Nbadan
01-09-2014, 01:16 AM
Democrats May Get Their Own Destructive Tea Party Movement
Last edited Mon Jan 6, 2014, 10:30 AM - Edit history (1)
By Dean Obeidallah
The rise of Bill de Blasio and Elizabeth Warren shows the progressive wing is powerful and angry. How soon until their fans pick primary fights with the old guard?
Is this the beginning of the end of Democratic Party unity? Will we see primary challenges to incumbent Democrats who are viewed as not being liberal enough? How far are we from moderate Democrats be labeled as “DINOs”—Democrats in name only?
Only time will tell, but there is a growing possibility we will see “Tea Party” Democrats in the near future. They wouldn’t be conservatives like the Republican Tea Party members, but they would share the same dogmatic commitment to ideology and aversion to compromise. If you think Congress sucks now, just imagine how horrific it would be if there were Tea Party Democrats facing off against Tea Party Republicans!
The leaders of the resurgent progressive wing of the Democratic Party include the new mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, who has vowed to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund more social programs. There’s also Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who recently suggested (not advocated) that the minimum wage should be $22 an hour. And President Obama also seems to have joined this movement with his recent push to address income inequality and raise the minimum wage—both of which Obama is expected to name as priorities in his State of the Union address later this month.
Sure, there are some who applaud the rise of the new left. E.J. Dionne Jr., for example, wrote last week: “The return of a viable, vocal left will actually be good news for the political center.” He may be correct—this could be good for the political center. But it may not be good for the Democratic Party, at least if success is measured by electoral victories.
more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/06/democrats-may-get-their-own-destructive-tea-party-movement.html
This comparison is somewhat questionable. For example, considering how quickly the Occupy Movement fizzled in comparison to the Tea Party movement, there really is no equating the ideologues of the Right with the ideologues of the Left. In the GOP, the moderates are being shunned and driven out of the party. Willard Romney had to drive his agenda almost all the way to Right in 2012 (falling just short of advocating a return to slavery), just to win the primaries. The ideologues clearly have more influence and power in the GOP than those of the Democratic Party.
Furthermore, people such as Elizabeth Warren and Bill de Blasio are not adopting the fundamentalist tactics that various politicians on the Right adopt, where if you don't agree with them 100%, you are automatically the enemy. They are able to be pragmatic and work with moderates without completely demolishing the joint, and they don't resort to name-calling and bigoted attacks towards the other side of the aisle.
Last edited Mon Jan 6, 2014, 10:30 AM - Edit history (1)
By Dean Obeidallah
The rise of Bill de Blasio and Elizabeth Warren shows the progressive wing is powerful and angry. How soon until their fans pick primary fights with the old guard?
Is this the beginning of the end of Democratic Party unity? Will we see primary challenges to incumbent Democrats who are viewed as not being liberal enough? How far are we from moderate Democrats be labeled as “DINOs”—Democrats in name only?
Only time will tell, but there is a growing possibility we will see “Tea Party” Democrats in the near future. They wouldn’t be conservatives like the Republican Tea Party members, but they would share the same dogmatic commitment to ideology and aversion to compromise. If you think Congress sucks now, just imagine how horrific it would be if there were Tea Party Democrats facing off against Tea Party Republicans!
The leaders of the resurgent progressive wing of the Democratic Party include the new mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, who has vowed to raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund more social programs. There’s also Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who recently suggested (not advocated) that the minimum wage should be $22 an hour. And President Obama also seems to have joined this movement with his recent push to address income inequality and raise the minimum wage—both of which Obama is expected to name as priorities in his State of the Union address later this month.
Sure, there are some who applaud the rise of the new left. E.J. Dionne Jr., for example, wrote last week: “The return of a viable, vocal left will actually be good news for the political center.” He may be correct—this could be good for the political center. But it may not be good for the Democratic Party, at least if success is measured by electoral victories.
more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/06/democrats-may-get-their-own-destructive-tea-party-movement.html
This comparison is somewhat questionable. For example, considering how quickly the Occupy Movement fizzled in comparison to the Tea Party movement, there really is no equating the ideologues of the Right with the ideologues of the Left. In the GOP, the moderates are being shunned and driven out of the party. Willard Romney had to drive his agenda almost all the way to Right in 2012 (falling just short of advocating a return to slavery), just to win the primaries. The ideologues clearly have more influence and power in the GOP than those of the Democratic Party.
Furthermore, people such as Elizabeth Warren and Bill de Blasio are not adopting the fundamentalist tactics that various politicians on the Right adopt, where if you don't agree with them 100%, you are automatically the enemy. They are able to be pragmatic and work with moderates without completely demolishing the joint, and they don't resort to name-calling and bigoted attacks towards the other side of the aisle.