The Left Less Travelled By
AOC and Bernie Sanders - gabriel.himself
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/ I took the one less traveled by,/ And that has made all the difference”. The writings of poet Robert Frost could easily resonate with supporters of the Democratic Party in America today. The conflict between Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic Presidential Primaries was symbolic of a deeper ideological split in the Democratic Party. Within America’s two-party system progressives of all stripes, opposed to the ideals of the Republican Party, must throw their weight behind the Democrats. However, the progressive spectrum is a wide one and its members are not always, or even often, in harmony with one another.
Today’s Democratic Party is a far cry from the one led by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930’s. In the wake of the Great Depression, FDR’s New Deal focused on the “3 R’s”: relief for the vulnerable members of society, recovery of the economy, and reform of the corrupt financial systems that plunged the world into recession. The ideology behind these programs was a recognition of the working class as the foundation of society, and an acknowledgement that their survival was essential for a healthy economy.
Since the early 1990’s, beginning with the presidency of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, the Democrats have moved away from the pursuit of economic equality and into the politics of neoliberalism. Like the conservative Republicans who opposed the New Deal nearly ninety years ago, they favour allowing the invisible hand of the free market to be the final arbitrator on economic issues. According to linguist and political analyst Noam Chomsky, “There are two parties, so-called, but they're really factions of the same party, the Business Party”.
While Democrats have spent the last three decades focusing on identity issues and cultural issues, improving the rights of women and minorities, they have ignored the underlying economic issues that cause these inequalities. That is, the conflict between the capitalist class who hoard wealth, and the working class who are left to struggle. Nowhere is this more obvious than in how COVID-19 has affected the world’s economy. Working class people have seen their sources of income wiped out while the rich can count on Government bailouts and protection for their assets and businesses.
Bernie Sanders has led a new movement within the Democratic Party, the New Left, dedicated to dragging Democrats’ focus back to the economic issues plaguing American society and underpinning the vast social issues the Party claims to want to address. He is not alone. In Congress, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, referred to as ‘The Squad’. They are passionate young women of colour throwing their weight behind a return to the FDR style of working class centric politics.
Ocasio-Cortez is perhaps the most famous member of ‘The Squad’, and New Left politicians in general. Active on social media, America’s youngest congresswoman openly describes herself as a socialist. Her rise from Bronx bartender to Representative for New York's 14th congressional district is even explored in a documentary, Knock Down the House. Ilhan Omar has also gained a lot of traction from the attention paid to her by the President. A naturalized citizen who came to America from Somalia as a refugee, Trump has often singled out the congresswoman for criticism and gleefully spurred on his supporters to chant “Send Her Back!”.
The policies the New Left is pushing for are universal healthcare, the right to housing, affordable education, strong labour protections, environmental regulations and wealth taxes. These are the policies invigorating young progressive voters. Ocasio-Cortez in particular has pushed for a “Green New Deal” in Congress, inspired by FDR and updated for the challenges of the modern world. This policy package puts addressing climate change at the center of its focus, but like the New Deal of the 30’s it also addresses the plight of working class people and demands greater opportunities and equality for all people in the United States.
Some have called for the Green New Deal to be implemented as part of America’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, citing the role climate change plays in increasing instances of deadly pandemics.
In the wake of protests over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, by four white police officers, the New Left has also started backing a seemingly radical proposal. While moderate Democrats are satisfied with calls for reducing funding for, and increasing oversight of, the nation’s police, the New Left is calling for the abolishment of police forces altogether. Moderates rightly find it hard to imagine a world with no law enforcement officers on the streets, and advocate reform rather than abolition. However, New Left politicians and activists point to the lack of police patrolling affluent, mostly white, neighborhoods in contrast to the permeating presence of cops in poorer multiracial neighborhoods.
Where the New Left struggles is in the area of attracting enough voters to make a real difference. Their voter base is hugely youth oriented, a demographic that is much less likely to turn out to vote than older, Republican-leaning voters. In their clashes with Democratic moderates, the New Left also has not fared overly well. In the aforementioned documentary, Knock Down the House, Ocasio-Cortez is the only one out of four democratic candidates endorsed by Justice Democrats to unseat the incumbent Democratic politician.
Bernie Sanders took an impressive run at the presidential nomination in both 2016 and 2020, however both times he lost out to moderate, establishment Democrats. Senator Sanders’ losses to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 may well alienate many of the young progressive voters the New Left has been relying on from the voting practice altogether. Both Clinton and Biden are seen as “business as usual” candidates, unwilling or unable to make the radical changes the New Left is calling for.
Despite their difficulties, the New Left will have a lasting impact on the face of American politics. Already they have pushed ideas once considered radical, like universal healthcare and hefty wealth taxes, into the mainstream. Even as Trump abandons the Paris Agreement, they are raising more awareness of the importance of addressing climate change. And now, with Black Lives Matter protests occurring in all 50 states in America, they are generating a real, if divisive, conversation on abolishing the police. With a growing young voter base unhappy with moderate politics, the Democratic Party will have to move further to the left to accommodate New Left supporters and maintain the progressive alliance against the Republicans. The New Left will encourage Democrats to take the road less travelled by, because it might just make all the difference.