Back in 2002, John Judis and Ruy Teixeira wrote The Emerging Democratic Majority, positing that demographic changes and progressive centrism benefited the Democrat party. The Dems thought it was a secret formula for electoral dominance, ignored the centrism part, and have focused their party on identity politics ever since.
But recently Teixeira has been warning the Dems that they’ve been misinterpreting the book. Demographics isn’t destiny and if the party goes bat-crap crazy – policy wise – it will alienate its electoral base. He recommended that the Dems move towards the political middle. But the Dems ignored that advice, moved hard left, and campaigned on a platform of
- Government spending creates prosperity,
- Superstition defines science,
- Social order is independent from morality,
- Tribal hatred is a correction for racism, and
- Social justice rather than individual freedom leads to utopia.
The voters considered those positions and replied with a resounding “I don’t think so.” The Democrats gambled that they could win by pandering, without providing a path to prosperity and happiness. They were wrong.
Conversely, Donald Trump promised policies that would improve the lives of all Americans – regardless of where they reside in the victimhood intersectionality Venn diagram. The Democrat message of oppression/privilege wasn’t particularly attractive by comparison, and MAGA won handily.
I confess that I occasionally indulge in “what if” fantasies, and as we welcome a new administration, I’ve been wondering: What if we actually had two parties competing to make America great? How much better would our governance be if both parties debated ideas, rather than one party providing a plan (like DOGE) while the other party screams “Hitler” at maximum volume? Then I wondered: Are the Dems pursuing radicalism to the point of irrelevancy?
After their electoral drubbing, have the Democrats shown any movement away from radicalism? It doesn’t appear so. They’re blaming everything but their platform.
- Joe Biden stayed in the race too long (nope, he should have never been in it).
- Kamala Harris is a bumbling idiot (true, but that knowledge doesn’t provide a corrective action).
- Merrick Garland fumbled the lawfare football (because jailing one’s opponents is the key to legitimate democracy).
- Obama, Pelosi, and Schumer screwed the pooch without a plan (the pooch being Joe Biden).
- George Clooney should stick to his expertise (memorizing rather than thinking).
- And my personal favorite: The MSM did a horrible job of clarifying the electoral choice (because the problem is always the delivery and not the propaganda).
The Dems still aren’t reconsidering what they offer – their ideology and policies. Instead, they’re focusing on deception, lawfare, and election shenanigans – seemingly determined to turn Teixeira’s warning into a prophesy. While that will benefit the Republicans in the short term, it will be horrible for the American people.
When competition is robust, everyone benefits. Competitive sports make athletes stronger, and the fans benefit. Business competition makes companies efficient, and customers benefit. Political competition makes debate thoughtful, and citizens benefit.
But if the only competition the Republicans face is a mob of raving lunatics who spend more time arguing about pronouns than policies, will they be challenged to do the best job for us? Certainly not for long.
Unfortunately, the Democrats are rapidly taking their party out of the competition by embracing insanity – continuing to pursue things that don’t work. That will not make Republicans stronger, it will allow them to become lazy.
When the Dems think borrowing a trillion bucks every 3 months is swell, a 1500-page budget-busting continuing resolution (CR) seems reasonable by comparison. But it’s not reasonable at all – it’s economically corrosive. When one party has gone nuts, the other party doesn’t need to be good, it just needs to be “not them.” Thanks to Donald Trump, this budget disaster was averted, but our year-end budgeting fiasco illustrates the danger of laziness in politics.
Trump scuttled the CR by challenging the establishment Republicans from within. He replaced competition between Democrats and Republicans with competition between the establishment and MAGA. Fortunately, MAGA won. But now that MAGA is firmly in control of the Republican party, can it maintain its edge without credible competition? Will it continue to work hard for America without being tested? Or will the Dems scream their way into irrelevance, allowing MAGA to relax into the position of “not them”?
America thrives on competition. Before we wish for the demise of the Democrat party, we need to consider that when one party becomes irrelevant, the other will eventually become useless.
Author Bio: John Green is a retired engineer and political refugee from Minnesota, now residing in Idaho. He spent his career designing complex defense systems, developing high performance organizations, and doing corporate strategic planning. He is a contributor to American Thinker, The American Spectator, and the American Free News Network. He can be reached at greenjeg@gmail.com.
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