The Democrats’ big identity crisis
The Democratic Party is working to reinvent itself following a disappointing couple of years. But with it’s aging leadership still clinging to power, it may not be possible in the near future.
As the Democrats look to the midterm elections later this year, they’re hoping that media driven controversy surrounding the Trump administration will help them when key seats in Congress. But the party is facing an uphill battle despite the daily anti-Trump coverage which saturates American news.
There are two reasons for this. First, the Trump administration is having a remarkably positive impact on the U.S. economy, with stock markets soaring and consumer confidence reaching highs not seen in years.
Another reason the Democrats are going to have trouble is that, beyond “we hate Trump,” the party lacks any cohesive message for voters.
President Barack Obama managed to disenfranchise many traditional Democrat voters during his time in the Oval Office with foreign policy actions directly out of the neocon playbook he’d promised to reverse. Meanwhile, his administration failed to invigorate the economy partially because of bad money policy and partially because of its dedication to over-regulation that harmed many American industries.
Noticing their weaknesses, the Democrats spent the past several years harping on social issues that really have little reason to be politically affected. And now, with GOP control in Washington and none of the horrible things Democrats promised would happen to minorities and special populations taking place, the party is running out of politics.
Add to that the fact that the DNC is currently being controlled by a political class which never came to terms with the end of the Clinton era of American politics– as evidenced by their 2016 sureness that Hillary Clinton was unbeatable– and the Democrats face a perfect storm of disappointment in the year ahead.
Over the weekend, This American Life did a segment on the loss of the Democrat identity surrounding the 2016 presidential election. It’s definitely worth a listen.
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