Beyond Biden: The Progressive Momentum Reshaping America
A sudden populist surge within the Democratic Party could be the finishing blow to the toxic MAGA movement.
August 22, 2024
By: Daniel Miller
American politics is in the middle of a progressive swing the likes of which have not been seen since probably the 1930s when Franklin Roosevelt enacted his New Deal policies. Joe Biden’s decision to sunset his presidency after four years signifies the sunsetting of the prototypical corrupt establishment Democrat. Senators Kirsten Sinema and Joe Manchin – two of the most corrupt Senators in the country, which is saying a lot – are not seeking reelection. More Millenials and Gen Zers with whom Bernie Sanders’ castigating messages about corruption and wealth inequality resonated and motivated are starting to replace septuagenarians in Congressional seats. Many of these older-generation Democrats still adhere to Bill Clinton’s strategy of triangulation, which aims to appeal to centrists and moderate conservatives. This approach shifts economic policies to the right, creating a ratchet effect when Republicans regain electoral advantages. The newer generations don’t carry the same attitude.
For decades, the collective attitude of the Democratic Party has been conciliatory and defensive, leading to more and more disaffected voters who feel politically homeless because the Republicans have become so intransigent, conspiratorial, and vitriolic. This was still the case until just a few weeks ago when Biden was seen as the bemused face of the party, but that all changed when Kamala Harris expedited the affable Tim Walz to a position in which no progressive has held since Henry Wallace eighty years ago.
While Biden has been better with his economic policies than Clinton and Obama were, he hasn’t gone far enough in giving the people what they want and deserve. A healthy majority of Americans support raising wages to a living wage, universal healthcare and education, student loan forgiveness, paid family and sick leave, paid vacation days, raising the corporate tax rate and rates on the highest earners, combating climate change, and having a solid social safety net, just to name a few. I would be ecstatic if only a few of these passed Congress, but they will at least be on the table given Harris and Walz can pull out a win in November.
While both Harris and Walz are politically astute, Walz knows how to play offense just like he did when he was a football coach, and it’s working. Who knew that calling Trump, J.D. Vance, and other MAGA Republicans “weird” would be so effective? And the best retort that any of them have managed to blurt out is: “I’m not weird, they are!” While it may be on the level of schoolyard bullying, that’s the level to which Trump and his ilk have stooped for almost a decade, and the best way to beat a bully is to bully him back.
The tides are shifting. MAGA is dying. There is a new sense of hope in the country at a time when it was desperately needed now more than ever. If the Democrats continue to play smart offense and good politics by delivering good policies, they can ride this wave of momentum for years to come and pull the right-wing extremists closer to the center.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting me on Patreon. I am completely independent and my journalism is often inhibited simply by a lack of funding. A little bit really does go a long way. Thank you!
