For Democrats, Easier to Blame “the Left” Than to Act
Who is to blame for the removal of protections for basic human rights and the further descent into fascism occurring in the U.S.? A sober look at the past decades would find one political movement dedicated to attacking immigrants, the right to vote, the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and the rights — especially bodily autonomy — of women. One would think the current party in power, the Democrats, would be responding with fierce messaging against this movement by the Right, especially with midterms barely four months away. Time and again, though, it is not the Republicans but those to the political left of the Democratic establishment who receive the most ire.
A central tenant of the liberal Democrat message is that centrism, incrementalism, and bipartisanship are the only ways to make real change in our government and society. Meanwhile, the actions of anyone defined as “the Left” — which to the Dems includes everyone from community activists and Progressive Democrats to socialists and radicals — are constantly out of sync with what the “real” America wants, at least according to establishment media and the Biden White House. In a well-reported article from The Washington Post chronicling the White House’s response to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Biden communications director Kate Bedingfield is quoted saying:
“Joe Biden’s goal in responding to Dobbs is not to satisfy some activists who have been consistently out of step with the mainstream of the Democratic Party. It’s to deliver help to women who are in danger and assemble a broad-based coalition to defend a woman’s right to choose now, just as he assembled such a coalition to win during the 2020 campaign.”
Bedingfield did not have similar words for the Right-wing justices, senators, and governors who are actually directly responsible for taking away the bodily autonomy and healthcare rights of women and anyone who can become pregnant. According to the Pew Research Center, there are actually few groups of Americans, totaling only about 30 percent of the population, who believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. Meanwhile, 80 percent to 90 percent of Biden’s own party believes abortion should be legal in all or most cases. If activists or “the Left” are calling for protecting abortion rights, how are they “out of step” with the Democratic Party? This follows a consistent theme among corporate and centrist Democrats criticizing popular policy proposals as too “radical ”or out of touch. For example, while Biden explicitly campaigned against Bernie Sander’s Medicare For All program in 2020, the support for single-payer healthcare or a public option similar to M4A has only grown.
Others at The Post and corporate media have been happy to defend Biden despite his and his party’s inaction on major campaign promises. Indeed, while Biden and other Democrats undeniably benefited from the mobilization of millions calling for justice for George Floyd during the summer of 2020, they just as quickly turned on those who called for greater police accountability. The Democrat establishment specifically blamed their losses in the House on the Defund The Police movement for being too radical. But, it is worth noting that there is no concrete evidence Defund actually cost Dems any seats, with one Democratic consultant actually finding, “The GOP attack ads accusing Democrats of wanting to strip resources from cops were not any more powerful than other TV spots run by Republicans.” Meanwhile, the legislation named for Floyd is essentially dead in the Senate despite the Democrats controlling the House, Senate, and Presidency.
As Democrats broadly blame Leftist activists for hurting the party, it has been well-reported that the main hindrances to Biden’s legislative agenda are fellow Democrats. Joe Manchin (D, WV) and Krysten Sinema (D, AZ) stopped the signature Build Back Better, insisted on keeping the filibuster, and just this week ended Biden’s hope of adding climate change spending to the current reconciliation bill. As Jeff Stein for The Post reported, the White House was even willing to make concessions to a senator who has consistently acted in bad faith, and Manchin STILL killed the deal! Again, it is not the “radical” members of Congress like Bernie Sanders, AOC, or other members of The Squad hindering Biden’s legislative agenda, but centrist and conservative Democrats.
With Biden’s legislative agenda stalled and his approval rating low, he is facing criticism from some Democrats and disapproval from younger voters. The response from Biden allies and the Democratic establishment has been telling. Jennifer Palmieri, a White House communications director under Obama, defended Biden, saying, “[Republicans] had a 40-year plan to overturn Roe and they did it. And to continue to blame Biden for the fact that more Americans didn’t vote for Democrats is an epic example of missing the forest.” Palmieri, while trying to give Biden some breathing room, basically admits that for four decades the Democrats did not have a long-term plan to protect abortion access. Does anyone believe that the next four decades of the Democratic Party will be any different? Other key examples like the disintegration of Obama’s grassroots army in 2009 show that Democrats have no interest in building coalitions or movements outside of their major donors lists.
As much as the party wants to blame “the Left” for its struggles, the only ones Democrats can truly blame are themselves.
