Why You Shouldn't Trust the Democratic Party
A party without accountability that doesn't want a progressive agenda
The Democratic Party is often eager to market itself as the mainstream political party of choice for progressive voters. For those of us that want to see widely popular policies such as universal healthcare, free college, and a living wage for all workers implemented in the near future, we are herded into the Democratic tent. “Vote blue no matter who” is the frequent anthem of those who are interested in maintaining recent wins such as the right to gay marriage and access to gender-affirming healthcare, or preventing further rollbacks in reproductive rights after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. These are all deeply valid concerns. This is particularly true now that the Republican Party is under the spell of neo-fascism and illiberalism embodied by Trump and the Freedom Caucus.
However, the incrementalist approach of the Democratic Party can be quite maddening for those of us that would like to see these policies enacted in our lifetimes. Democrats have had ample opportunities, time and time again, to promote policies and candidates that would significantly benefit the working class now. Their refusal to take these opportunities, and listen to the needs of working-class voters, is likely the root cause of so many Democratic voters migrating to the GOP. (Democrats have had a very difficult time explaining the high incidence of Obama-Trump voters except to blame it on racist backlash to Obama, a narrative that is very unlikely.)
The blatant bias on behalf of the DNC for Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders in 2016, the refusal to adopt a $15 federal minimum wage in 2021 during the height of COVID, and the recent gaslighting about Joe Biden’s obvious cognitive decline are all examples of how the Democratic Party is out of touch with working-class voters, and is frequently completely unaccountable for its (domestic policy) failures. The Democratic Party has also stood aside as the most progressive members of the House of Representatives, such as Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush–who were among the first to correctly condemn Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza post the October 7th attack–have been pushed out of Congress due to foreign lobbying and redistricting.
The Institutional Bias Against Bernie Sanders in 2016
The Presidential election of 2016 holds a special place in my heart. I was exasperated at being only 17 and unable to vote. At the same time, I was giddy at the notion of electing our first female President. As a burgeoning high school debater, it was the first election where I felt like I actually understood the major issues and candidates. Trump was a minor concern, but mostly a joke. I was worried when he suddenly was able to beat out a crowded field to win the Republican presidential nomination, but trusted the polls that assured us that it would be a landslide, in favor of Clinton.
Then the electoral map began to light up in red. Clinton had lost despite winning three million more votes in the popular vote. What went wrong?
The sinking feeling in my gut told me that it was likely due to choosing the wrong Democratic presidential nominee. I was a Bernie Bro through and through, believing his platform of economic populism would be the best way to reach across the aisle and incentivize disillusioned voters. While I thought Sanders was better than Clinton, I wasn’t terribly upset with the notion of electing the first female President, and someone who seemed to be well-experienced in governance.
What I didn’t know at the time, being very new to electoral politics, was that Hillary Clinton was a historically unpopular candidate, along with Trump. She did not do better with any demographic (save for white college-educated women) compared to Obama. I clearly remember talking to my father, a white, college-educated man, about the 2016 election and his distaste for Clinton nearly pushed him to vote for Trump. I insisted that voting for Trump was a wasted vote, and he agreed, but I was taken aback that Clinton was so unpalatable that the alternative was even a consideration. This seemed to be a microcosm of how many voters were feeling at the time.
Clinton openly described herself as a moderate, despite her campaign officials insisting that she was truly a progressive. At the time, anti-establishment sentiment was quite high among the public. With Trump’s posture as an “outsider” and his many promises to drain the swamp, while Sanders promised to tax the top 1% of earners and break the chokehold of the elite on politics, Clinton’s messaging failed to land. Her ties to big banks such Goldman Sachs and the last-minute FBI probe into her private email server (that yielded nothing) surely did not help her appeal, either.
If Clinton was so unsuited for the political moment, one might ask, then why did she ultimately receive the nomination? She did win the nomination through the primary process. But many observers claim that she was benefitting from an obvious bias from the DNC, which also treated any non-Clinton candidate as unserious and not deserving of attention. These sentiments were confirmed after a large amount of DNC emails were leaked on Wikileaks. The Clinton campaign also exerted an unusual amount of control over the DNC up to a year before she formally received the nomination; some observers even accused the Clinton campaign of using the DNC to “money launder,” and much of the funds promised for down-ballot races in various states went to Clinton’s campaign instead. The debate schedule was sparse, denying Sanders exposure.
To top it off, Clinton had won the “invisible primary” years before, shoring up support as early as 2013.
“The term “invisible primary” refers to the attempts by important elements of each major party — mainly elites and interest groups — to anoint a presidential nominee before the voting even begins. [...]
Essentially, party insiders — elected officials, donors, interest groups, activists, and political staffers — are attempting to individually decide who they want their nominee to be, and often to coordinate with others in the party. These insider deliberations take place in private conversations with each other and with the potential candidates, and eventually in public declarations of who they’re choosing to endorse, donate to, or work for.”
Prokop, Andrew. The invisible primary: Can party elites pick a nominee before anyone votes? Vox. 29 Dec 2014. https://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7450793/invisible-primary
There is nothing illegal or even necessarily unethical for a political party to engage in an “invisible primary.” However, as Ezra Klein astutely points out, coming to a similar conclusion at Vox, “coronation is not a good look for anyone.” Clearing the field inadvertently gave more backing to Sander’s message of elites rigging electoral politics in their favor. Moreover, while party elites were eager to lock in Clinton as the nominee years prior, it was incredibly arrogant to make assumptions so far ahead of a general election, without considering the moods of voters and what issues they truly cared about. This is precisely why Clinton felt so unsuited for the political moment in 2016. The flawed calculations of the Democrats–banking on vague messages of change and identity politics instead of concrete economic proposals like free college or a $15 minimum wage–led to a disastrous Trump presidency.
The Refusal to Adopt a $15 Federal Minimum Wage in 2021
One of the easiest ways to materially improve the lives of workers across the country would be to increase the federal minimum wage. While only 1% of workers make the current federal wage, which is $7.25 an hour, a minimum wage increase would benefit as many as “1 in 4 workers—nearly 40 million—and lead to an annual wage increase as large as $8,000 for some of the lowest-wage workers,” according to the Center for American Progress in July 2023.
Unfortunately, the promise of a $15 minimum wage that Biden campaigned on has failed to come into fruition. It appeared as if a minimum wage increase was on the horizon when Congress was deliberating on passing the 2021 American Rescue Plan (the stimulus package), but the provision was suddenly eliminated by the Senate parliamentarian. The parliamentarian claimed that the $15 minimum wage increase broke the rules of budget reconciliation, which allowed the Senate to pass the bill with a simple majority (50 votes) versus surmounting the usual filibuster (60 votes). She claimed that the provision had to be removed to prevent potential abuses of the budget reconciliation process, in case either party tried to pass major legislative policy that was irrelevant to the budget.
While this may seem like an ironclad ruling, it certainly was not. The parliamentarian can be overruled and even ousted by the Senate if it disagrees with their findings, as it did with Robert B. Dove in 2001. Several analysts covering the ruling acknowledged that the Senate could elect to ignore the parliamentarian, but the Senate chose not to. Even Democrats were upset with the decision, feeling like the minimum wage increase was set up for failure by the Biden administration:
“Some Democrats groused privately on Thursday night that [...] Mr. Biden’s public admission this month that he did not think the wage increase would survive, gave Ms. MacDonough [the Senate parliamentarian] the “permission structure” to essentially kill the proposal, according to one Democratic aide who described their thinking on the condition of anonymity.”
Cochrane, Emily. Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan. The New York Times. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/us/politics/federal-minimum-wage.html
Fast forward to 2024, and we have not come any closer to passing a $15 minimum wage, despite Biden’s campaign promises. It is difficult to believe the Democrats will stick to their guns despite controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress in 2021, and still failing to pass a simple measure that would have massively improved the lives of many Americans. So it is difficult to dismiss voters who are now leaning towards Trump, when they have not seen any improvement in their economic prospects under Biden. (To be clear, this blog does not endorse Trump or any of his policies; Trump is extremely dangerous and unfit to serve. However, the failure of the Democrats to retain working-class voters created the specter of Trump.)
The Gaslighting of Voters in Regards to Joe Biden’s Cognitive Decline & Re-Electability
Finally, and perhaps the most galling recent betrayal of voters by the Democratic Party, is the cover-up of President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, which was exposed by the Presidential debate on June 27, 2024. This is particularly infuriating after the suppression of a competitive Democratic primary in the face of historic unpopularity on Biden’s part.
From the outset, many voters were upset with the insistence by party elites that Biden should be the nominee. There was deep anxiety and discontent about another Biden-Trump match-up, and polls showed that a majority of voters wanted alternate nominees to avoid another depressing election cycle. ABC News reported in May 2023 that 68% of voters thought Biden was too old to run for re-election.
While Biden never necessarily made a public pledge to be a one-term President, much of his messaging was clear: “I view myself as a transition candidate,” he was quoted as saying during an April 2020 fundraiser. At another event, with Kamala Harris at his side, he also said, “I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else.” Harris’ nomination felt like an implicit nod to many voters that she would be the next President, considering Biden’s advanced age. Politico reported in December 2019 that “it is virtually inconceivable that he will run for reelection in 2024,” according to several sources who spoke regularly with Biden. They feared that running for a second term “could turn him into a lame duck and sap him of his political capital.” Unfortunately, Biden quickly changed course after getting elected, which has ultimately manifested his advisers’ fears into reality.
In addition, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) refused to hold primary debates, despite the fact that there were viable candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination, including Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Marianne Williamson. (For the record: incumbent Presidents typically do not participate in debates when running for re-election. However, in the face of massive unpopularity and desire for another nominee, it would have been prudent to listen to voters much earlier.) Representative Phillips in particular was alienated by many of his colleagues, who were in disbelief that he would step out of line to challenge Biden.
Biden has always had a stutter, and it’s impossible to be in the public eye as much as he is without the occasional gaffe. However, there have been many moments that demonstrated something more was happening. He began to ramble during meetings or press events, often telling bizarre stories, or confusing people who were present. He appeared to zone out, struggled to keep up with other world leaders (see the China/US summit held in California), or trip down stairs and over other objects. CNN reported that sources described meetings with Biden as “not free-wheeling, and pretty well-orchestrated.” In the same reporting, a Cabinet secretary even told CNN that they did not know about Biden’s current condition because the meetings are so infrequent and rare. Axios reported that Biden’s public events have to be scheduled within a 10am-4pm timeframe, otherwise he may not be “dependably engaged.”
Republicans have been on the record insisting Biden is too old and on the decline for many months now. While it is warranted to take Republicans insulting Biden’s mental acuity with a grain of salt, it is even more concerning to witness the White House engaging in classic PR-style damage control to ensure Democratic lawmakers stay in line with their narrative, instead of telling the public the truth:
“The White House kept close tabs on some of The Wall Street Journal’s interviews with Democratic lawmakers. After the offices of several Democrats shared with the White House either a recording of the interview or details about what was asked, some of those lawmakers spoke to the Journal a second time and once again emphasized Biden’s strengths.
“They just, you know, said that I should give you a call back,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, referring to the White House.”
Linskey, Annie. Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping. The Wall Street Journal. 04 Jun 2024. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/joe-biden-age-election-2024-8ee15246
CNN also reported similarly:
“That [anonymous] Democrat was blunt about how the president’s closest advisers have responded to any criticism or concerns expressed about the president – including his age and fitness: “Everyone who expresses any level of suspicion or contrary views? They call everyone and they beat the s*** out of them and say: ‘Stay on message.’”
Lee, MJ, et. al. Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline. CNN. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/joe-biden-age-decline-democrats-angry/index.html
Perhaps the most damning evidence of the cover-up is how much Biden is shielded from the press. He has done less formal news conferences than every preceding President except Reagan and Nixon. Biden seems to prefer more casual environments with talk show hosts or internet influencers, and often limits exchanges with reporters to a few minutes while they shout questions at him (many of which he elects to ignore or respond with one- or two-word answers). While his team insists that this is due to the changing nature of the information ecosystem, and that voters rely increasingly less and less on major newspapers, it is undeniable that keeping the press at arm’s length makes it much easier to hide his cognitive decline. According to CNN in July 2024, ““It’s not like Biden’s inner circle didn’t know this,” one Democratic strategist close to the White House said of the extent of the president’s recent decline.”
Now, voters are stuck with the nominee of Vice President Kamala Harris and appear to be even less enthusiastic about her match-up with Trump. Many voters feel like the sudden switch was rather undemocratic, and further proof that the Democratic Party does what it wants with impunity, rather than listening to what voters are asking for in the first place. The Democrats are engaging in an incredibly risky strategy that has caused them to lose more and more working-class voters, particularly young men and people of color.
Okay, Your Arguments are Flawless and You’ve Convinced Me that the Democratic Party Can’t be Trusted. Now What?
Why, thank you! (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ Vote for third-party candidates whenever possible, particularly at the state and local levels. Pay attention to what happens in your town or city, and your state. This is difficult and often dispiriting work, but it’s important that we, as citizens and residents of this country, are always politically engaged. (Subscribing to this newsletter is a good way to start! I promise it gets easier! :)
More concretely: if you are concerned with seeing progressive policies passed in your lifetime, like free college, guaranteed affordable housing, or universal healthcare, I believe that working with the Green Party, the Peace & Freedom Party (if you’re in California), or the Party for Socialism & Liberation are all viable alternatives with solid records of activism and concrete electoral strategies.
My heart lies with the Green Party (no surprise for anyone who knows me personally), and I will write more as to why I subjectively think they would be the most efficient use of your time. We should be supportive of all minor political parties that are interested in enacting progressive policies, and stop assuming that the Democratic Party is our only option. Even if you don’t vote for one of their candidates for President in 2024 or 2028, there is a lot of ground to be gained just at the state and local levels.
Sources
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Cohn, Nate. The Obama-Trump Voters Are Real. Here’s What They Think. The New York Times. 15 Aug 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/upshot/the-obama-trump-voters-are-real-heres-what-they-think.html?smid=url-share
McGreal, Chris. Cori Bush loses primary after pro-Israel groups spend millions to oust ‘Squad’ member. The Guardian. 06 Aug 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/06/missouri-cori-bush-primary-bell-aipac-israel
Zogby, James J. A Deep Dive Into The Bowman Loss. Arab American Institute. 01 Jul 2024. https://www.aaiusa.org/library/a-deep-dive-into-the-bowman-loss
The Institutional Bias Against Bernie Sanders in 2016
Crossover1370. “2016 U.S. presidential election margins.svg.” Wikimedia, 18 Aug 2019, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2016_U.S._presidential_election_margins.svg.
Yglesias, Matthew. What really happened in 2016, in 7 charts. Vox. 18 Sep 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/18/16305486/what-really-happened-in-2016
Merica, Dan. Clinton ‘pleads guilty’ to being a moderate. CNN. 10 Sep 2015. https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/politics/hillary-clinton-democrat-progressive/index.html
Roberts, Dan. Why Hillary Clinton lost the election: the economy, trust and a weak message. The Guardian. 9 Nov 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/hillary-clinton-election-president-loss
White, Ben. What Clinton said in her paid speeches. Politico. 09 Feb 2016. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/clinton-speeches-218969
Beech, Eric. Clinton email probe finds no deliberate mishandling of classified information. Reuters. 19 Oct 2019. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/clinton-email-probe-finds-no-deliberate-mishandling-of-classified-information-idUSKBN1WY0K9/
Shear, Michael D. and Rosenberg, Matthew. Released Emails Suggest the D.N.C. Derided the Sanders Campaign. The New York Times. 22 Jul 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/us/politics/dnc-emails-sanders-clinton.html
Brazile, Donna. Inside Hillary Clinton’s Secret Takeover of the DNC. Politico Magazine. 02 Nov 2017. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/11/02/clinton-brazile-hacks-2016-215774/
Vogel, Kenneth P. and Arnsdorf, Isaac. Clinton fundraising leaves little for state parties. Politico. 02 May 2016. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/04/clinton-fundraising-leaves-little-for-state-parties-222670
Klein, Rick. In Secret Letter, Senate Democratic Women Rally Behind Hillary Clinton. ABC News. 30 Oct 2013. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/10/in-secret-letter-senate-democratic-women-rally-behind-hillary-clinton
Prokop, Andrew. The invisible primary: Can party elites pick a nominee before anyone votes? Vox. 29 Dec 2014. https://www.vox.com/2014/12/29/7450793/invisible-primary
Klein, Ezra. Was the Democratic primary rigged? Vox. 14 Nov 2017. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged
The Refusal to Adopt a $15 Federal Minimum Wage in 2021
Blue, Fibonacci. “Dinkytown minimum wage march-Raise the minimum wage protesters at a McDonalds restaurant.jpg.” Wikimedia, 15 Apr. 2015, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dinkytown_minimum_wage_march-Raise_the_minimum_wage_protesters_at_a_McDonalds_restaurant.jpg.
Khattar, Rose, et al. Raising the Minimum Wage Would Be an Investment in Growing the Middle Class. Center for American Progress. 20 Jul 2023. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/raising-the-minimum-wage-would-be-an-investment-in-growing-the-middle-class/
Cochrane, Emily. Top Senate Official Disqualifies Minimum Wage From Stimulus Plan. The New York Times. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/25/us/politics/federal-minimum-wage.html
Rosenbaum, David E. Rules Keeper Is Dismissed By Senate, Official Says. The New York Times. 08 May 2001. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/08/us/rules-keeper-is-dismissed-by-senate-official-says.html
Zhou, Li. The $15 minimum wage is effectively dead — for now. Vox. 25 Feb 2021. https://www.vox.com/2021/2/25/22299034/15-dollar-minimum-wage-senate-parliamentarian
The Gaslighting of Voters in Regards to Joe Biden’s Cognitive Decline & Re-Electability
The White House. “President Biden speaks with Cancer Cabinet.jpg.” Wikimedia, 13 Sept. 2023, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:President_Biden_speaks_with_Cancer_Cabinet.jpg.
Anand, Vijay. Joe Biden is currently the most unpopular US president in modern history — what ails his presidency? CNBC TV 18. 11 Dec 2023. https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/joe-biden-is-currently-the-most-unpopular-us-president-in-modern-history--what-ails-his-presidency-18536391.htm
McHugh, Calder. Voters Don’t Want a Biden-Trump Rematch. This is Why. Politico. 20 Dec 2023. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/20/biden-trump-2024-presidential-race-no-one-wants-00132791
Kim, Seung Min and Sanders, Linley. Few U.S. adults want a Biden-Trump rematch in 2024, AP-NORC poll shows. PBS News. 14 Dec 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/few-u-s-adults-want-a-biden-trump-rematch-in-2024-ap-norc-poll-shows
Langer, Gary. Broad doubts about Biden’s age and acuity spell Republican opportunity in 2024: POLL. ABC News. 06 May 2023. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/broad-doubts-bidens-age-acuity-spell-republican-opportunity/story?id=99109308
Krakauer, Steve. Did Biden break a ‘one term’ pledge? The Hill. 13 Jun 2024. https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4718993-did-biden-break-his-one-term-pledge/
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Rosen, Jacob. Why Dean Phillips' primary challenge against Biden failed. CBS News. 06 Mar 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dean-phillips-2024-campaign-challenge-against-biden-failed/
Samuels, Brett. Biden mistakenly calls Egyptian leader ‘president of Mexico’. The Hill. 08 Feb 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/4457527-biden-mistakenly-calls-egyptian-leader-president-of-mexico/
Smith, David. Gaffes, stumbles and missteps – for Biden, the cracks were showing. The Guardian. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jul/11/biden-nato-summit-sketch
Plummer, Kate. Video of Joe Biden Appearing to Freeze at Juneteenth Event Raises Questions. Newsweek. 11 Jun 2024. https://www.newsweek.com/joe-biden-freeze-video-juneteenth-event-white-house-questions-republicans-rnc-1911050
Lee, MJ, et. al. Angry and stunned Democrats blame Biden’s closest advisers for shielding public from full extent of president’s decline. CNN. 11 Jul 2024. https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/joe-biden-age-decline-democrats-angry/index.html
See moment Biden trips and falls at Air Force Academy commencement. CNN. 01 Jun 2023. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2023/06/01/biden-trips-graduation-ceremony-air-force-academy-alvarez-nc-vpx.cnn
Thompson, Alex. Two Joe Bidens: The night America saw the other one. Axios. 29 Jun 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/06/29/two-bidens-trump-debate-2024-president
Linskey, Annie. Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping. The Wall Street Journal. 04 Jun 2024. https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/joe-biden-age-election-2024-8ee15246
Kight, Stef W. Biden's media evasion. Axios. 03 Jul 2024. https://www.axios.com/2024/07/04/biden-media-interviews-press-data
Shear, Michael D. Biden Has Held the Fewest News Conferences Since Reagan. Any Questions? The New York Times. 21 Apr 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/us/politics/biden-public-appearances-media.html
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