In the last one and ½ months Fox News has published 5 stories about “democratic-socialists”.
The articles focus on the idea that Democrats have moved far left with candidates such
as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VM). The Democratic Socialists
of America (DSA) are not a political party, but do have key beliefs on their website including
“universal housing and health care, free public college education, and an economy where the
worker is the priority.” An ASU professor calls the DSA “pragmatic” and reinforces the negative
connotation of socialism while saying the DSA must be “anti-socialist” in order to be popular.
The article points out that any reference to Cold War anti-communist fervor is a winning strategy,
especially by tapping into a sentiment that Democrats will create a government that “ hands over
all aspects of our lives to a government that can barely provide services competently.” That being
said, the DSA claims that they have won 22 out of 30 elections in the last year. Ocasio-Cortez’s
primary victory to take a solidly Democratic seat in the House this fall reflects the idea that
Democratic Socialists will work from “within the Democratic establishment” to push their
agenda of increasing the power of “labor and the left.” The Democratic Party remembers
the divide between Hillary and Bernie supporters, with the party still somewhat searching for
its identity. As such, it’s not surprising that a DNC spokesperson said, the DNC's mission is
to elect Democrats from the school board to the oval office, and we welcome the help of all
organizations to achieve that goal.” It remains to be seen how much the party moves to the
left and how that plays out in 2018 and beyond.
The articles focus on the idea that Democrats have moved far left with candidates such
as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VM). The Democratic Socialists
of America (DSA) are not a political party, but do have key beliefs on their website including
“universal housing and health care, free public college education, and an economy where the
worker is the priority.” An ASU professor calls the DSA “pragmatic” and reinforces the negative
connotation of socialism while saying the DSA must be “anti-socialist” in order to be popular.
The article points out that any reference to Cold War anti-communist fervor is a winning strategy,
especially by tapping into a sentiment that Democrats will create a government that “ hands over
all aspects of our lives to a government that can barely provide services competently.” That being
said, the DSA claims that they have won 22 out of 30 elections in the last year. Ocasio-Cortez’s
primary victory to take a solidly Democratic seat in the House this fall reflects the idea that
Democratic Socialists will work from “within the Democratic establishment” to push their
agenda of increasing the power of “labor and the left.” The Democratic Party remembers
the divide between Hillary and Bernie supporters, with the party still somewhat searching for
its identity. As such, it’s not surprising that a DNC spokesperson said, the DNC's mission is
to elect Democrats from the school board to the oval office, and we welcome the help of all
organizations to achieve that goal.” It remains to be seen how much the party moves to the
left and how that plays out in 2018 and beyond.
- Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
- Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
- Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
Regan Fair
ReplyDelete1. Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
(be specific in your references/examples)?
I do not think moving to the left will be a winning strategy. This is because a majority of America is more conservative economically, and being very radical in terms of finance will cause them to lose votes from more moderate voters. For example, Bernie Sanders' plan for public funding for universities will lose him votes from people who are uninterested in paying for college for other people. Also, the word 'socialist' has a negative connotation, so those who identify as democratic socialists may be less popular. Overall, the Democratic Party will have to move to the center economically if they hope to be successful.
2. Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I think as of late, the DSA has started to gain more influence in politics. In the past, socialists were passed off as communist, which made them very unpopular among US citizens. However, in the present, more young liberals are starting to develop views that match with those of the DSA, making them more popular politically. More and more Democratic candidates have shown their alignment with the DSA, with the most well-known being Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Cynthia Nixon, and of course Bernie Sanders. In the past, the DSA was a fringe party, but as time passes they are starting to gain more clout in the political arena.
3. Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
I think the Democratic Party has moved to the left since the 80s and 90s. In this era, there was a lot of backlash against the liberal movement of the 60s and 70s. Conservatism was becoming more and more popular, and a new breed of Democrats arose known as Centrist Democrats who agreed with some of Reagan and Bush's policies. Since then, the party has become more liberal. Obama, who was mostly liberal, was a popular president especially among minorities, and movements such as Occupy and Black Lives Matter drew attention to the racial and economic equality present in America. Overall, these factors caused the party to lean left even more, and even now the failures of Trump and the Republicans have caused the Democrats to turn to even more radical candidates to try and counter the Republicans.
Sylvia Berterretche
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I do think that moving farther left would be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party because of the increasing gap between the ideologies of the Republican and Democratic parties. The polarizing of these parties will only increase the dislike of one another, meaning Democrats will be less likely to be supported by conservatives and vice versa. Therefore, the Democrats will only get more votes if they move farther left and gain support from more socialist groups. However, Americans have a tendency to support more conservative economic policies so moving farther left may cause the Democrats to lose certain voters.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I think the DSA has a significant influence on the political process currently because the term socialism now has a less-negative connotation. Previously, socialism had a correlation with communism that very few Americans trusted because of the strong anti-communist movement throughout the Cold War. Today, socialism is recognized as more of a leftist group that promotes the government aided programs, such as health-care, free college education, etc. Although increased government involvement has been a common source of fear for a majority of Americans, I think the DSA still has enough supporters to influence certain social and maybe economic aspects of politics.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
I think that the Democratic Party has moved left since the 80s and 90s. Since the 1980s, where President Reagan supported decreased taxing, laissez-faire business, and anti-socialist, Democrats have pushed farther left for an increased scope of government. The presidency of Obama and the creation of Obama Care (government health care), as well as the legalizations of marijuana in some states, the rise of movements such as the Black Lives Matter and other social movements have proved that the Democratic party have moved farther left over the years.
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
The left would’ve been the winning strategy for the Democratic party because some of the rights that the liberals want would be accomplished if they were to all vote for Hillary. It is understandable that the liberals would favor Bernie over Hillary; however, nothing would be accomplished if the parties to do not group in order to join together to make sure the conservative right party of Trump would not win. Specifically, when they showed the polls favoring Bernie and Hillary losing, but the votes were not combined.
(be specific in your references/examples)?
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
DNA has a significant influence on the political process because it makes a difference on how the democrats vote. This is an organization that is against socialism to get popular and explaining how the Cold War is an example of how Democrats will give a government that hands everything to the people despite being incompetent in giving public services. The purpose is to push the power of labor and the left and their mission is to give democrats more power and achieve this goal, they must be and exaggerate their leftist opinions.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
because the article doesn’t address this)?
The Democratic Party began shifting to the left since the 32 in my opinion because that was when FDR created the New Deal and created more government funded jobs and opportunities which would ultimately help the U.S. survive and get out of the depression. Furthermore, there had been an increase in the Supreme Court. In addition, he passed the Reforestation Relief Act in order to preserve the wildlife. This allowed the CCC to create more than 2 million jobs for young men. Basically, there was more power in the government which is more to the left
-Alex Ong
DeleteJulia Doran
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I do not think that moving further to the left will be a winning strategy because if the gap between the parties increases the many moderates in the middle will feel stuck and unsure of what party to support. It is difficult for a person to say that they one hundred percent agree with all the ideas of the left of the right for example many Americans tend to support conservative economic ideas which means that they may rather support a more moderate party.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I think the DSA has an influence, but not a significant influence on the political process. The DSA has to be careful because of any attachments between socialism and the cold war era communism, however many young people who did not experience this era do not see this attachment and support many of their ideas.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s?
I think the Democratic party has moved towards the left since the 1980s/1990s. I think this is partially because the Republican party began moving towards the right and becoming more conservative in 1980 and then the Democratic party moved the left. The Democratic party is moving more towards the left and supporting more ideas like health care, and supporting people like Bernie Sanders.
1. The definition of "winning strategy" is a rather vague concept. If it refers to Democrats getting majorities in the Congress and eventually winning over the presidency then a dramatic shift to the political left would be effective at attaining that goal. After all, the Republican Party shifted to the right during the Obama presidency to gain both the Congress and the executive office. However, remember that Trump won the electoral college with only 46.1% of the vote. Furthermore, as exemplified by the legislative failures of the Trump administration so far (i.e. effort to repeal and "replace" the Affordable Care Act), its not entirely clear that a shift to one end of the political spectrum would be as effective at yielding wanted policy results. At the end of the day winning simply calls for tapping into one part of the voting population to vote for a particular set of candidates; coalition building is therefore effective even when the majority of the electorate is not part of it. The reality of governing would in the end led such a Democratic Party to repeat the errors of the current administration.
ReplyDelete2. Well, given the recent wins of so-called Democratic Socialists they can't be dismissed as a fringe organization. The Tea Party was once a fringe organization advocating extremist ideals and now they have shifted the Republican Party to the right considerably. The only limitation on the DSA from doing this would be remaining negative connotations from the term "socialist". If they manage to integrate their ideals into the Democratic platform then they can escape the term socialist by replacing it with the less negative term "Democrats". Yet even if they didn't do this, with the heated environment of the internet today any fringe organization can get its message out to enough people as shown in the Tea Party movement and the violence at Charlottesville.
3. In the era of identity politics both sides have shifted to the political extremes. Now, the basic aspects of the Democratic Party concerning foreign policy and economic policy has remained relatively constant. Nevertheless, the social issues such as equal rights and racial tensions is more heavily emphasized by the Democratic Party. Issues such as abortion and LGBT rights are the center of political debate today. In these aspects the Democratic Party has shifted left to the same degree the Republican Party has shifted right. Of course, this is all relative; who can tell if one party is moving left or if the other is just moving right?
So long as either side feels that the other is moving to one end of the political spectrum then the whole political system is becoming more polarized.
I forgot to put my name "Joshua Ishimoto" on the above comment. I'm the one with the "the definition of a winning strategy..." beginning.
DeleteClara Kennedy
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I do not think that moving to the left will be be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party overall. While more progressive candidates may do well on a more local or state level, nation-wide elections depend on candidates appealing to multiple large groups. If the platform of the entire party and the majority of the candidates becomes too progressive, more moderate voting groups may be pushed away from the party, resulting in fewer votes for the Democratic candidate. Also, since the GOP is also becoming more polarized, by moving farther left, moderate voters will feel alienated, leading to great fluctuation in voting patterns and possibly the rise of a more moderate party.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I believe that the DSA is not a fringe organization due to the wide support they have drawn in recent years. With the popularity of DSA-supported candidates increasing in the past few years, they cannot be dismissed since these candidates are being elected and are drawing support from people who both support the DSA and people who do not directly support the process. Seen through the popularity of presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and their ability to have candidates elected to prominent public offices, the DSA has been able to have significant influence on the political process.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s?
Yes, I believe that the Democratic Party has moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s. Recently, the Democratic platform has included significant support for social issues that were not supported as explicitly before. Additionally, with the disappearance of blue-dog Democrats from Congress, we can see that candidates supported by the Democratic Party and voters have shifted to more fully progressive ideologies, not limited to simply social issues. Additionally, the Democratic Party has advocated for an expanded government to provide healthcare, a more socialist concept. Especially with the polarization of the GOP, it is clear that the party platform has moved farther to the left in recent years.
AJ Wright
ReplyDelete1- I do not believe that advocating for more liberal polices would be wise for the democratic party. If democrats want to regain control in the house that means winning a lot of heavily gerrymandered districts that trump won and in those conservative distracts, voters may be fed up with trump but still reluctant to support such radical ideas. Being super left may work for Ocasio-Cortez, who will represent a very liberal district, for candidates in trump land territory, a more main stream approach will be more effective.
2- The DSA is still a fringe, grass roots, group. The democratic party establishment still does not put their money behind their candidates and supports more main stream candidates. Their political influence is on the rise however and after two more years of trump, 2020 voters may be ready to embrace more radical liberal candidates.
3- Yes the democratic party has become more liberal as time goes on, granted to a lesser extent than the republican party has become conservative. The democratic party is still closer to the center than their republican counter parts, but they have drifted from it as well.
Madison Kong
ReplyDelete1. Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
Although I don’t think moving to the left will be a winning strategy, I do see how they could take advantage of the current voting trends. Because Americans pay more attention to party ideologies rather than party policies, they vote in a generalized manner. Moving to the center could make the political party identity less clear and distinct. With that being said, moving to the left would mean focusing on economic inequality (including economic populism, welfare, appealing to the workers), a subject that may not sit well with the economically conservative majority of America.
In short, no, I do not believe moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the democratic party. The term “socialism” has a negative connotation that people like President Trump and the Republican Party in general would weaponize in a potential election. Americans associate “socialism” with the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi) and the Soviet Union. Conservatives and even moderate Democrats would be scared by the term, so the Republican Party could easily appeal to them and take away those votes. Taking a more centralist Democratic stance appeals to a broader audience, especially the economically conservative Americans. Also, Americans don’t want to see more political gridlock which comes with increased political polarization.
2. Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
Since President Trump’s candidacy, I do think the DSA has had a significant influence on the political process. There are Democratic figures, like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Osasio-Cortez, who have adopted the DSA beliefs. The DSA’s stances on universal health care and housing, college education, worker-oriented economy, immigration, and racism have reinforced the idea of policy change. As long as they continue to broadly appeal to liberal Americans without simply marking themselves as the Socialists, they will have an audience to influence.
3. Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s and 90s?
The Democratic Party has definitely moved to the left since the 1980s and 90s. Specifically, the Democratic Party has moved left regarding social issues like racism, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, abortion, environmentalism etc. Bush’s victory in the 1988 election brought the group of moderate Democrats (called New Democrats/centralist Democrats) into light, emphasizing the more moderate (in comparison with today’s liberal policies) policies of Bush and Clinton. Obama’s promise of affordable health care and the recent focus on immigration and economic inequality prove that the Democratic Party has shifted its views to the left. People pay attention to the big liberal movements and social issues (like the Black Lives Matter Movement, MeToo Movement, LGBTQ Movement, etc.), further spurring a shift towards the left.
Max Kober
ReplyDelete1. Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party (be specific in your references/examples)?
I think that moving left will be a winning strategy for the Democrats, however, it will cause a lot of damage with the rivalry between parties. Similarly to how Donald Trump moved more right than most recent republican presidents, if the Democratic nominee moved more left they would be gaining a lot of popularity within the party. The downside to this though, as seen with Donald Trump, is the immense disapproval by the opposing party. On top of this, I believe that this strategy of heavy leftist will only work for this next presidential race, as it seems people are starting to swing from party to party due to the mistrust of government. Therefore, the leftist strategy might work against Donald Trump but not necessarily in the future.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
The DSA has seemingly been a fringe organization but in reality has held a lot of influence. Candidates like Bernie Sanders have gained a lot of popularity while supporting DSA ideals. Therefore, the DSA's ideals are much more widespread than most people believe. Although Sanders did not receive the democratic nomination, he heavily influenced the election because many of his supporters had nowhere to go, as Hillary did not share the same views as him. Many Bernie supporters did not vote, which could have negatively impacted Hillary's chances.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
because the article doesn’t address this)?
Yes, the Democratic party has moved much more left than they were during this time. At the time, politics were much more moderate than they are now. Issues that determined the election were things like whether or not to interfere with foreign affairs rather than much more polarizing issues such as whether immigrants should all be deported. In order to conform to more common public opinions about these issues, the Democratic party has moved very left.
Katherine Mohr
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party (be specific in your references/examples)?
The DSA claims that they have won 22 out of 30 elections in the last year, and they can attract more minority, young, and working or middle class citizens with proposals to solve issues like health care, college debt, immigration, and racism. However, the Democratic Party already has support from many of these groups, so the DSA’s policies must not only convince citizens to align with the Democratic Party but also, and more importantly, get out to vote for the Democrats. I think until the Republican party becomes more moderate or a moderate third party gains more voters, moving to the left will help the Democratic Party somewhat. This move can encourage more youth and minority voters to go to the polls and possibly help the Democrats get more votes from those aligned with left-leaning third parties, but it won’t help them appeal to any groups that are currently aligned with the Republican party. And, if a more moderate party emerges, I think the Democrats would have difficulty retaining all of their members, as “New Yorkers or Americans [don’t] want to embrace a party that hands over all aspects of our lives to a government that can barely provide services competently.” So, overall, moving to the left can help the Democrats in current politics by convincing more people to vote and getting more votes from left-leaning third party followers, but it will only drive moderate and right leaning voters further away.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
The DSA does have influence on the political process, even if it doesn’t have influence in the governing process. Members of the DSA, like Ocasio-Cortez, will help campaign for Democratic candidates in the midterms, and their beliefs, or at least versions of their beliefs, in “universal housing and health care, free public college education, shelter and transportation, the abolition of ICE, of the U.S. Senate, of prisons, and an economy where the worker is the priority” have been used in Democratic platforms. Both the DSA and the Democratic Party also admit that it is necessary for the two parties to work together, with a DSA member saying, “If we don’t relate politically to social forces bigger than our own, DSA could devolve into merely a large socialist sect or subculture,” and a Democrat confirming that "The DNC's mission is to elect Democrats from the school board to the oval office, and we welcome the help of all organizations to achieve that goal”.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
Though the key values and tenets of the Democratic party have remained the same, they have drifted more the the left over the past couple decades and lost all of the so called “Blue Dog Democrats”, demonstrating the loss of moderate politics in their party. Especially in politics, Democratic candidates have felt pressured to move further left with the popularity of such figures as Bernie Sanders, but their shift further left isn’t usually permanent once they are in the government position.
Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party (be specific in your references/examples)?
ReplyDeleteI do not think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party. While an increase in polarization will help make the party's ideas more distinct, it will drive away the economic conservatives in America. Moving to the left would mean a huge focus on economic equality, which could remind people of communism, which is not a popular political theory among most Americans. This would lead to less votes going towards the Democratic party. Additionally, moderates might shy away from the Democratic Party if it becomes too progressive.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
The DSA is not a fringe organization as it has political influence. Democratic figures such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have gained popularity while supporting DSA beliefs. Additionally, the DSA's stances on “universal housing and health care, free public college education, and an economy where the
worker is the priority.” align with some Democratic ideals. The DSA is fairly popular because it is not being compared to the communist part during the Cold War era that many Americans fear.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
The Democratic party has moved to the left because of the current issues being discussed at this time. Immigration, healthcare policy, and abortion are just a few examples of the topics that require a party to take a definitive stance, rather than a more moderate one. For this reason, the Democratic Party has shifted more to the left in order to appeal to more voters.
-Jasmine Ang
DeleteWilliam Lee
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party (be specific in your references/examples)?
I think moving to the left may be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party because it will attract progressives and socialists such as the Democratic Socialists of America to join and vote for Democrats, at the expense of losing moderate and conservative Democrats. The DSA explains leftist policies the Democrats should adopt such as “universal housing and health care, free public college education, shelter and transportation, the abolition of ICE, of the U.S. Senate, of prisons, and an economy where the worker is the priority” (Llorente). Because these policies apply to the majority of the population, attempting to appeal to the people’s needs will benefit the Democratic Party by granting them greater support from a wider variety of groups.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I think the DSA is not a fringe organization because they have been able to integrate themselves into the Democratic Party and appeal to many groups such as the “poor and working-class women and people of color” (Llorente). They have gained influence in the political process with figures such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders becoming candidates in the Democratic Party who run on socialist and progressive ideals. Additionally, their ideas apply to a majority of the population such as a basic income for every person, allowing the DSA to slowly present more socialist ideas as they push the Democratic Party to the left.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
The Democratic Party has moved left since the 1980s and 90s. The shift away from moderate or neutral positions on policies is apparent as parties are taking definitive stances on political issues. As the Republican Party is becoming more conservative, the Democratic Party is also shifting away from the middle in order to appeal to minority groups and liberals. Additionally the loss of Blue Dog Democrats and the introduction of groups such as the DSA are more signs that the Democratic Party is incorporating leftist ideals.
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
(be specific in your references/examples)?
Generally, I think that moving away from the moderate perspective under any circumstance is a bad idea. According to Anthony Downs’ rational choice theory it is in the parties best interests not to push an agenda that does not align with the policies favored by the people. Of course, there are some who do support the goals of the DSA; however, there is a greater amount of voters - comprising the Democratic voting base that is - that support traditional liberal policies and will be less likely to elect DSA candidates to office. The statistic that shows DSA candidates winning in 22 out of 30 elections is misleading in the sense that the regions in which they won were already Democratic precincts and/or counties, and also may have been low income neighborhoods. These two factors make voters much more likely to elect a DSA candidate to office because their competition is already within their own party. Referring back to the rational choice theory, in order to maintain power as a political party it is important to operate like a business whose end goal is to gain the plurality of votes. In order to do this it is necessary to have the best product to attract the most customers. The product and customers are respectively the party platform and its policies and the voters themselves represent the customers. As the ASU instructor states in the article, “They have to almost be non-socialist in order to be popular.” This quote virtually sums up the essence of the DSA’s mission, which - if they chose to accept it - will involve marketing themselves far differently from how they plan to act in office; this would likely lead to low reelection rates and the ultimate disapproval of the sect by the constituents of the Democratic Party.
2. Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
ReplyDeleteNo. The DSA is embedded within the larger Democratic party and as the statistics show, has won the majority of the elections that its candidates have entered. Thus, the policies that they are pushing forward, or at least the ones they say they are working on, have been resonating with the majority of the population. Personally, I think that one aspect of the party’s platform that could result in their ostracization is their proclamation that they would like to get members from the school board elected to office. This idea is very close-minded and single-issue oriented. Clearly, education is a main priority of the DSA, and personally I support them for it, however, the means by which they strive to achieve their goals (i.e. higher taxes) may end up isolating a larger part of the civilian population than they are able to spare. Nonetheless, the DSA continues to push the policies of the entire Democratic Party to left and the voters seemingly go along. The success that this transition is being met with marks a hopeful future for the group and the party as a whole. A simple simile encaptures the relationship between the DSA, the Democratic Party, and their respective voting base: the DSA is like a child convincing her/his parent to let them stay up later. The parent continues to permit later and later bedtimes. If the trend continues the child may one day end up being able to stay up all night, or in other words, the DSA may envelop the Democratic Party and its supporters along with it.
3. Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
ReplyDeletebecause the article doesn’t address this)?
Yes, of course. It is quite clear the shift that has taken place since the 1980s. In the Democratic Party Platform of the 1980 presidency (http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29607) the party still emphasizes all of the same policies as today’s Democrats, but it stresses some more than others. For instance, modern-day Democrats are much more focused on education and minority rights whereas the Democrats of the 1980s emphasized increasing employment and improving the job market as a major priority. It can be said that the party was merely adapting its policies to the needs of the nation during each respective era. That is a valid point and nonetheless results in a difference between the party’s specific ideologies. However, I think that there is more to the leftward shift of the party’s policies over the past 30-40 years. The DSA is an emerging influence within the Democratic party and has been growing since its inception. The DSA is much further from the center than traditional liberal ideals. For instance, the group’s Twitter page featured a tweet saying, “Next picture: feline labor hero shreds capitalist propaganda, throws it in litter box.” (https://twitter.com/DemSocialists/status/1037006881267621889). The syntax of this message is far from diplomatic and is effectively polarizing the DSA from the American ideal of Capitalism, which is supported by politicians on both sides of the aisle. All in all, the shift is clear and the DSA is at its heart.
Julia Maxwell
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I do not believe moving more towards the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party because they will isolate the people who are more moderate and will only appeal to Democrats and not the people who are in the middle who switch between either party. This may lose them votes from independents who are more economically conservative may choose to vote for the Republican party because the Democratic party is too left. The goal of the Parties is to appeal to a large group of people and while there may be a few groups that support the far left the majority of people do not.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
The DSA has significant influence on political process because more and more people are becoming Democrats and leaning more to the left. In recent years the Democratic party has gained many more members. The DSA candidates has pushed the Democratic party more toward the left because of its new supporters. Therefore, the DSA has an influence on the party system and is not a fringe organization.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s?
The Democratic Party has moved left since the 1980s/1990s because of the increased influence from the DSA and more socialist views. The Democratic Party has gone take a supportive stance on same-sex marriage, abortion, affordable health care, and other topics shows how it has shifted to the left.
Ryan Lowe
ReplyDelete1) I do not believe that moving toward the left is a winning strategy for the democratic party because they are simply driving many of the moderate voters away. This is because the far left voters will vote for the democrats no matter what because the Democrats represent their ideals far more than the republicans do. Thus, if you are secure with the far left why move toward the far left and loose the more moderate voters. Moderate voters that are stuck between the Republicans and Democrats would be alarmed by the shift to the left and would cause many to move toward the Republicans costing the democrats many key votes.
2) Since the DSA has been able to push its agenda through the democratic party I believe that they cannot to be considered just a fringe organization. Obviously they are a major part of the political battles if their policies. In addition we see that many of their ideas such as universal housing and health care, free public college education, shelter and transportation, the abolition of ICE, are mentioned quite often in Democratic doctrine. Since they seem to agree on many of the same issues they must have a decent amount of political power.
3) I believe that democrats have gotten more left since the 1980s. I also do not believe that this is just democrat specific. I believe that the country as a whole has moved more left because as time progresses policy has shifted left. This means that while democrats may not be as left of the median american compared to 1980 they are much more left. This is also reflected greatly in democratic political policy shifts. In the 1980s it would have been ludicrous to suggest a minimum wage of over 10 dollars when the minimum wage was only $3.10. I believe that the political shifts of the country have allowed the democrats to move more left because they are slowly adding upon the small amounts of work done before. The steps that the democrats take are moving left, but are small as to not appear to move their policy too far left of the norm.
1) I do not think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic party because the United States is mostly a moderate country. There are so many people in the United States and it will be harder to satisfy everyone, so a super left-wing Democratic party will not receive enough votes to potentially win presidency. In fact, since the Republicans are in control of the government, having a socialist candidate will definitely not work. Additionally, democratic presidents such as Barack Obama are more moderately leaning which is why he was able to win presidency. Additionally that is also why Bernie Sanders was never nominated at the primaries for president because he was too socialist for America. Having a super left wing party run for president is like having a super right-wing president win. Even political experts say that ““They have to almost be non-socialist in order to be popular.”
ReplyDelete2) I think the DSA has a considerable amount of political power because Bernie Sanders was a pretty popular candidate in the very liberal areas. In addition, Ocasio-Cortez was elected as representative in New York showing how the Democratic Socialists are gaining more and more influence. Additionally, many liberal youth are beginning to favor the socialists more, such as how many youth liked Bernie Sanders. I think that it is beginning to have more and more power especially because it is rooted in the Democratic party except that it is more radical and more progressive. They even said that they won 22 of the 30 elections in the past year so far.
3) Yes, I believe the Democratic party has become more and more progressive similar to how the Republicans have become more and more conservative. There has been more party divisions recently and that can be blamed by how the progressives are becoming more progressive and the conservatives are becoming more conservative. That could explain why more and more people are starting to identify themselves as independent. The Democratic Socialists gaining more and more influence proves this gradual division among party lines. As there was a movement for conservatism back in the 80s it shows how Democrats have become more and more liberal especially advocating for tougher protections against women, the LGBT+ community and immigrants. For instance, they advocated for abortion rights, same-sex marriage and equal protection, and less deportions.
Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
ReplyDeleteI do not think that moving left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party. Moving too far left isolates voters who may be moderate or slightly left, but still somewhat moderate. These voters would then most likely either not vote for the Democratic party or they would vote for Republicans that are more moderate because their ideologies match up the closest. In addition, people rarely vote for people on the far end of the spectrum as seen in the Arizona Republican primary in which the far right candidate lost.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I believe the DSA has some influence on the political process, but too much. Their beliefs most likely influence the believes of more moderate Democrats as Democrats try to either combat the DSA's beliefs if they are unpopular or bring attention to them in their own platform if people care about the ideas. They also receive support from Democratic voters, but at the current moment I do not believe they have enough power to alter the Democratic nomination.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn't address this?)
I do believe that the Democratic party has moved to left given their very public stance on affordable health care and because Sanders received quite a bit of publicity and support from the Democratic party in the Democratic nomination. The Republicans have become more conservative over the years, which has prompted the Democrats to move in the opposite direction in order to provide definitive stances on major issues.
Tanya Mir
ReplyDelete1. Personally, I believe that a leftward shift can help the Democratic party, and our recent 2016 presidential election was an example of this. Hilary Clinton, a traditional Democrat, lost the general election because of this leftward shift in her party. She was not a representative of the way the party has been shifting, and instead she represented the older generation of Democrats who aren't super leftist, which lead many voters in her party to not turnout in the general election. With a candidate like Bernie Sanders who is considered an extreme leftist and socialist, Democrats would have had a better chance in the general election as there would have been a much better voter turnout within the party. The US in the past has been a fairly moderate country, but as seen in elections like 2016, it seems that moderate voters will soon be outnumbered by extremists within their party.
2. The DSA has quite a bit of influence on the political process, as Senator Bernie Sanders showed us in 2016. Sanders mobilized many socialists within the Democratic party, and arguably shifted the Democratic party slightly more leftist. I believe in the future, they will have a more significant impact in politics, especially within the Democratic party.
3. As Republicans have moved to even more to the right, Democrats have done the same within their own party. Democratic socialists have gained a lot of power in recent years, and have shifted the Democratic party in their favor. The party's stances on social issues such as gay marriage and abortion are great examples of this shift.
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
Going further left is a winning strategy for the Democratic Party because when you go through the issues point by point, the majority of the American people agree with the policies proposed by Bernie Sanders. Here's an article talking about that. https://www.salon.com/2017/01/14/americans-overwhelmingly-support-bernie-sanders-economic-policies-so-howd-we-end-up-here/
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
At the moment, it is a fringe organization because it lacks any real power in Congress. However, I predict in the mid terms that this will change with DSA candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gaining elected office and wielding real political power.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s
No. In my opinion, they've gone more to the right then anything. In order to keep up with Republicans with funding, they've decided to follow their lead and take large amounts of money from corporations. However, ever since 2016 there has been a resurgence in more leftist candidates. I'd argue that if the Democrats did go more left, they wouldn't be the situation they've been in for the past 6 years, which is losing nearly 1000 elected seats. (https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_in_state_legislative_seats_during_the_Obama_presidency)
(sorry for the really bad format)
DeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party(be specific in your references/examples)?
ReplyDeleteI believe that a move farther to the left for the Democratic Party would not be a winning strategy for them. This would be due to the fact that by moving farther left they may lose some of the support they already have. Also this would make the gap between the two parties larger which would cause moderates to be stuck in the middle and could lead to a different more moderate party.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I believe that the DSA is not a fringe organization as they have been connected to the Democratic Party and have a large amount of support from the lower class. They have increased in influence on the political process as can be seen by people such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becoming candidates of the Democratic Party. The ideas they present also appeal to a large majority of the population as many of the ideas would benefit them.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question because the article doesn’t address this)?
The Democratic Party has moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s as parties begin to take more definitive stances on political issues instead of moderate ones. The Republican Party is already shifting away from a moderate stance to a more conservative one and the Democratic Party has mirrored this action. This can be seen in their support of same-sex marriage and abortion.
-Matthew Tran
Delete
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I do not think a shift left will help the Democratic party. Probably in the future, but not now. There are far too many independents as of now as seen from our discussions on dealignment, and they probably exist at around the center. I believe that a push further left, further socialist, would scare many Americans and force many moderates, libertarians, etc, to vote Republican. I don't believe in the theory that Hillary Clinton's moderate views pushed leftists away and resulted in lower voter turnout. I believe that the contrast with Trump, the far left's anti-christ, was more than enough motivation in the face of Clinton's moderate platform and the low voter turnout was a result of other variables.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I think the DSA has significant influence on the political process due to momentum it has gathered within the Democratic party as the party searches for a solution for their Trump problem. It is growing less and less fringe as evidenced by their widely celebrated win with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York. I doubt the DSA will wield the power it wants to or thinks it should have, but, they will likely be a large, key group that more moderate Democrats will keep in mind and try to appeal to.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s?
I believe the Democratic Party has shifted left significantly since the 1980s and 1990s. As we learned in class, Blue Dog democrats no longer exist and Bill Clinton would be a strange conservative by today's standards, considering he drastically cut government spending and supported lower corporate tax rates. In just our lifetimes, we have the seen the Democratic party quickly adopt progressive views on LGBTQ rights and many other social issues.
1. I think that moving toward the left could be a very good strategy for the democratic party, if it appeals to the right voters. The party promises things like free college, better healthcare systems, and better conditions for workers that sound very appealing. To the right kind of voter, particularly one that isn't super politically active and won't question whether the government is capable of pulling this off or what the consequences might be, this will draw them in. By offering more, going further left may draw in voters.
ReplyDelete2. Since the DSA is not a political party of its own but rather part of the Democratic party, it will have influence. Its existence can help sway the party to the left overall. Being part of the Democratic party allows it to achieve actual political power, unlike other minor parties like the Green party.
3. The fact that Bernie Sanders was so popular during the Democratic primaries in the 2016 presidential election shows that more extreme leftist views are prominent. I believe that the trend has been that the party has been moving more to the left overall.
- Max Sigler
Joey Zhang
ReplyDelete1. Do you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party?
I think that moving left is not a winning strategy for the Democratic Party. This is because by moving left, the Democratic Party is isolating themselves from many moderates, or those who aren't that liberal. By moving too far left, the Democratic Party will drive away the moderate voters as it will be too extreme for them. Furthermore, by moving more towards the left wing, the moderates will vote for the Republican Party as if the Democratic Party moves too left, it will scare away the moderates, costing them many votes.
2. Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I believe that the DSA is not a fringe organization as it has a pretty significant influence on the political process. This can be seen through many cases. One case would be Bernie Sanders and how popular he was during the 2016 presidential campaigns. Furthermore, the influence the DSA actually has is better represented when Ocasio-Cortez was voted to be New York's representative. This case shows just how powerful the DSA has become in the U.S. I believe that as time progresses, the DSA will only gain in political power.
3. Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
because the article doesn’t address this)?
I think that since the 1980s, the Democratic Party has moved to the left. This is primarily due to the DSA's more left wing views. The Democratic Party is now competing with the DSA over their more liberal voters, and the only way the Democratic Party can appeal to those liberal voters would be to move more towards the left.
ReplyDeleteDo you think moving to the left will be a winning strategy for the Democratic Party
(be specific in your references/examples)?
I do not belive that moving further left will be a winning strategy for the democratic party. While it does attract very far left Democrats, it does not appeal to moderates. Moving too far left will make it too liberal, which will, in a sense, scare away the moderates, and possibly push them to the Republican party. Also, the term "socialist" has a negative implication. Therefore, Democratic socialists will be less popular. Overall, by moving further left, the Democrats will have less votes and gain less support.
Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
I believe that the DSA is not a fringe organization. The DSA has allowed for the Democratic party to gain more and more members. It is pushing the Democratic further left and gaining more support. I believe that the DSA does have significant influence on the political process and will have even more influence on the political process in the future. Certain canidates, such as Bernie Sanders, gained a lot of support when supporting DSA ideals.
Has the Democratic Party moved to the left since the 1980s/1990s (toughest question
because the article doesn’t address this)?
Since the 1980s/1990s, I belive that the Democratic party has moved further left. Similarly, I believe that the Republican party has moved further and further right. There is a very large gap between the two parties today. Because both parties are moving further away from center, we have seen a large increase in the independent party. Less people's views line up with far left/right views, so more and more people are going independent.
-Tovia Sobel 3˚
DeleteJustin Huwe
ReplyDelete2. Is the DSA a fringe organization or does it have significant influence on the political process?
Although the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is not an official political party, it is still gaining traction in American politics today. By working within the Democratic establishment to advance their policy positions, the DSA is gradually becoming a more powerful voice in the political scene. Although its influence currently is not extremely monumental, the fervor they've created within the Democratic party and the public as a whole with their ideas is significant. Soon, this fervor may translate into real political success with the possible election of such candidates as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is a member of the DSA and pulled off a stunning upset to win the primary over the incumbent who has been in Congress since 1999. This demonstrates the growing influence of the DSA is in terms of potentially holding office and actually making their ideas become reality.
I found it almost inevitable that the DEM party would move left due to the increased right the Republicans made. It was not as quite a strategy, as it was more so a reaction to the further right wing REP party. However, the increased need of the support due to the unequal distribution of welfare also contributed to the left move of the DEM party. More individuals face poor circumstances and thus, there was a leftist shift.
ReplyDeleteThe DSA was once an official political party, however during the Cold War it earned a bad reputation as the Russian Communists were feared. In modern day politics, the Socialist united with DEMs illustrating a comeback of the Socialists. It is becoming a more powerful voice as polarization increases. I would definitely argue that it does have a louder voice that it did in prior years, which is demonstrated in Cortez's win over the DEM incumbent.
The DEM party has shifted left as a reaction to the REPs shifting right. Around the 80s, religious conservatives developed their voice in the party ultimately leading to a more conservative agenda. This can be shown through VP Mike Pence and the Trump administration. So yes, I believe the DEM party shifted left as the REPs moved further right.
1. I think that moving too far to the left would be a mistake from the Democratic Party. Many moderate/centrist people are choosing to vote third party and dissociate due to democratic shift to the left as well as the republican shift to the right. There are a lot of left leaning people who will be scared away by an increase in swing towards the left which would create too much spending.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the DSA has a fairly significant influence on the political process. A good amount of people are moving further left and many more are beginning to identify with socialist views, and all of this can be evidenced by Bernie Sander's levels of success both as a Senator and the support he has gathered.
3. The Democratic Party has definitely moved to the left over time. This is partially as a result of a shifting social climate, and Democrats have scene an identity shift further left socially as a result. Evidenced by issues such as healthcare also prove that the Democrats have shifted to the left economically with increased spending.