Jaicee said:
Am I supposed to feel small now or something? I really do think there's an important lesson to be learned here in terms of what people who live at the proverbial intersection of rising social violence and a racially biased criminal justice system actually support and that, if this lesson is not learned, not only will this country become a more dangerous place to live in, but also consequently the Democrats will pay for it next year's midterm elections. I think Adams is right when he suggests that his victory needs become a kind of model for how the Democratic Party responds to this new situation. He has put it succinctly: "I am the face of the new Democratic Party. Look at me and you're seeing the future of the Democratic Party. If the Democratic Party fails to recognize what we did here in New York, they're going to have a problem in the midterm elections and they're going to have a problem in the presidential election. America is saying 'we want to have justice and safety and end inequality'." This in many ways should be seen as a warning sign that the progressive movement has gotten too much influence over the direction of the Democratic Party, at least in certain key cultural areas like this, to the point that it's starting to alienate those ordinary working class voters who form its base. The Democratic Party needs to remain a principally working class institution not only to do the right things by the country IMO, but also just crudely to win national elections. |
I think there will be problems for the Democratic party as long as Democrats like Adams keep telling voters that we can't have justice and safety without further expanding policing. We saw a very similar thing leading to Biden's presidency with healthcare. He got on stage during the debates and essentially said "Everything the right has told you about Medicare for All is true" and the voters went "Oh fuck, oh shit, better support a moderate, Progress scary".
This type of anti-progressive moderate Dem isn't new, and it has shown itself to be quite effective both on a national and local level but that doesn't make it any less stupid and damaging, both to the country and to the party. Until Dems can have an honest conversation among ourselves about what the Progressive platform actually means, we shouldn't expect the country to get on board. That applies towards policing, healthcare, climate change and every other important issue that the left can't figure out how to effectively message.
