The Democrat Party’s shift to extremism is not only evident in their House and Senate members, but also in many of the 2020 candidates who are presently running for office. The left-wing has collectively embraced progressives and decided that radical reform is the most strategic way to regain political power.
This is something which moderates in the party have attempted to push back against, noting the perils of going too far to the left. Now, when progressives are challenged, they tend to attack, especially when the challenges come from other members of the Democrat Party.
Last night’s second primary debate is no exception to that rule. Moderate and progressive Democrats duked it out over a series of issues, but namely healthcare, immigration, and the party’s shift to socialism. The Daily Caller News Foundation reports that moderate candidates attempted to keep away from radical leftism while progressives boldly embraced going as far left as possible.
Reviewing the Divide Between Moderate and Progressive Candidates
Last night, Rep. John Delaney and Sen. Bernie Sanders went toe-to-toe with one another over healthcare. To be precise, Delaney ripped Sanders’ support of Medicare-for-All, stating that “free everything” polices will lead to President Trump winning a second term in office. Sen. Amy Klobuchar made similar statements, noting that her policies are “grounded in reality.” However, this didn’t stop Sanders who pushed back, stating that Delaney’s critique of Medicare-for-All is “wrong.”
The topic of immigration, namely the provision of free healthcare to illegal immigrants, also turned out to spark a battle between moderates and progressives. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock outrightly stated that providing free healthcare to illegal immigrants would encourage them to unlawfully enter the United States. Sanders responded by declaring healthcare as a “human right” for any person in America; finally, Bullock countered with assertions that far left stances on immigration are “detached from people’s lives.”
Candidates such as Rep. Tim Ryan and John Hickenlooper warned their progressive contenders and the audience that socialism is not the direction to take the Democrat Party in. Sanders pushed back against this, stating that polls show him defeating President Trump; at this point, Ryan reminded Sanders than Hillary Clinton was also projected to defeat Trump.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren chimed in with her own take, stating that Americans “can’t choose a candidate we don’t believe in just because we are too scared to do anything else.”
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, the Democrat Party has chosen to embraced radicalism over moderatism. This is evident by progressives’ numbers in the polls, versus where moderates currently stand.
It won’t be all that shocking if certain moderates begin to drop out between now and the third Democrat primary debate. Many of the candidates who challenged the extreme policies of Warren and Sanders are barely polling at above 1%.
What did you think about last night’s Democrat debate? Sound off in the comments section down below!
