It’s an appealing version of logic. Some on the right are hoping, wishing, and possibly even praying that more Democrats dismiss their facade of moderation and fully embrace the socialist agenda. Their thinking is this: it’s easier to beat a socialist than an establishment Democrat.
Today, this is true. A full-blown “Democratic Socialist,” as they’ve been calling themselves lately, is less likely to beat a mainstream or even conservative Republican in a general election. A strong majority of Americans do not like the notion of socialism, so candidates in the left-of-Bernie-Sanders mold are simply too dangerous for moderate Democrats or independents to embrace.
This was demonstrated yesterday:
Down Goes Socialism
Tuesday night’s largely Midwest primaries produced a near-shutout for the anti-establishment left. Ocasio-Cortez partnered with Bernie Sanders to make a series of splashy endorsements that, in the end, failed to clinch victories. And two leftist upstarts hoping to emulate Ocasio-Cortez, and defeat longtime Democratic incumbents, fell far short.
The most glaring defeat came in Michigan’s gubernatorial primary. This is the state where Sanders defied the polls and edged out Hillary Clinton, raising hopes that he had a magic touch in the Rust Belt. Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez tried to catapult the young and brash newcomer Abdul El-Sayed, who trailed in polls, endorsements and money to former state Senate Democratic leader Gretchen Whitmer. They could only nudge him up to second place, with 30 percent of the vote.
That’s today. Tomorrow may be a different story. In fact, it almost certainly will be.
The trends are clear. New voters and those on the verge of voting age hold socialism in high regard and the numbers are growing. This is the generation that has always had the internet, has never known the Cold War, and can barely remember 9/11. They are the brilliant yet delicate generation that has been bombarded with indoctrinating leftist messages, sheltered from the real world by being immersed in the virtual world for most of their lives.
They have no reason to believe socialism is bad because they have embraced the idea that Americans must be protected from themselves. They’re the generation that grew up through gender uncertainties, financial roller coaster rides, and a notion that the United States is the world’s bad guy. Their celebrity role models no longer pretend to be apolitical or unbiased. Most importantly, they’ve had peer-to-peer connections that have allowed idiotic leftist propaganda to spread like the plague through their ranks.
They are intellectually superior in their own minds yet oblivious to the vast manipulations they suffer through daily.
With this knowledge in hand, it’s imperative that conservatives and federalists do not outsmart themselves into allowing the popularity of socialism to grow. Short-term gains today will be meaningless when the Democrats start winning again. And they will whether they’re openly socialist, closet socialist, or moderates. That’s the ebb and flow of a two-party system. Nobody holds power for long regardless of how insane one side or the other may be at any given time.
Be careful what you wish for, conservatives. As crazy as it might seem today, there’s a good chance that this young generation or the next will embrace the flawed ideas of socialism enough that we may all get stuck living them. Stay true and fight socialism to the end.
