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Big Tent
(Editor’s note: Robert Harris, a lifelong Democrat offers his view of the Democratic party following this week’s primary elections in New York. Harris through retired actively follows the political world.)
The best I can tell there are two Democratic Socialists currently serving in the US House. One is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York and the other is Rashida Talib from Michigan.
There have been a couple few others who liked to call themselves Democratic Socialists like Summer Lee of PA and Greg Casar of Texas. I am sure there have been others.
Also, I know of only the two New Yorkers who have run and won with a Democratic Socialist label behind their name. If these folks win in the fall, they will make up a party of four Members of Congress out of a 535 elected Members of the United States Congress. That is a James Bond like number; .007 percent.
I don’t think these four folks will either save or destroy America.
The rest of the Democratic Party, including it’s leadership needs to speak up and speak out about what America is. And, what the Democratic Party is. The way I see the Democratic Party, it is a broad and deep party. It is tent revival made up of men and women from all walks of life and all regions of the country gathering in service to community, county, state and nation.
The Party has an agenda. That list of issues is long and covers much ground. Democrats are for a more affordable, more even-handed society:
- better, more affordable and available housing for all in all communities (urban, suburban, exurban and rural)
- available and affordable health care and health insurance
- higher wages for the working class
- cheaper food prices
- better conditions (economic and otherwise) for farmers and ranchers and communities that support thempreserving SNAP and like nutrition program
- more opportunities for younger people entering the workplace
- cheaper and more available energy alternatives — not a dependence on outdated resourcesa clean and heathy environment
- immigration policies that do not punish people for wanting to come to America
- treating the rich and powerful with respect but demanding they put their fair share of wealth on the table toomight we call that the Epstein Class
- the rich must be held accountable as well as the rest of us
Democrats have already run or will run hundreds of candidates for office this primary season. So far, there have been two in New York win. I don’t personally know how many Democratic Socialists have run for office and run under the Democratic banner in their primary. The number that is important only two have won. Those folks are from New York City — a place unlike any other place in America. It is worshipped and loathed depending on who you are and what your believe. It is the center of commerce, investment and banking in the United States. There are 8.6 stories in the “Naked City .” And, two of these are getting all the attention of Republicans across the land.
Democrats can win and will win if they run conservatives/moderates in conservative areas, moderates in moderate areas and liberal/moderates in those more liberal areas. That is how Democrats became a big-tent party. Democrats must learn and practice respect when it comes to accepting others with differing political views.
Democrats need to be the polar opposite of these Trumpist Republicans. Democrats need not campaign against other Democrats because they hold differing views. Democrats need to let Democrats be Democrats, no matter where they are from. If Democrats run a liberal or progressive in a moderate or conservative area they are going to lose. What good is the Party doing by losing? What good is the party doing to achieve the agenda from above, if the Party is running candidates with no chance of winning.?
Let’s do two things. Let’s talk about how many Democrats ARE NOT Democratic Socialists. Then let’s talk about what the Trumpists have done to our government, to our norms and institutions, to our rights.
THE CHALLENGES FROM TWO DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS ARE SIMPLE AND TINY COMPARED TO WHAT THIS REPUBLICAN PARTY TODAY HAS DONE TO THIS GREAT COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Think people!! This is a country of “We the People.” We the People can elected liberals or progressives in areas that are liberal and progressive. We the People can elect moderates (of either party) in areas that are neither dogmatically liberal or conservative. And, We the People can elect conservatives (also of either party) in areas that are conservative.
According to With Honor Action there are over 750 veterans running for federal office this year. This is nearly a 50 percent increase over the numbers of veterans who ran for office just two years ago.
Just under half of these 752 candidates have run or are running as Republicans. Thirty-five (35) percent are seeking office as Democrats and another 13 percent are running as Independents or a thirty-party.
Ninety-five (95) of these candidates are women.
This neither a Red wave or Blue wave, neither a Democratic wave or a Republican wave or a liberal wave or a conservative wave. It is a signal among those of us who have served our country in the military are looking for ways to continue to serve with honor and strength of character.
I think this speaks highly of who and what America is even in times where each day it gets more and more difficult to define America and our place in the world.
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