Progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed — beloved by the now blossoming Democratic Socialists of America — won his primary Tuesday night against the more moderate Democrat in his Michigan race, one many consider a pivotal shift for the party. He faces off against Republican Mike Rogers in a seat Democrats could fork over to Republicans in a year when they hope to take the Senate.
But El-Sayed isn’t the only far-left candidate taking the country by storm, and neither is socialist Zohran Mamdani, the handsome New York mayor trying to figure out how to run a government grocery store.
Adorable young Democratic Socialists are gaining traction from coast to coast as Democrats face a civil war within their own ranks.
Some Republicans have watched the rise of socialist candidates across the country with a grin from ear to ear. Certainly this means demise for Democrats come November, right? The Senate is secure! Even with the Iran war and Tucker Carlson’s rebellion, maybe the House can be saved, or so they think.
Each socialist young face that pops up seems more ignorant, and more radical, than the last. They quite literally are talking about seizing the means of production, impoverishing the middle class, and abolishing the Senate. The Democratic Socialists of America platform goes on at length about “queer liberation” and “fully abolishing the police and prison system.”
Any Baby Boomer in my home state of Texas or political staffer at a happy hour in Rosslyn, Va. is tempted to chuckle and smile knowingly at the Democrats’ coming demise this November. Those policies certainly can’t win…
The Monkey’s Paw
But I would urge caution for those Republicans. While the rise of socialist candidates likely means better electoral prospects for Republicans this November, it demonstrates a profound shift in the views of our nation. Can this really go on forever without consequences?
We are the last great hope for Republics. Remember Federalist Paper 39? We are the first and likely the last experiment of self-government. A city on a hill. Remember all that? How can a population enchanted with socialism that has forsaken pious faith possibly bear the heavy mantle of American Republican Society? The foundations are being destroyed, and the righteous should weep, not cheer. John Rogers, a top pollster at Cygnal, raised similar concerns in his segment this week on “Washington Watch”:
“I think this is kind of a monkey’s paw scenario where I think we need to be careful about what we wish for, right? I mean, people like Hasan Piker are dangerous, dangerous people, and we don’t want their ideas mainstreamed. In Michigan, in particular, it probably does mean that Mike Rogers, who is going to be the Republican nominee, it will probably improve his chances on winning that Senate seat if El-Sayed is the nominee. So if Republicans were able to pick off this Senate seat in Michigan, it would be huge for this election cycle. But the rise of the Democratic Socialists and people like El-Sayed is not a good thing for the country.”
Not good at all.
Admittedly, this view presupposes that the rise of socialism is a long-term trend, not a short-lived political moment.
I discussed this question with veteran investigative reporter Mark Tapscott and FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter on a recent “Outstanding” podcast, and we all agreed it’s here to stay. The data backs it up. A recent CNN poll found that a third of Democrats identify as Democratic Socialists. On top of that, many Democrats and some non-political Americans are being won over by socialist candidates as the taboo around the “S word” is evaporating at an astonishing rate.
We can, of course, make the case that the socialist-style intervention and subsidization destroys productivity and increases the cost of any industry with which it entangles itself all while running up the federal debt (see university education and health care in America). And we can point to Venezuela, a tropical country that has to ration food, or Cuba, where abject poverty is the norm and corruption is rampant. We can point to the brutality and the failure of the Soviet Union.
But for many, for whatever reason, these arguments fall on deaf ears. Prices are rising faster than wages. They have student debt. They will never be able to buy a house. If they can’t build wealth over time, what do they have to lose? Sadly, they are building the political machine that will devour them. Maybe it is fitting given Silicon Valley is doing the same with AI, but that is a conversation for another article.
Careful What You Wish For
Now, I’ve made the point that cheering socialism is bad because it’s bad for the country, and because in some real sense to do so is to take pleasure in the dysfunctional response to real suffering felt by our fellow countrymen, many of them of the younger generations.
But beyond that, celebrating the rise of socialist candidates could be a strategic mistake for Republicans. Remember how Democrats greedily promoted then-candidate Donald Trump leading up to the 2016 election? The leftist media knew he was good for ratings, said outrageous things, and was “certain” to lose to Hillary Clinton.
The most viral example of this may be in 2013 when liberal John Oliver, while guest hosting “The Daily Show,” famously begged Trump to run, repeatedly saying “please” as the audience roared with laughter. Hillary Clinton even famously encouraged this rhetoric in her “pied piper” strategy, thinking Trump would be an easy foe. Soon, Democrats’ dream came true, but it quickly became a nightmare as Trump trounced Clinton.
If Republicans aren’t careful, this election or next, or maybe the one after that, they may wake up with the same dumbstruck shock Hillary Clinton voters felt on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. That won’t feel good. And it will feel even worse once the socialist policies begin gutting the country of its wealth, its identity, and its legacy.
Let’s innovate to solve the economic problems faced by the less wealthy in our country instead of riding their misery to the ballot box.
Editor's Note: This article first appeared at The Washington Stand.
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