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The Democratic Party Is Further Left than Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton appeared in a panel discussion on MSNBC Monday, debating the problems the Democratic Party faces in the upcoming midterms. Rev. Sharpton explained that the party is moving away from its voters:
Let me say it slowly for my Democratic friends in Washington, D.C.: Black voters are more conservative than you are, White woke leaders in Washington, D.C. Hispanic voters are more conservative than you are, White woke leaders in Washington, D.C., Asian-American voters are more conservative than you are … They’re more conservative on crime, they’re more conservative on education, they’re more conservative on these woke issues … We don’t want to be manipulated by right-wing elitist billionaires or by left-wing guys that don’t understand our life on the ground that is living in fear of crime, that is living as a result of inflation that is killing us in many parts of the country. We need gas to go to work….
Granted, hearing Rev. Sharpton criticize the anti-police movement in his party is a bit rich, considering that he became famous by turning the Tawana Brawley fake rape accusations into a national scandal. But that’s not my point. Let’s ignore that for now. When I read his quotes, I see someone who would naturally vote Republican in this next election.
But he won’t. And neither will his followers.
And yes, I’m aware that the Republican Party is generally to the left of their voters as well.
But the Democratic Party is clearly way, way to the left of its voting base. And it has been for years. And it continues to move further and further to the left, further and further away from its voters.
Today’s Democrat rallies aren’t about the financial concerns of the underclass. They’re about the rights of transsexual children to take puberty-blocking drugs. That won’t gain them many votes among, well, among anybody who visits the real world from time to time.
And the poor not only visit the real world – they live there. Unlike the over-educated elites who are insulated from the consequences of the policies they promote.
But despite this chasm between the Democratic Party and their base, the party continues to move further away from its voters, and Democrat voters continue to vote Democrat. As the chasm grows and grows, their support doesn’t change.
I don’t find the “Republicans need to do more minority outreach” narrative to be compelling. Considering what the Democrats are doing, the only outreach that Republicans need is to put up billboards in urban areas saying, “Vote Republican. We’re not insane.”
Maybe I’m wrong. But the Democrats’ endless efforts to prove to their voters that they don’t care what their concerns are would seem adequate to convince many Democrat voters that perhaps they might want to reconsider their voting habits.
But the basic problem, as I see it, is that the Democratic Party controls our news media, our educational establishment, our entertainment industry, social media, and many other important institutions. Americans are immersed in a simple narrative from the time they are children: Republicans are evil.
So long as that narrative is unchallenged, it may not matter what policies the Democratic Party promotes, or how much damage they do.
So we have people like Rev. Sharpton who vote Democrat, then complain about crime waves, inflation, gas prices, corruption, and everything else that they just voted for. And they won’t consider voting differently. Because Republicans are evil.
And that’s it.
I wish I could have a beer with Rev. Sharpton. I would tell him that he can continue to complain about woke Democrats, if he likes.
Or perhaps he could wake up. Perhaps he might consider the possibility that if Democrat policies are destroying his neighborhoods, that perhaps Republicans are not the evil ones here. Just perhaps.
He might consider a change of parties to be hypocritical, after promoting Democrats for all these years. But when Ronald Reagan left the Democrats, he explained his reasoning very simply: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party left me.”
And that’s it.
Go ahead, Rev. Sharpton. Leave the Democrats. You can do it. You know you want to.
You won’t be the first.
In fact, it’s a long-standing tradition in American politics, going back to the Civil War. Perhaps he’s familiar with the difficulties of that era.
Stand up for what you believe in, Rev. Sharpton.
Join the club.
Published in General
I saw that today on Morning Joe.
Maybe it’s genuine, but when dealing with Sharpton you have to wonder if maybe Al is really just upset that he isn’t the one doing the manipulation any more.
The other day some NBC types were complaining that Jenn Psaki joining them was not “a good look.” This coming from the network that employs Rev. Al Sharpton.
I’m reminded of a cable TV show, Emergency Vet. The show followed a veterinary practice. One of the veterinarians shared a bit of his history…
He had been a roadie for The Rolling Stones for years. His life revolved around the band’s tours and all the craziness that entailed. After the last show of a tour he was on the plane with the rest of the band and crew. Keith Richards came over and sat down to chat.
Keith asked what his plans were now that the tour was over. He said he’d do what he does after every tour…collect unemployment, drink and smoke weed. and wait for the next tour. Even Keith was stunned. “This is all you do? Just this“
”Mate, you really need to get your life in order.”
He said that was his moment of clarity. If Keith of all people thinks you are a waste-case you must be REALLY bad.
Same here. If Al Sharpton, of all people, thinks you have gone too far left you are REALLY out there … so far out there you need a map and compass to find your way back.
I’d rather outreach saying that the GOP believes in strong families, prosperity, freedom, safety and security. It is not that hard, but our politicians are confused by hanging out at DC cocktail parties.
He is doing just that. He believes in his own self-gratification and nothing else. That’s why he fits in so well up there.
Be forewarned, You’ll be left with the bill.
If Al Sharpton is your party’s voice of reason . . .
I don’t think Al really means that. He can’t say Joe is a daily embarrassment.
And talking up the crime problem is a win win for him. Inevitably effective policing will involve physical contact between a cop and a perp, the video of which will be analyzed like the Zapruder film just in time for the Summer Riot Season. And that gets him front and center instead of the Woke faction of the democrat party.
I think I know why: Democratic politicians care less and less about voters and more and more about Twitter.
Which came first do you think? Caring less about voters? Or twitter?
Zing!
This post should have at least 20 Likes by now.
Sadly this seems to read as just as true without the words “Democrat” and “Democratic”.
Thanks for reminding me.
I still think the smart strategy is to work to destroy the news media and the educational establishment. Or perhaps I mean ‘destroy their credibility’.
Until WW2 in the US, and until today in places like Britain, everyone understood the news was biased. If Teh Gruaniad says it rained yesterday, it is understood that this comes from the point of view that the Tories are scum. If The Daily Mail says it rained, it is understood that this comes from the point of view that Labour is untrustworthy. Life continues; democracy does not die, in darkness or otherwise; people do not feel a great anxiety that there is no central source of ‘truth’ to tell them what to think.
Thus my conviction that the better way to protect people from the narrative is not to complain that the media is biased – as though there was some alternative – but just to point it out. Not ‘OMG CNN lied!’ but ‘Of course it’s a lie – a journalist said it’. Not ‘the press must be reformed/called to their professional duty/shamed into objectivity’ but ‘the press lies – that’s what they do’. Not ‘journalists should be paragons of truth’ but ‘journalists are people who made bad life choices’.
As for education, the middle class obsession with college needs to end. Easier said than done, I know – the desire for social advancement is a strong motive, and it can be hard not to buy into the cargo cult logic of ‘the scions of the upper class go to fancy colleges; therefore if we send little Johnny to college he will become upper class’, especially after it has been normalised for a couple of generations.
Social media will collapse under its own absurdity if the aforementioned scales are removed from the eyes of the public. Eventually even corporate executives and politicians will realise that Twitter isn’t real.
I’m stunned, but I think he got something wrong. It’s white, woke leaders nationwide killing the Democrat party, IMHO . . .
Think of Sharpton as a major stockholder in the Democratic Party who is upset that the current management is running it into the ground and killing the stock price. He is not a potential GOP convert.
African-Americans need better leadership on crime but that is mostly local and there is not much chance of a GOP intervention in most big cities. Same with schools.
More black conservatives in elected office is key. Inroads are possible.
In the “Best Interview Ever, Of Any Person On Any Subject” (tm Me) Mark Steyn expresses the thought that everyone he knew who had gone into journalism, had done so “because their life had gone horribly wrong in some way.”
FIFY
Technically speaking, Mark Steyn is a journalist.
Yes, he mentioned that too. Right after the previous quote, he says “And I was one of them!”
And “we are for CHOICE”–in education. Charter schools, charter schools, charter schools.
If we won’t listen to Tom Sowell, the hell with us.
I believe that both Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce expressed a similar opinion, and both of them worked as journalists as well.
“When I read his quotes, I see someone who would naturally vote Republican in this next election.
But he won’t. And neither will his followers.”
Probably true of Sharpton and his followers, but most democrats are in factory default setting mode, and I am happy to report at least a few of my democrat friends are altering their factory settings, especially on more local issues. At least the ones who are open minded about abortion rights not being the most important issue facing our society, ever and always.
Reminds me of something I hear from time to time, “I guess that means every other problem has been solved!”
Makes me think of James Carvile in recent years, another old school Democrat hand who knows this new “wokeness” is toxic with the electorate.
The party won’t listen, it’s too late to pull back from this cliff. I don’t know if this means a new influx of voters for the GOP or not.
But at the very least this will depress turnout for Democrats ,even if voters opt not to go with the GOP I’m certain many will just choose to stay home instead of even walking to the mailbox to send in a ballot for these madmen.
Except now, there’s a whole structure set up to do the mailing – and the voting – FOR them.
Their votes will be counted, even if they didn’t make them.
He can vote however he wants, and if he can bring us black voters that would be awesome because I believe – as do most of us, I imagine – that a lot of black people have conservative beliefs and tendencies but feel like they are stuck with Dems.
But Sharpton is a huckster from way back and he’ll do us damage if we adopt him.