My enduring criticism of the U.S. political system has been its two-party tradition. The Democrats and Republicans solely represent the American mainstream. Their complacency within the respective demographics they appeal to prevents political discourse from ever being dynamic.
However, a deeper concern is now also present for the core establishments of these parties. Specifically for the Democratic Party, in the coming months, they must be willing to reinvent their ideological foundation — an unquestionable necessity in these turbulent times.
The current position of the Democrats is defined by one word: centrism. For the Democratic Party, adopting the centrist position simply means appealing to the broadest possible electorate by continuing its moderate stance on politics. Essentially, they believe the metaphorical ship of the United States ought to just maintain its course and not risk losing popularity by committing to any unorthodox policy. The Democratic establishment facilitates this view, hindering ideas of progress and reform that require bold leaps to accomplish.
The 2024 elections, in many distinct ways, were a cruel retelling of the joke that was the 2016 elections. In both instances, the Democrats did not have an honest and transparent process to nominate their candidates — backroom deals and the sidelining of progressivist factions resulted in archaic, unconvincing candidates. The candidates nominated by the party did not represent the needs of the people in their campaigns, focusing on maintaining a balanced centrist view at the expense of addressing critical welfare issues.
Most catastrophically, in the aftermath of both elections, the party establishment behaved in every way but sincerely — they did not accept responsibility for their defeat and remained passive in the face of disillusionment with the party.
Today, the Democratic Party is incapable of riling up the masses against the actions of the executive branch. The traditional “spirit” of the party, with its supposed decades of experience and heritage, is thoroughly incapacitated to the point of becoming functionally irrelevant.
Alas, change is necessary. Change, which means the complete ideological rebirth of the Democratic Party, has become inescapable. It is vital for the old elite of the party to step down and give way to a new generation of politicians who represent the direct needs and concerns of the wider population. However, the change I wish to see is not the one you expect or predict.
Attention does not mean popularity or effectiveness. In recent days, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made news by touring the country to organize mass rallies. The internet is brimming with discussions about whether Sanders or any other politician following his perspective can actually become the force that can challenge the Democratic Party establishment.
Truthfully, I am pessimistic about these odds. Sanders’ popularity among young voters didn’t mean anything when he was sidelined in 2016, and drawing large crowds also didn’t mean anything for the party during the last election, as seen in Kamala Harris’ defeat despite the large rallies she organized.
Sanders may now be the “face” of change, but achieving true progress requires action. Political action, achieved by constructing and expanding a popular movement, requires organizing people toward change beyond simply preaching the need for it. New and decisive policies must be presented not as mere campaign promises, but as the new core of the very identity of the party.
Populism and progressivism are the two necessary bases of this rebirth — “progress” must no longer be the term for the next set of promises made to attract voters, but the basis on which the entire party platform must sit. The Democratic Party is not a stranger to populist progressivism. After all, that was the path of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, which were once so immensely popular that his policies easily captured the appeal of the public and swept elections.
The New Deal of the past was promoted to combat the malaise born from economic depression and diplomatic isolation — the same issues that echo today. If the Democrats really want to be effective in politics, they must adapt their heritage by reaching out to the public sincerely and promoting welfare as a human right.
Policies must appeal to the public, not to business elites or campaign donors. The party must not shy away from promoting affordable housing, appropriate increases in wages, electoral reform, robust industry and a responsibly controlled defense budget.
The breed of people who can succeed in garnering support through populism will be the people who understand and respect the ordinary people of this country. Neither career politicians, media personalities, sociologists nor any corporate elite can substitute for people who come from the same ordinary backgrounds as the voters.
Democrats have to abandon their centrism and dynastic establishment — there is simply no choice other than popular progressivism. There is no logic in belittling “populism” like a curse word. The party must recover its old roots by listening to public demands for genuine welfare. If it wants to stay relevant as a whole, the Democratic Party must see the writing on the wall and begin this change at once.
Deniz Gulay is a sophomore double-majoring in history and Russian.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the Staff Editorial.