Democrats need to get real to beat Trump in 2020
As a conservative, I probably should hope that the progressive gobbledygook coming from many of the 23 Democratic presidential candidates survives the primaries and leads to a Democratic candidate hopelessly out of step with voters in 2020.
Nonetheless, at the risk of providing Democratic hopefuls with a path to beat President Trump in 2020, here are some steps candidates could take to appeal to the majority of their own party and to independents, both of whom progressive activists have abandoned.
Forget impeachment
The vast majority of voters accept the Mueller Report’s finding that there was no Russian collusion. Mueller had extensive, unfettered access to White House staff, so obstruction of justice is a non-starter.
Like puppies refusing to let go of a sock, Democratic representatives are firing off subpoenas and contempt of Congress citations for purely political purposes without legitimate legislative or oversight justification. Trump would win in the court of public opinion with Democrats appearing petty and vindictive. Give it up and move on.
Abandon identity politics
Here’s Democrats’ identity politics in a nutshell: You are victim of discrimination if you are anything other than a straight white male. Appeals to voters are based on victimhood with divisive accusations such as “white privilege” and “toxic masculinity” thrown out against Republicans in general and straight white males in particular.
Is empty symbolism like demanding destruction of Confederate monuments and reparations for slavery the best Democrats can do? The plight of poor and crime-ridden inner cities is a monument to failed poverty and social programs from decades past. The country doesn’t need new programs; it needs an honest look at what can be done to improve the ones we have. Democrats should be at the forefront of that process.
Drop the Green New Deal
The Green New Deal is nothing more than a socialist manifesto. It is technologically and financially impossible: Its goals can’t be achieved in its 10-year window, if ever, and require battery technology that doesn’t exist today, even in the lab. From a political perspective, it’s a loser for Democrats. Pretend this turkey never existed.
Stop promising free stuff
How many voters are likely to support guaranteed income for people who don’t work, free college, and dumping student debt on taxpayers? Proposals like these target specific voter groups and play well in primaries where motivated progressive activists form a large voter bloc.
Trump will have the Democratic candidate for lunch if his opponent’s primary campaign endorsed foolishness like this.
Fix health insurance
Medicare for All has an attractive name, but it’s poison inside. Putting aside its 10-year, $32 trillion price tag, requiring 150 million Americans to give up their employer-provided health care is a loser. Seventy-one percent of employees are satisfied with their health insurance and don’t trust government to improve their health care.
Instead, Dems should propose universal catastrophic coverage for all Americans. That would eliminate the fear of being left destitute by lengthy and expensive medical conditions and would be far less expensive.
Support bipartisan immigration reform
That we have a crisis at our southern border is obvious to all responsible observers. Democratic candidates should focus on constructive solutions rather than bad-mouthing Trump and proposing to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Granting a path to Dreamers, those brought to this country illegally as children, is supported by a large majority of Americans. Start there, compromise on a little more of the wall, and revitalize our guest worker program. Don’t be afraid to do the right thing for fear of appearing to give Trump a victory.
Recognize both sides of the abortion issue
Democrats need to acknowledge that the country is evenly divided on this issue and has been for decades. There are significant numbers of pro-life Democrats. But as the New York Times points out, they are being silenced by the party’s pro-choice activists.
The most recent example: Earlier this month, Joe Biden reaffirmed his longtime support of the Hyde amendment prohibiting federal funding of abortion, then flipped to opposition when he took flak from party activists and other presidential contenders.
Democrats pride themselves as the diverse, big-tent party yet insist that all their candidates must fit into their very narrow policy tent. Emma Green, writing in the liberal Atlantic Magazine, points out that “going all in” on abortion rights could cost the 2020 Democratic nominee.
Activist progressives need to realize that they’ve left the vast body of American voters behind in their relentless lurch to the left. If extreme left-wing policy prescriptions form the basis of the party’s 2020 platform, any hope of beating Trump may well depend entirely on the economy.
Since 1900, five of six incumbent presidents seeking reelection lost if the country had a recession in the preceding two years. All 12 recession-free incumbents were reelected.
Politics is the art of the possible. Many of today’s progressive proposals are not. Democrats need to get real or buckle up for four more years of Trump along with another new Supreme Court justice or two.
The viewpoints expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Independent.
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Don’t worry your pointed little head, Howard.
Trump has already beaten himself. And it’s blatantly obvious that you DID NOT read the Mueller Report nor did you listen to him when he said, “After the investigation, if we had confidence that the president did not clearly commit a crime, we would have said so.”
What part of that do you not understand? Just because Dear Leader wasn’t outright convicted of collusion does not mean other crimes weren’t committed. As well, a sitting president cannot be indicted. Which, in and of itself, is one of the most moronic laws ever created. The president is not above the law.
But, fear not. Trump has defeated himself. Take a look at what he’s gone and done since those poll numbers leaked showing him getting his a s s handed to him by the likes of (ugh!) Joe Biden. JOE BIDEN for crying out loud. Trump is toast. Dems will campaign as usual but they really don’t have to do much to win at this point. This current presidency is a total disaster and it won’t be hard to vote him out. Almost anyone is better than the laughing stock we have right now.