Does the Democratic Party Even Care Anymore?
Paul Blest of Alternet recently published an article titled "The Dangerous Ideology That Threatens the Future of the Democratic Party." The article discusses a group called United States of Care, a so-called "nonpartisan, non-profit" group founded by a former member of President Barack Obama's administration. The group proclaims to wanting to find solutions to insure healthcare is more affordable in the United States under the guise of putting "healthcare over politics." The problem is its board is headed by many establishment politicians like former Kentucky Governor Steve Bashear (D), former Vermond Governor Jim Douglas (R), and two former Republican senators, Dave Durenberger of Minnesota and Bill Frist of Tennessee.
This is where I immediately put on the brakes and call bullshit in this case. We know that when Democrats and Republicans come together for these, it becomes a cancerous form of bipartisanship that works in favor of their corporate donors and self-interests. Does anyone remember just how flawed the Affordable Care Act was? It may have seemed like a good start to a universal healthcare system, though the omission of the public option is the reason why critics on the left exclaim that it is a corporate bill.
This is also what gets critics on the right to scream about the ACA being socialist and lie about "death panels." And then you hear them exclaim that our money should be spent on our defense budget, when in fact, we don't need to. Just recently, Democrats and Republicans voted to increase military spending by $160 billion. Meanwhile, it would only cost $80 billion for tuition free college. But oh no. Conservatives want to fear monger over bankruptcy, social justice warriors on college campuses, and so-called "worthless degrees." But sending uneducated young people into meaningless wars is perfectly reasonable.
Referring back to the title of the article, it is form of a question that can be simply answered. Not only does the Democratic Party not care anymore about its base, they are not even trying to reach out. They fail on several fronts:
1. Obsession over Russia which has bordered on xenophobia and McCarthyism.
2. Soft 1980s style rhetoric which make them sound disingenuous. Listen to Rep. Joe Kennedy's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union.
3. Use outrage politics to focus on Trump's dumb tweets to distract from the fact they have no clear message.
4. Prop up any fresh face establishment Democratic politician in hopes of turning attention away from Bernie Sanders.
Democrats, you have been doing this shit for a little over a year since your loss in 2016, and people are no longer buying it. In fact, the moment Bernie Sanders entered the race in 2015, your house of cards started to fall. The flowery imagery of Barack Obama was shattered as it came to be realized he was no different from George W. Bush, that he was not the hope and change liberal people voted for nearly a decade ago.
The Democratic Party cannot go on with saying they support universal healthcare while being beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. This is why Senator Sanders's bill to import cheap drugs from Canada was defeated in the Senate. You could have had our country save billions of dollars, but instead chose to continue to enjoy Americans suffering in debt because they cannot pay off their healthcare bills. This is why it is time for medicare for all.
This is where I immediately put on the brakes and call bullshit in this case. We know that when Democrats and Republicans come together for these, it becomes a cancerous form of bipartisanship that works in favor of their corporate donors and self-interests. Does anyone remember just how flawed the Affordable Care Act was? It may have seemed like a good start to a universal healthcare system, though the omission of the public option is the reason why critics on the left exclaim that it is a corporate bill.
This is also what gets critics on the right to scream about the ACA being socialist and lie about "death panels." And then you hear them exclaim that our money should be spent on our defense budget, when in fact, we don't need to. Just recently, Democrats and Republicans voted to increase military spending by $160 billion. Meanwhile, it would only cost $80 billion for tuition free college. But oh no. Conservatives want to fear monger over bankruptcy, social justice warriors on college campuses, and so-called "worthless degrees." But sending uneducated young people into meaningless wars is perfectly reasonable.
Referring back to the title of the article, it is form of a question that can be simply answered. Not only does the Democratic Party not care anymore about its base, they are not even trying to reach out. They fail on several fronts:
1. Obsession over Russia which has bordered on xenophobia and McCarthyism.
2. Soft 1980s style rhetoric which make them sound disingenuous. Listen to Rep. Joe Kennedy's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union.
3. Use outrage politics to focus on Trump's dumb tweets to distract from the fact they have no clear message.
4. Prop up any fresh face establishment Democratic politician in hopes of turning attention away from Bernie Sanders.
Democrats, you have been doing this shit for a little over a year since your loss in 2016, and people are no longer buying it. In fact, the moment Bernie Sanders entered the race in 2015, your house of cards started to fall. The flowery imagery of Barack Obama was shattered as it came to be realized he was no different from George W. Bush, that he was not the hope and change liberal people voted for nearly a decade ago.
The Democratic Party cannot go on with saying they support universal healthcare while being beholden to the pharmaceutical industry. This is why Senator Sanders's bill to import cheap drugs from Canada was defeated in the Senate. You could have had our country save billions of dollars, but instead chose to continue to enjoy Americans suffering in debt because they cannot pay off their healthcare bills. This is why it is time for medicare for all.
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