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To the Editor:
The Supreme Court has recently issued a number of important rulings: abortion, guns, climate, voting rights, gerrymandering, campaign finance, unions and regulation of government agencies and businesses. These
have severely undermined rights for a vast number of Americans. An extremist, conservative ideology dominates the court and the Republican Party.
The Democratic Party establishment’s response has been ineffectual. Clarence Thomas probably would never have been confirmed if it wasn’t for Biden. Obama reneged on his campaign pledge to sign the “Freedom of Choice Act,” ending all restrictions on abortion.
After Obama’s victory in 2008, the Democrats controlled the House and had a filibuster-proof Senate. The Republicans were still able to gain control of Congress and a majority of state governments, and pack the Supreme Court.
In 2016, the Democratic Party establishment supported a flawed candidate who lost to Donald Trump. In 2020, Biden was unable to help elect candidates lower on the ballot, giving Democrats a narrow margin in the House and a 50-50 split in the Senate. This gave Senator Joe Manchin power to kill Biden’s climate, energy and tax package. He and his fellow senator from Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, both conservative Democrats, prevented passage of voting rights and
abortion legislation.
The Democratic Party establishment’s dismal electoral failures will likely continue with losses to the Republicans in the 2022 and 2024 elections. Meanwhile, the party continues to support moderate and even conservative Democrats in primaries. They are opposed by progressives, who not only fully support Biden’s domestic agenda but want to go beyond it.
The Democratic Party needs to move to the left, energize its base and directly challenge dog whistles such as “defund the police,” “law and order,” “critical race theory” and “socialism.”
It also needs to educate voters, especially those who live in red states, that a progressive/left domestic agenda is essential for their health and welfare.
Howard Elterman
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