc. This is the party that will see the collapse of the DNC.

The problem with the way Democrats use identity politics is that at times it pits two groups against each other.  “Democrats depict every identity constituency as being victimized by every other one, setting themselves at each other’s heels,” says Michael Hudson in an article titled, “Is this the end of the Democratic Party?”

For example, in an article done by the Huffington Post, it said that when talking about whether men and women should have equal rights, 87% of Democrats answered “yes” and this was attributed to feminist beliefs. What is interesting however is that for those who identify with feminism, may struggle with the issue of transgenderism. Kara Dansky, a senior counsel at nation office of the ACLU, said that “if we define sex, under Title IX, to mean gender identity, what we’re essentially saying is that ‘women and girl’ can mean anyone who self-identifies as ‘women and girl,’ which makes the category ‘women and girls’ meaningless as a category.”

Because of these two conflicting beliefs of feminism and transgerism, it would be hard for someone to remain with a party that does not relate to their political stances. These conflicting issues can be seen all throughout the Democrat Party.

Ultimately, because the Democrat Party has taken on all of these issues, it’s getting harder and harder for their voters to relate on identity politic issues when the many of them want security of jobs and living standards. Stephanie Cutter, former Deputy Campaign Manager for President Obama in 2012, said, “We have to find a way to break through on the issues that matter to them. And, primarily, that’s how we can improve their daily economic life.” This was in response to what the Democrat Party can do going forward and why they lost the 2016 election. What Cutter came to the conclusion was that the Democrat party needs to be “relevant to the American People,” and quite frankly it hasn’t been doing that.

John Nichols in his article “The Democratic Party Must Finally Abandon Centrism,” said that the party does need to change. “Democrats cannot simply say ‘no’ to Donald Trump; they must provide a clear and coherent progressive alternative,” he says.  This attitude of “no” can be seen during President Trump’s address to congress in which Democrats did not stand or applaud when Trump brought up “America First,” “Military,” Unite the Nation,” or “Job Creation.” Rather than just say “no,” create solutions, otherwise this attitude will drive moderate voters away.

All in all, if the Democrat Party is going to stay alive, it needs to find a away to connect with voters who experience every day issues such as jobs, caring for their children, and thinking about their economic future. If the party continues to delve in identity politics, it’s only going to split the party more and more until eventually the party has disintegrated and lost it’s own identity.

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