The Democrats Won’t Have Any Candidates Left By 2024 – Opinion

In politics, the term “big tent” refers to allowing a wide array of beliefs and opinions into your political side. Although Republicans struggled for many years with this idea, it has started to improve. The biggest division in the Republican Party right now comes in the form of whether or not you support Donald Trump enough, but that isn’t keeping the average Republican voter for continuing to support Republican candidates in general elections (see: Virginia).

But the Democrats face a significant problem: If Democrats keep attacking Joe Manchin (and everyone else who thinks as they do), it will limit their pool of candidates for future elections. A party that is far left and a loud, progressive base has made it difficult for any centrist candidate to run.

Consider the Sinema and Manchin.

Amazing stuff. https://t.co/lI90SYFX8R pic.twitter.com/lb5hUU9f5u

— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) January 12, 2022

While he may be the de facto leader and most powerful American in America’s national political system, he will not fix democracy. Biden could not force the black Klansman in West Virginia and the Karen Senator from Arizona to support democracy. But it would still be impossible for Black voters to be free from the filibuster. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act can’t do it nor can grassroots organizers.

Manchin is opposed to changing the Senate rules in a way that gives Republicans more power in the long run because, as he put it, “our leaders in the Senate fail to realize what goes around comes around.” Sinema is opposed to any changes that would threaten her seat in the long run. They are both trying to guide their party through the contentious midterm without losing any seats or giving Republicans an advantage.

Because not only does sacrificing the filibuster for a temporary victory in the voting rights act ensure the Republicans will turn around and do it themselves in the future, even if it is passed, it will be challenged in court almost immediately and take over a year to settle – it won’t solve any problems and will probably get struck down by the Supreme Court.

Because of the constant calls for blood from their base and party members, Democrats have shifted further to the right. Chuck Schumer wants to force action on the voting rights bill today, knowing full-well he’s going to lose, because he’s terrified of a primary challenge from his left (there are persistent rumors Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez either wants to run for his seat or find someone to).

We know that it’s not just Manchin and Sinema who are opposed to the Democrats going this far in the Senate. There are probably between 5-7 Democrats in “purple” seats that don’t want to be put on the record as supporting filibuster reform, the heavy-spending Biden agenda, and far-left progressive politics. Not that they don’t support these things, but because they want to stay in power.

And, wanting to stay in power isn’t inherently bad if you’re doing so to continue to move the ball down the field for your party. Why would someone who’s a bit more middle-class want to be able to get that treatment when Sinemas and Manchins of the party have been demonized because of their positions?

While Republicans did a great job in winning the last several elections, even in mitigating Democratic waves for 2018 and 2020, the Democrats effectively are sanding the ground where it comes to candidate recruitment.

You can’t question abortion. You can’t question Medicare for All. It is necessary to wish to fill the Supreme Court. The filibuster must be eliminated. You have to want to federalize elections and call it “voting rights.”

If you don’t do these things, they’ll come for you. You’ll be told you’re upholding white supremacy. You’ll be condemned by the Squad and the media. Who among us would want to endure all that? In 2024, Democrats will have new and unpalatable, often inexperienced candidates. This is simply because good candidates are tired of all that.