AMPLIFYING THE BLUE WAVE
In physics, there’s an interesting phenomenon called wave interference. The underlying idea is fairly simple: if the top part of two waves, or crests, meet at the same point, and the waves have the same frequency, then the resulting light or sound wave will be twice as loud. This is called, perhaps oxymoronically, constructive interference. Contrast this with destructive interference, when the crest of one wave meets the trough, or bottom, of another. While this is all well and good in the realm of basic physics, there’s a larger takeaway here in the realm of politics: multiple voices should amplify a message, not diminish it.
Looking at the Democratic Party before November, this is especially true. Indeed, in the wake of the 2016 primaries, which saw unprecedented infighting in the Democratic party, conservative pundits have been quick to seize on such narratives. Incidents, like Wasserman Schultz disparaging Sanders’ campaign over email or Ocasio-Cortez unseating a 10-term Democratic incumbent, only act as low hanging fruit for conservative detractors. The Democratic party is ripping itself apart, they maintain. “A house divided against itself, cannot stand,” the more historically-minded of them pontificate. But despite some very real differences existing in the Democratic party, liberals shouldn’t simply play into the conservative narrative. True, like the GOP, the Democratic party is seeing its old guard be challenged by less traditional newcomers. But that doesn’t mean the party has strayed from its central message: equality for all.
As November 6th inches closer, it’s important for Democrats to make sure their voices amplify — not diminish — their message. Yes, Sanders’ “Medicare for All” proposal might stray from the party plank, but every Democrat is united behind the idea of providing universal health care, lowering drugs costs, and holding drug companies accountable for the opioid epidemic. And while cries to abolish ICE have been echoing throughout portions of the left, what’s important is that Democrats stand united against the Trump policies that have resulted in the separation of thousands of children from their parents, many of which have yet to be reunited. And while Republicans continue to roll back Dodd-Frank protections and provide lucrative tax cuts to America’s richest, it’s important that Democrats stand united in their support for the working and middle class. It’s not the individual details of each stance that divides Democrats, but rather the ideas behind them that unite all liberals.
So in the final stretch to Midterms, it’s important that Democrats stop playing into the conservative narrative. A house divided might not stand, but in the face of an administration that has eroded democratic norms at an unprecedented rate, Democrats are more united than ever.
