The Failures of the Democratic Party Cannot Be Ignored

Only an authentically working-class, diverse, younger (though not ageist) party can effectively challenge this fascist, oligarchic regime and its cronies

We’re living in excruciating times of suffering and uncertainty, faced daily with absurdities that would be almost comical were they not life and death threats for so many and potentially existential threats to us all (i.e. anthropogenic global climate change). The people given the highest political and legal authority in the land are self-serving sociopaths and megalomaniacal narcissists unconcerned with the well-being or even survival of any but them and theirs.

While this is not a state of affairs with which we as Americans are entirely unfamiliar, the risk of total collapse is more heightened and immediate as our late-stage capitalist system reaches at least a somewhat unprecedented (in modern times) crescendo of cruelty. Like a ruthless predator facing its potential demise, the Eurocentric, white supremacist, patriarchal elitist power structure is fighting more fiercely than it has in at least a century to hold on to power until there’s nothing left to rule.

It is the unique responsibility in our two-party dominant system for the opposition party organization, in this case the Democratic Party, to vociferously oppose the entities like the Republicans, who in this duopoly are the party that has gone off the rails and is prepared to abandon any semblance of democracy this nation has ever known for autocratic tyranny they believe will serve their interests and suppress or destroy those they view as foes. The Democrats have paid lip service to providing this opposition and have occasionally acted with the urgency and ferocity required, but have otherwise been total failures in this crucial effort. Why?

One reason is a blind allegiance to the nation of Israel. Israel is and has been actively committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and yet Democrats cannot bring themselves to demand an arms embargo, an end to all military aid, and an effort to force (as only the United States can do) an end to the genocide and apartheid. Whether motivated by religion (so-called “Judeo-Christian” loyalties), ethnicity, money, political preservation (the threat of AIPAC-funded opposition), geopolitical concerns, Western hegemonic dominance in the region, some combination of these or something else entirely, the Democrats cannot put aside these concerns and see Palestinians and other Arab Peoples as fellow human beings worthy of life, safety, health and freedom, with valid historical claims to territories stolen from them.

Another reason for the failures of the party is capitulation to nativist and xenophobic views on immigration. Whether these views are shared by Democratic officeholders sincerely or not, they are willing to kowtow to right-wing demands for greater levels of border enforcement and greater resources for entities like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and have even acquiesced to a certain amount of wall construction on the Southern border.

They speak often of immigration reform and making migrating to this country easier and cheaper so as to disincentivize undocumented migration, yet they have never used majorities like they enjoyed in the first two years of President Obama’s first term to make it happen. Their rhetoric echoes Republican talking points on security and crime rather than promoting due process in immigration courts, humane living conditions for the undocumented who are detained, and support of foreign policy initiatives that will help make migrant nations of origin places would-be migrants feel they can remain with a good quality of life.

As with American policy regarding Israel, American complicity in making whole nations and regions of the world unstable and less habitable is almost never acknowledged by Democrats, at least not consistently and meaningfully. These nations and regions need economic help that doesn’t come with unbearable strings attached. They need help with food security, healthcare, education, climate change adaptation and mitigation and more—often because U.S. and other Western foreign policy following European colonialism and during and after the global Cold War has left them drastically exploited, inescapably indebted and struggling under Western-favored dictatorial regimes.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The third and final reason I’ll discuss for Democratic Party failures (this is far from an exhaustive list) is a focus on meritocracy over economic and social justice, equity and genuine class struggle. A single mother working three jobs to support five children, for example, doesn’t want to be told the party is concerned for her solely or even primarily because she’s willing to work herself to death, literally. As both anecdote and empirical evidence should have informed the Democratic Party by now, people in situations like these want employment that pays a surviving or, better yet, thriving wage; they want affordable healthcare and retirement options that aren’t tied to employment; they want quality educational opportunities for themselves and their children beyond standard k-12 schooling (both before and after) that aren’t lifelong debt traps or out-of-pocket expense nightmares.

Enough already with what’s known in many circles as the Protestant work ethic. Enough with immiseration being a badge of honor. Working-class people want to work to live, not live to work, same as anyone else. We want so-called “down time” to be treated and thought of as responsible, gratifying living that enhances health and longevity instead of slothfulness and uselessness. We’re tired of hearing the same worn out arguments about “able-bodied adults without dependents” and whether or not surf and turf should be covered by SNAP benefits. We’re tired of policies of rugged individualist toil and struggle for those below a certain wealth and income level but endless bailouts and socialization of risks for the wealthiest and most well-to-do.

Free school lunches should not be thought of as “handouts.” Handouts are things like billions in annual subsidies for fossil fuels companies that are the most profitable corporate entities in the history of the world. Plundering the assets of someone who has simply aged or otherwise become disabled because they need to live in an assisted living or skilled nursing facility instead of caring for them while still allowing them to pass at least certain assets on to family or others is a travesty. Republicans are constantly trying to eliminate the estate tax after labeling it the “death tax” no matter how large an estate is, but if you have a couple hundred thousand in the bank after a lifetime of work and have to go into a care facility, well tough shit. Why aren’t Democrats vocally opposed to this consistently and with gusto?

Democrats have had chances to expand and protect voting rights. They blew it. They have had chances to forgive college loan debt and make at least 2-and-4-year college and trade school education tuition-free. They blew it. They have had chances to create a universal healthcare system not tied to employment like a Medicare for All system or something similar. They blew it, though the ACA was at least progress for many. They have had chances to pass legislation like the PRO Act and make union organizing and getting a first contract much easier and less burdensome and to strengthen entities like the NLRB and the FLRA. They blew it. They have had chances to pass Green New Deal-style legislation and invest massively in renewable energy, energy efficiencies and sustainable agriculture and development, all while transitioning to a more care-based and less exploitative economy. They blew it, though the IRA and IIJA were at least progress.

Now we’re seeing the willful dismantling of any and all progress. It didn’t have to be this way. A career conman and criminal did not have to be reelected. Oligarchs did not have to take over our public sector in an effort to privatize it to pad their profits while denying the working-class even meager comforts and modest gains. Democracy did not have to be put on life support in this country. Our society, economy and culture did not have to crumble.

All it would have taken is for Democrats, particularly in 2024, to display inclusive humanitarianism instead of brutal Zionism and nativism; working-class values instead of meritocratic elitism; class solidarity with working people instead of neoliberal corporatism; a devotion to genuine diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility instead of performative gimmickry; sincere empathy instead of paternalistic condescension.

Perhaps it’s too late for the Democrats to be redeemed. Whether that’s true or not, I know I’m committed to building viable third parties and a more egalitarian body politic than has ever existed here. Democracy, after all, is not a spectator sport and change requires effort.