The Democratic Party Is Further to the Right Than Most Voters

This is critical for us to know. We all must be brave and wise enough to seek to understand and expose the shadow side of all that we're faced with. Otherwise the status quo which is killing us all will remain untouched. And we certainly have not arrived to 2 minutes from midnight on the Doomsday Clock all because of one political party and one president. Capitalism, neoliberalism, greed, ignorance, the propaganda of polarization, etc., etc. has been a threat to life on Earth for a very long time. Another world is possible! — Molly

By  Robert R. Raymond

Communists. Socialists. Subversive revolutionaries hell-bent on spreading their radical vision of Bolshevism into every nook and cranny of the country. This is the image of the modern Democratic Party you might have if your only source of news spews out from the frothing mouths of the right-wing punditry or from Donald Trump’s Twitter feed. But as many a disappointed Democratic Socialists of America member knows all too well, this characterization is, to say the least, not entirely accurate.

Perhaps a more proper depiction of the party might rein things in just a little. At least among those not steeped in the magical thinking of Fox and Friends, it probably wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows to suggest that the Democratic Party exists on the moderate left of the political spectrum. Of course, it’s a big tent, so one can imagine there would be a wide range of positions between Democratic Congress members — positions that might even cross the left-right axis from time to time. But, once you account for the outliers, surely the party represents at least the center-left dimension, right?

Well, as it turns out, neither of these depictions is accurate. The Democratic Party is certainly no bastion of the socialist left, but in fact, when it comes to some of the most pressing policy issues of the 21st century the Democratic Party leadership lies to the right not just of its base, but of the voting population in general.

Party Leaders Try to Water Down “Green New Deal”

Take climate change. The latest report from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that we have less than 12 years to enact “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society” in order to prevent a full-blown climate apocalypse. There are a number of milquetoast climate change policies that Democrats have considered over the years, but scientists say the only policy ambitious enough to avoid catastrophic climate change is the Green New Deal, a wide-ranging plan which has been in the works for decades and which was most recently proposed by self-described democratic socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), along with a number of key organizations such as the Sunrise Movement.   

The Green New Deal is a federal infrastructure and jobs plan that aims to ensure a just and rapid transition to a fully decarbonized economy within a decade. The plan outlines seven goals to be accomplished by 2030, including a move to 100 percent renewable energy, the building of a nationwide energy-efficient “smart grid,” the upgrading of infrastructure, and the elimination of greenhouse gas emissions.

Further, unlike the original New Deal enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s, the Green New Deal emphasizes the inclusion and empowerment of marginalized communities throughout this transition. The plan aims to provide all members of society from all communities with training, education and a green, living-wage job to every person who wants one.

When polled, 92 percent of registered Democratic voters say they support the Green New Deal. But perhaps more importantly, a full 81 percent of all registered voters support it — a number that includes both Republicans and Democrats.   

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