WHY ON EARTH IS PELOSI SUPPORTING THE TRUMPISTS?
The Democratic Party is behaving recklessly and unpatriotically. So far, Democrats have spent tens of millions to help Trumpist candidates in Republican primaries.
In Illinois alone, the Democratic Governors Association and Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker spent at least $30 million to attack a Trumpist’s moderate gubernatorial opponent. A political action committee affiliated with Nancy Pelosi worked to boost far-right Republican House candidates in California and Colorado.
They are doing it because they think far-right candidates will be easier to beat in the general elections than more moderate candidates.
What the Democrats are doing is sleazy in the best of circumstances. If you love your country more than your party, you should want the best candidates to advance in either party. And in these circumstances, what they are doing is insane: The candidates whom Democrats are supporting could wind up winning.
Many Democrats hope that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision will mobilize their voters for the coming midterms, but I’m convinced this election will primarily be about the economy and the existential state of the country. Things look extremely grim for the ruling party.
A staggering 83% of Americans believe the economy is poor or not so good, according to a May Wall Street Journal-NORC poll. And an equally staggering 83% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country, according to a Gallup poll.
Parties get punished when they make mistakes. Recently, Democrats have made the kind of mistakes that make voters furious.
Liberal economists underestimated the inflation threat, and Democratic fiscal policy, ignoring that threat, seems to have escalated it. The Democratic Party as a whole became associated with progressives who saw policing simply through a racial injustice lens. They ignored the public safety lens and were unprepared for the widespread public anger over the increase in crime.
Similarly, many progressives argued that cancel culture wasn’t a thing or was being severely exaggerated. Americans who are afraid to think out loud think the left has become too censorious. Progressives have also largely failed to address the shortcomings of their governing model. The rampant inequality, homelessness and other social ills plaguing San Francisco and other cities are there for all to see.
And then there is the underlying problem, which is that while Democrats support many popular policies, progressives are associated with a series of social and cultural values that are unpopular with most Americans. According to a new More in Common survey, 69% of Americans believe that America is a country where if you get a good education, develop your talents and are open to innovation, you can do anything. Only 36% of progressive activists agree with this.
That’s just a basic difference in how people see the country, and time and time again Democratic politicians have been punished for the messages that come out of progressive educational and cultural institutions.
The Republican Party has grown pretty extreme over the past few years. But it’s important to remember Americans believe that the Democratic Party has grown extreme, too. According to a CNN survey, 46% of Americans believe the GOP is “too extreme” and 48% believe the Democratic Party is “too extreme.”
And this is all going to get catastrophically worse for Democrats if the economy further deteriorates and if a recession comes.
In 2020, Biden was the candidate who didn’t seem to be pinioned to the coastal elites. But Democrats are still being battered because of that association. And what are they doing to fix the problem? Spending money to support Trumpists.