Sam’s Autopsy of 2016

In the wake of Hillary Clinton’s uncanny defeat, the Democratic Party has been left in shambles, torn in many directions. However, the most concise description is a faction of Center-Left liberals like Tom Perez and Hillary trying to cozy up to the rising tide in the party of Left Progressives, many of whom are socialists, such as Bernie Sanders and Keith Ellison. The party’s message is largely unclear with one unifying characteristic: Anti-Trumpism.  The reason Dems lost in 2016 is because Democrats were forced to majorly shake up the message and increasingly move towards socialism.

The socialist progressive message worked very well for the Bernie Sanders campaign. His so called “New Left” was very popular during the runoff against Hillary in places like Michigan and the Rockies Region. But, as it metastasized into a prominent faction of the Democratic party, his message started causing some friction.

Democrats thought that this message that was so effective for Sanders in typical Republican strong holds that it would help flip Blue Collar states like West Virginia or Iowa, where he is still, to this day, popular. However, Center-Right Republican voters and Independents, groups that were more likely to be swayed by a more moderate, 2008-esque Hillary, were turned off by her decision to adopt a more Bernie friendly message. She chose to appeal more to the left than the center. The Center-Right and Independents, stuck between Trump and Hillary, were put in a difficult spot: New-Hillary, running against their traditional values such as limited government, which they believed were unrealistic in a more socialist system; or Trump, a bumbling idiot, but at least would keep the politics towards reducing government influence and taxes. Hillary lost because the “Bernie or bust crowd” did not believe she would realize something similar to his agenda, nor did the Center-Right or Independents trust her to maintain her original Center-Left, liberal agenda.

Fast forward to the present and it is clear that both groups did not trust Hillary and Trump won. The results proved that Democrats cannot have their cake and eat it too. They are forced to carry on elements of progressiveness. The problem is, the wishy-washy message is not working. A purely progressive message might win in NY, MA, CA, but won’t ever come close to getting crucial moderate-Republican seats like Georgia’s 6th come 2018 midterms. Anti Trumpism is not going to win in districts who voted for Trump. Democrats have to offer a cohesive message or risk their chances at flipping Congress. Infighting is really hampering the message as evidenced at the DNC elections and calls for Pelosi to step down. However, if socialism becomes more pervasive, it will all but guarantee that potential voters, such as the Center-Right and Independents, will not come out as the party becomes less cohesive. Democrats need to once and for all pick a side, or compromise, but it is evident the status quo is not working.