Edge of Implosion:

The Democrats’ Only Path Forward in the Eyes of a Libertarian

By: Brent Hampton & Logan Count

It has now been seven months since the election of Donald Trump, but with the increasing vitriolic language and violence of the left, you’d think it ended just yesterday. Remember when Obama took to the Rose garden last October to publicly condemn Trump’s claim that our election could possibly be rigged? In that condescending speech, Obama exclaimed that our election’s integrity shouldn’t be questioned, and that “there is no serious person who would suggest somehow you could even rig America’s elections.” Those words haven’t aged well and should’ve been directed toward the Democrats. Obama stated that if Trump wins, he expects a peaceful transfer of power. It’s comical really, the irony that has ensued since then, as the Democrats reaction to losing has been to tear this country apart with false claims of Trump-Russian collusion, and an illegitimate election. What the Democrats have been doing is akin to a child flipping the monopoly board when the game doesn’t go their way, but instead of a game of monopoly, it’s the integrity and legitimacy of America’s electoral process. Their willingness to be so flippant with false accusations towards the President exposes their true colors, colors that coordinate more with the hammer and sickle than the stars and stripes.
As the Trump-Russia collusion narrative has now fizzled into the ether of countless leftist failures to take down a democratically elected president, the Democrats now stand, arm in arm, on the edge of a cliff, and together, they will surely jump off. Most of this essay will seem like common sense to people with, well, common sense. But this is written to an entity void of such a quality, the Democratic Party. Despite the actions of the left since the election, there is a path forward for them, if they so choose. This short essay will present five steps the Democratic Party can take to possibly win again, be respected again, and heal the wounds they’ve inflicted on themselves and the country.

Enough with the Identity Politics: Possibly the most obvious and vital step the Democrats must do to repair their party is halting the use of identity politics. Identity politics is a divide and conquer strategy, when a candidate can gain politically by pinning demographics based on ethnicity, gender, income, or sexual preference against one another. Identity politics is also utilized to appeal to a specific demographic with empty promises and pathetic attempts at pandering. A hilariously stupid example of pandering occurred this past election when Hillary Clinton told an African-American radio show host she always carries hot sauce in her purse. Yes, she really said that. That was a pathetic attempt, even for Hillary. This tactic has been in the Democratic Party playbook for far too long, but voters are beginning to realize the shallowness of such a tactic. In a time where “politician” is synonymous with “pandering professional,” it’s time to shake things up. The left goes too far with identity politics and ends up alienating many other groups of potential voters. The only identity Democrats should hope to appeal to is American. The typical voter is exhausted from constant divide among demographical lines. The American people are more than just labels. The Democrats’ future hinges on this realization.

Ditch Hollywood: If the 2016 election didn’t make it obvious enough, the average voter doesn’t give a shit about celebrities’ political opinions or endorsements. The last faction the typical American can connect with is Hollywood. Multimillionaires who live in gated communities, have the freedom to party at their leisure, and have a team of people to serve their every need, is not the type of person a blue-collar hard working American can relate to. If the Democrats desire connection with real people (perhaps they don’t), they need to distance themselves from the wealthy narcissists in California. Nobody believes Leonardo DiCaprio’s love for the environment when he flies his eyebrow stylist from New York to LA on a private jet for one red carpet event. Nobody believes Hollywood liberals are open minded when they blackball the few conservatives in their industry. Nobody believes Hollywood has any sense of morality or high ground after cheering film director Roman Polanski for winning an award, even after he admitted to the heinous crime of raping a child. One reason that Trump resonates with voters is because Hollywood has demonized him. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If the Democrats want a chance to compete in 2018, 2020, and beyond, ditch the smug out-of-touch elites in Hollywood now.

Stop Being Obstructionist: Especially when there isn’t much to be obstructed yet, and when there is, it’ll be pointless. It’s hard to believe the Republicans control both the House and Senate, given the minimal bills passed and almost no large Trump agenda accomplishments. Yet, if the Republicans collectively unite, bills will slide through both chambers and the Democrats will be nothing but an angry soccer mom screaming on the sidelines, helpless and annoying. The blind obstruction of Trump’s policy proposals and everything he says or does will soon become fruitless. Trump has liberals so delusional and enraged he could announce tomorrow he no longer wants to build a wall, and the Democrats would soon be chanting “build the wall!” Democrats may start to realize that their blind obstruction is only sealing a losing fate for them in 2018 and 2020. It’s about time the Democrats start offering the American people why they are right instead of why Trump is wrong.

Get New Leadership: The Democrats need to find new stars within their party, and discard the dinosaurs that have led them into the disaster they are now in. Moderates, and even members of the Democratic Party everywhere have a clear disdain for Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and Senator Chuck Schumer. Combining for a total of nearly 90 years in office, these three talking heads are no longer effective and must go. The Democrats lost nearly 1000 seats during Obama’s eight years in the White House. The blame for that is shared mutually among Obama and House leadership. How many more seats do the Democrats have to lose before they make some changes? By all means, keep the current leadership, I’m sure the Republicans will be more than grateful. Pelosi has worse favorability ratings than Donald Trump, who the Democrats claim to be the worst man since Adolf Hitler. Chuck Schumer is like that one friend that refuses to admit he is ever in the wrong or being hypocritical, as seen with his handling of the Neil Gorsuch confirmation. Maxine Waters screeches at the mere sound of opposition to her line of thinking. She’s cried wolf with so many calls to impeach Trump that she’s lost any iota of credibility she might’ve had. The only thing Waters offers the Democrats are poorly constructed talking points and irrational rabid claims of tyranny in the White House. Not to mention, she was elected in the out of touch thought bubble known as California. Luckily, it seems like Hillary Clinton is out of the fold for the Democrats, unless she decides to continue her quest for power. There were countless things wrong with Hillary, between the hypocrisy, pandering, blatant elitism, and being just so damn unlikable. She rightfully ran for the trees after the election, and needs to stay in the woods. The party is only as strong as its leader, and it’s time for the Democrats to clean house.

Find a Friend in Trump: I understand this may be a steep suggestion. Especially considering Trump has done nothing but deliver loss after loss to the Democrats since he glided down the escalator at Trump Tower two years ago, but hear me out. Donald Trump is the most negotiable president this country has ever seen, yet the Democrats insist on portraying him as a radical far-right figure, which is ironic considering he was a Democrat most of his life. Instead of portraying him as a tyrannical monster comparable to Hitler, (an extremely offensive notion to anyone with an inkling of historical understanding) the Democrats must realize they can work with Trump in policy areas where he differs from his Republican colleagues. Trade and infrastructure are plausible policy areas where a pathway of cooperation between Trump and the Democrats could begin. These two issues were large talking points for the Trump campaign, and both are areas where Trump veered away from the typical GOP platform. Americans are also getting fed up with the healthcare debate in Washington. The Democrats should stop demonizing every Republican plan as “murderous” and “cruel” as some have suggested, and instead groupthink a plan alongside Republicans. After all, it is the Democrats’ baby, Obama Care that is collapsing under its own weight, shouldn’t they be responsible, or at least willing to help clean up the mess?

One question should remain after reading this short essay, will the Democrats heed the advice we have given them? Probably not, and we couldn’t care less. If the Democrats want to jump off that metaphorical cliff, more power to them, but they may never win another election if they do. We wrote this piece because we would like to see mature and balanced political debate in our nation’s capital again, but that simply isn’t possible with the current mindset of the left. Our president and the Republicans are not perfect either, far from it. Perhaps our next writing should be addressed to them and what they need to fix, but they aren’t the ones currently on the edge of implosion. The citizens and politicians of this great country must realize that we are all Americans before we are Democrat or Republican. We are one nation, and the moment we let our political differences keep us from moving forward, is the moment we concede the experiment of America as a failure.