The Democratic Party need not fear Donald Trump as their number one obstacle to getting the White House back. Their biggest problem is reaching the dangerous tipping point over socialism and what it really stands for.
The American economy has grown nearly 3 per cent, poverty is down and the number of people employed is at a record high. It is not the best political climate to be singing the praises of socialism.
Yet among young people and a large part of Congress now, socialist sentiment is rising sharply and the “cool” way to be. What is mostly a fad in March 2019 may become the reality of the Democratic Party moving forward, like it or not.
Democratic Party Supports Socialism
In a recent Harvard-Harris Poll, 64 percent of registered voters said that the Democratic Party is supporting socialism. That is not a good sign. The perception of this could destroy the party’s image moving forward. Only about 27 per cent of people classify themselves as liberals.
Support For Capitalism
The very same poll showed that 65 per cent of Americans personally favor a capitalist system for America. There is a growing disconnect between the Democrats and the rest of the country. Yet a stunning 56 percent of new voters (18-24) back socialism.
Blame that on the failing education system or of college and post-college life in America today. Young people who have never paid taxes or experienced life with a job. In other words, living in the utopia of mom and dad’s basement.
Among just Democrats, 51 per cent say they would prefer socialism today for our country. And 57 percent of Democrats agree that their party is now socialist. Strangely, or maybe not, Asian-Americans are the single biggest minority group that reject socialism in large numbers.
The embodiment of the new socialist movement, the Green New Deal, has a lot of support among those who have heard about it. Some 48 per cent support it and 52 per cent oppose, while even more like the promise of guaranteed incomes and eliminating fossil fuels.
Track Record of Socialism
Most young people have no knowledge of the history of socialism. They have never heard of the Russian Revolution or how Venezuela descended into a socialist nightmare of dictatorship as a result of its turn to the left is largely unknown.
To say the Democratic Party needs to get back on the track is an understatement. The primary process is just beginning. Most Americans have been paying little attention up to this point. Wait until they get a whiff of Kamala Harris vowing to abolish ICE, cancel Columbus Day or child care for every American as Elizabeth Warren pledges. These liberal candidates promise free everything to the cost of the average taxpayer.
Wait until the electorate gets a whiff.
