Current State of the Democratic Party - a response

Dear reader, You should go read this so this response makes sense. Thanks!

 Points taken. Now counterpoint.

The Republican Party is currently an ideological outlier, “the most extreme party coalition since the Civil War.” Their crusade against “socialism” echos the ancient fears of the John Birch Society railing against communism and the USSR, neither of which have any relevance to the current political environment.

Indeed, fear-mongering “socialism” is a terrible way to develop policies for governance and is mostly a deflection away from the agenda of the current Republican Party. Do a quick check of your family and friends, especially if they are baby boomers. How many of them enjoy the benefits of Social Security and Medicare? How many of them enjoy clean water and sewer systems, roads, weather reporting, the internet, the benefits of public education, and medicines and vaccines that keep us healthy? (This is a very brief list of the benefits of good governance.) These government programs have contributed to the quality of life we, as citizens of this country, have learned to expect and enjoy. This is part of our Freedom! Democrats will always support the expansion of these freedoms to everyone in this country.

The Green New Deal and Medicare for All are supported by Democrats and offer a vision for the future. No one left behind. Period.

Open borders, gun confiscation, late-term abortion, and the “abyss of socialism” are radical right-wing constructs, false representations of these significant and complicated issues. The current GOP is adding a layer of extremism and raw emotion to these issues. This makes it very difficult to talk about them much less develop coherent policy, again obscuring their agenda. 

The economy? Good for a few, not so good for the many. Minimum wage? Good for the many, not so much for the few. Standing on the world stage: Ignoring historical alliances, plunging the Middle East into chaos, cozying up to autocrats and dictators around the world, working hard to isolate America from its Global partners?  Leadership by tweet? Not exactly a show of strength and confidence.

I agree that the Democratic Party seems radical in comparison to the Republican Party, but it’s because the GOP has gone so far to the right. When referring to the Democratic Party as extreme, remember that the exact opposite has occurred.