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Opinion - Lefty party won’t accept change takes effort, sacrifice

Stu Salkeld

Much is being made of the U.S. Democratic Party’s soul-searching after Republican Donald J. Trump’s decisive trouncing of Kamal Harris last fall; in the aftermath of the loss the Democrats went on at length about how their party needed young, fresh leaders and needed to listen more to what voters wanted rather than tell voters what they should want while lecturing the general population about morals.

Over the past few months researchers also discovered swaths of male voters abandoned the Democrats and voted Trump because, simply put, Trump promised to do something for male voters (cut taxes, improve their economic prospects etc.) and not just whites, but blacks, latinos and other minorities that have traditionally been seen as the exclusive property of the Democratic Party.

However, as the months roll by the Democratic Party continues to trot out the same tired leaders (Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 75 years of age, estimated to be valued at between $7 and $12 million and according to one source has profited up to half a million dollars in one month off her stock market portfolio; not someone that an average blue-collar working family could identify with).

It’s not just the general public that feels this way. An interesting Reuters/Ipsos poll was released this week that revealed Democratic Party supporters feel their party doesn't represent them and instead focuses on issues like transgender rights and electric vehicles.
Results of the poll show even Democratic Party members want more focus on their economic struggles and the negative impact corporations are having on their lives.

The poll revelaed 62 per cent of Democrats felt their party’s leadership needs to be removed and replaced with younger folks more in touch with the average person.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who some pundits point out as an example of a fresher face more in tune with average Americans, nodded along with the poll’s results. "People don't trust us, they don't think we have their backs on issues that are core to them, which are these kitchen table issues," said Newsom on a recent podcast.

Since the U.S. presidential election last fall I’ve read a lot of stories and heard a lot of comments somewhat similar to, “How could voters possibly choose a convicted criminal over a former prosecutor for president?”

I don’t have space here to go into great depth about the many mistakes Harris’ presidential campaign made, but her nebulous, mystifying approach to politics played a part. An example is that for weeks after landing the Democratic Party nomination for president, she refused to do media interviews, instead preferring to appear on obscure internet shows with limited audiences discussing social issues that, for example, affected perhaps one per cent of the U.S. voting population.

Meanwhile, Trump, being his usual boisterous self, was campaigning heavily in the public eye, speaking openly and making direct promises to improve the lives of working-class Americans. How can you blame Americans for voting for the convicted felon when at least he was going on the record as offering them something in return for their vote?

I am a firm believer in the old adage, “There is a time and a place for everything.” There is a time and a place for social issues like transgender rights and a time and a place for consumer issues like electric vehicles. It’s silly though for the serious economic worries of millions of people to be put on the back burner as someone wags their finger at them and lectures, “You better accept that electric vehicles are the wave of the future.” Most of those voters were more concerned about whether or not their families have a future than about what type of vehicle could be in it.

By the way, electric vehicles aren’t the wave of the future, but that’s a topic for another day.

Stu Salkeld is a freelance journalist with over 30 years of experience who is smart enough to know candidates who exclude the majority shouldn’t be surprised when they lose elections.

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