By Josh Gottheimer
Copyright newsweek
The Democratic Party has always been a big tent, and we should continue to be home to a strong, broad coalition. That’s one of our greatest strengths. But, if we allow extremist views—like those of democratic socialists—into the tent, it will blow right over, and we will spend years in the minority. After all, democratic socialists aren’t Democrats—they’re socialists with a set of beliefs and priorities that are fundamentally at odds with Democratic Party values. We cannot allow those few loud, fringe voices to elbow out the majority of mainstream, commonsense Democrats who are the key to winning back the House, Senate, and White House.Let’s be honest about what happened last November. We lost ground because too many voters believed that the Democratic Party became associated with issues on the extreme left, with ideas that didn’t reflect our core values—like being too soft on immigration and crime, or too focused on divisive cultural issues. We failed to keep our attention where voters needed it most: on the economy, lowering costs, and keeping America’s communities safe. The result: Democrats underperformed in both turning out and convincing voters to pull the lever for us—including Latinos and union households. The far right is continuing to do everything they can to push this narrative—and the democratic socialists aren’t exactly trying to dispel it. The latest Wall Street Journal poll reinforced this point: 63 percent of voters have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party—the lowest rating in 35 years.Now, Donald Trump has offered us an opportunity to be the Party of reason and commonsense. What will cause us to screw it up? Swerving even further left.Take a look at the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) platform being celebrated by the Democratic Party’s extreme left. It’s a stark wake up call to the disaster they see as the promised land. The platform includes defunding the police, withdrawing from NATO, ending U.S. military aid to all governments, and social ownership of all major industries. That’s not a vision for strengthening the middle class—and it’s a blueprint for electoral disaster.And it’s alarming to see elected officials, like Senator Bernie Sanders and scores of others at the state and local level, embrace so many elements of the DSA platform. The most recent and prominent example is New York City’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. While he ran a savvy primary campaign, his socialist policies are both impractical and out of step with what the majority of voters are looking for: attacks on police, shuttered prisons, massive unfunded spending increases, and even government-run grocery stores. His refusal to outright condemn divisive, antisemitic language like “Globalize the Intifada” is a naked appeal to the most radical socialist agenda. None of this will deliver a winning future.So, what’s the best path forward? A Democratic platform that includes tax cuts for the middle class, a quality education system, an all-of-the-above energy strategy, lower-cost health care, child care, and housing, and a strong national defense. The bottom line: We need to reclaim the mantle of commonsense—affordability, public safety, and economic opportunity. If you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve to succeed and live the American Dream. And, yes, government has a role to play in helping make that happen. These policies will bring along not only Democrats, but also independents and even some Republicans—not just in blue New York and New Jersey, but in red Ohio and Florida, too.We know our Party also rightly unites around fighting climate change, protecting reproductive freedom, and opening opportunities for all, regardless of race or religion. But, at the end of the day, if Americans cannot afford to put food on their table, everything else, while important, becomes secondary.Democrats must also amplify leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a growing bench of smart, pragmatic governors and congressional candidates who reflect the values of the broad majority of Americans—and reject those who do not agree with our fundamental beliefs. Democratic socialists should be in their own party.In short, we can’t allow democratic socialists to redefine what it means to be a Democrat. That will not win back swing voters or help us regain a majority. And when Democrats lose, we see the results—in the Supreme Court, in cuts to Medicaid, education, foreign aid, food for hungry children, and abortion rights. I’m confident that if we focus on delivering commonsense ideas—rooted in our core Democratic values—we can unite and energize our Party, and win elections.Josh Gottheimer is a Democratic member of Congress representing New Jersey, and a founder of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
