How the Democrats can blow it in 2020, part 3
We must have unity in diversity
I recently wrote a post in which I detailed the top two threats facing the Democrats in 2020. One was the emergence of a third-party candidate who siphons votes away from our Presidential nominee. That threat is not overblown as we hear about Howard Schultz considering a run for the White House.
The other threat was that we Democrats would engage in our traditional circular firing squad as we battle over who will control the party that loses rather that sharing leadership over a party that wins.
We must not battle over who controls a party that loses. Instead, we need to share leadership of a party that wins
Apparently, my concern was prescient.
I just read an article from the Hill that some Democrats are suggesting a primary challenge to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, otherwise known as AOC. This would be an example of engaging in the circular firing squad.
I can understand that some Democrats are frustrated with her. She is young and brash and has involved herself in some other primaries far from her home base. Jealousy may play a role in that she is media savvy and gets a lot of attention. But she is clearly an important voice within our party who has a strong following.
Challenging her will only outrage those who follow her. And we need these same people, young progressives, to engage in the next campaign enthusiastically. We need them to vote, to organize, and to provide energy and contributions. Without them, Trump will get another term.
At the same time as we must make it clear to Howard Schultz that nobody wants him to run, we must also make it clear that everyone is welcome within the big tent of the Democratic party. Indeed, if Schultz wanted to run for the Democratic nomination, we should encourage it.
This is not an organization that demands fealty or ideological purity. It is an organization in which everyone should have their say, then, at the end of the day, we all come back together to defeat the Republicans. Any other approach will only result in defeat down the road.
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