Ubiquitous
2024-12-09 16:08:17 UTC
Reply
PermalinkMessage-ID: <20241209-***@news.giganews.com>
Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2024 17:05:00 -0500
Injection-Date: Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:05:00 -0000 (UTC)
Believe it or not, the new leader of left-wing Democrats in Congress is
telling colleagues to turn down the volume on their beloved culture wars. Do
we dare to dream?
Sahil Kapur reports for NBC News from Washington:
The Democratic Party messed up in the 2024 election, says Rep.
Greg Casar of Texas, the newly elected chair of the Congressional
Progressive Caucus, and it needs a dramatic course shift to
rediscover its brand and put winning above being right.
OK, its not the most principled argument youll hear. Its also misleading
in that an unwitting news consumer might get the impression from Mr. Casar
that progressive policies work. But its true that the lefts culture wars
are controversial and if even the new leader of House radicals wants to dial
down the progressive shrieking, this seems like a healthy political
development. Mr. Kapur reports:
In a wide-ranging interview with NBC News on Wednesday, one day
before he was officially elected as chair, Casar laid out his vision
for the future, saying that Democrats need to return to their roots
as the party of the working class. That means welcoming voters who
disagree with the left on cultural issues and not being seen as
preachy or disconnected.
... Casars remarks add to an intense debate within the Democratic
Party in which some blame Harris defeat on the excesses of the left,
imposing social litmus tests that alienated large swaths of working-
class voters. Harris was dogged by some stances she took in her first
run for president in 2019, most notably her endorsement of gender-
affirming care for inmates, including those in the country illegally,
paid by taxpayers, which Trump used to depict her as disconnected
from ordinary Americans.
Casar believes the median voter stands to the left of the Democratic
Partys mainstream on economic issues, and he admitted that, at least
today, the median voter is more culturally conservative than his
party. He said the solution is to lead without getting too far ahead
of where that voter is on social issues.
As an elected representative, Mr. Casar should consider following voters
rather than trying to lead them. Yet give him credit for trying to learn from
Novembers Democratic losses. He is correct that most Americans dont share
his social agenda.
Unfortunately Rep. Casar is still ignoring the biggest lesson of all from
Novembers elections: Voters hate inflation.
Inflation is a disease of hyperactive governmenttoo much Washington money-
printing enabling too much unproductive federal spending while too much
regulation inhibits the private production of goods and services. Too many
dollars chasing too few goods. The principal reason that President Joe Biden
is deeply unpopular and now on his way out of office is that he largely
adopted the progressive agenda of massive economic intervention instead of
staying out of the way and allowing the post-shutdown economy to continue its
robust growth.
Voters dont just hate inflationthey now want deflation, and they want it
more than anything else. Catherine Rampell recently noted in the Washington
Post:
... a CBS News-YouGov survey last week asked Americans what the
president-elect should prioritize developing during his transition.
An overwhelming majority (79 percent) said lowering the price of
goods and services.
Grants Interest Rate Observer emphasizes:
The expressed public preference was not for a reduction in the rate
of rise of prices but for a drop in the level of prices.
This is a cry for help from voters who have had all the activist economic
policy they can stand from Washington.
Sadly it seems that rather than listening to voters about the failures of
progressive economic policy, Mr. Casar wants to finalize his partys divorce
from the private economy. Writes Mr. Kapur:
... the Democratic Party needs to shed off some of its more
corporate elements, to sharpen the economic-populist contrast
with Republicans and not let voters equate the two parties, he
said.
Insisting on a purge of businesspeople from the Democratic Party will almost
certainly be seen as preachy, disconnected and worse.
--
Don't jump!