Dem Disaster

This was in my "ready to post" folder until I decided to address the Minneapolis shooting...

It is not a stretch to say the Democratic Party is at a crossroads, grappling with an identity crisis that threatens its future. A few years ago, the GOP was at the same point. The GOP transformed from a conservative party with a populist twist into a populist party with a conservative twist, while generally retaining the same goals. Those opposed became “Never Trumpers” and went their own way.

Recent discussions, particularly around the Democratic Socialists of America’s (DSA) summer meeting in Chicago, highlight a troubling trajectory embodied by figures like Zohran Mamdani and Omar Fateh. Their brand of socialism - whether Mamdani’s foreign-born perspective or Fateh’s culturally influenced vision - raises questions about whether the party is what it claims to be or something else entirely. The evidence suggests the Democrats are veering toward a radical leftism that will alienate mainstream voters, and their failure to recognize this stems from persistent Type I and Type II errors. Without course correction, the party’s problems - rooted in its own leadership and ideology – will likely spiral beyond repair.

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old Ugandan-born democratic socialist, stunned the political world by winning New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary in June 2025. His platform - free buses, city-run grocery stores, and steep taxes on the wealthy - resonates with young, progressive voters but alarms moderates and business leaders. Similarly, Omar Fateh, a Somali-American state senator, secured the Minneapolis Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s endorsement for mayor, advocating rent control and higher wages. Both candidates, backed by the DSA, reflect a growing leftward shift, with their victories celebrated at the DSA’s convention as proof of socialism’s rising tide. Yet, their policies, described by critics as “communist” in tone, risk painting the Democrats as out of touch with the broader electorate.

The Democratic Party’s elite seem oblivious to this peril, mired in Type I and Type II errors. A Type I error - mistaking false support for true - manifests in their belief that voters broadly embrace their progressive agenda, if only it were communicated better. Polls, like a Siena College survey showing Mamdani’s statewide disapproval at 37%-28%, suggest otherwise, particularly among older voters who reject his far-left policies. Yet, party leaders, swayed by focus groups and curated polls, double down on candidates like Mamdani, assuming their message just needs refining. This misstep ignores the reality that voters, especially outside urban strongholds, are skeptical of socialist policies like government-run groceries or defunding the police.

Conversely, Type II errors - failing to address real problems - compound the issue. The party minimizes the electoral risks of figures like Mamdani and Fateh, dismissing concerns as mere Republican fearmongering. For instance, national leaders like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have remained silent on Mamdani’s rise, avoiding confrontation with the party’s progressive wing. In this instance, silence – especially by two people who will climb over people to get in front of a TV camera – speaks volume. This reluctance to acknowledge the alienation of centrist voters, who view such candidates as too extreme, mirrors the party’s broader failure to address its disconnect with working-class Americans. In places like East Palestine, Ohio, where residents crave practical solutions over ideological purity, the Democrats’ focus on progressive dogma feels irrelevant.

The DSA’s summer meeting underscored this disconnect. Attendees celebrated Mamdani’s victory as a model for future campaigns, with over 10,000 young progressives inspired to run for office. This enthusiasm, while energizing, ignores the broader electorate’s concerns about affordability and safety - issues Mamdani and Fateh address but frame in ways that alienate moderates. Republicans, like Karl Rove, gleefully exploit this, arguing that such candidates make it easier to paint Democrats as radical. The party’s refusal to confront this reality risks long-term damage, especially as national figures like Trump weaponize Mamdani’s image to scare swing voters.

Can the Democrats course-correct? Maybe, but only if they abandon their reliance on skewed polls and focus groups, acknowledge the limits of progressive appeal, and prioritize pragmatic solutions over ideological purity. Mamdani and Fateh may energize the base, but if the Democrats want to ever be considered a serious political party again, those two cannot be Mr. Right, even though many Democrats think they are Mr. Right Now.

Given the reports coming out of their “summer meeting”, I’m not sure they have any idea what their problem is or how deep it goes – the answers, of course, are visible to anyone outside the party. They are “themselves” and “all the way down.”

That doesn’t mean the GOP has a clear path to the end zone. What Republicans need to understand is that Trump has a voter base - but due to the latent “go along to get along” attitude of some GOP members, the GOP really does not.