Analysis: Why the Democrats' Shift to the Right is Dangerous
The jingoist language at the Democratic National Convention exposed a hard shift to the right for liberal politics
It’s hard to ignore how far to the right the Democratic Party has gone. President Joe Biden bears much of the blame for normalizing the shift. His presidency is marred by his administration’s efforts to appease modern-day conservative politics and its foundations that are built on white grievance. What started with statements saying he would “re-fund” the police – that was never de-funded at scale – evolved to reneging on his campaign promise to expand asylum.
In an attempt to counter Republican messaging, we find ourselves with a party determined to expand policing, the surveillance state, and advancing interventions and military actions in foreign countries. As aggressive as the U.S. military is and as bloodthirsty as many of our political leaders seem to have become, how much more lethal can the military be?
“As commander-in-chief, I will ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world,” said Vice President Kamala Harris during her keynote speech at the DNC.
Using the same language as prominent far-right Republicans from Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AK), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) to lesser-known conservative lawmakers like Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) highlights just one major Democratic political shift.
Meanwhile, in 2023, twenty-two years after the start of endless wars in the Middle East that killed and displaced millions, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reminded us of the lethality of U.S. forces using nationalist terminology.
“The U.S. military is the most lethal fighting force in human history. And we’re going to keep it that way.”
This stance comes just months after negotiating one of the most xenophobic bills in decades that was touted as an exceptional piece of legislation during the DNC. The bill, a gift to far-right members of the Republican Party, didn’t pass because former president Donald Trump signaled to Republicans that it would be a victory for President Biden and would hurt the GOP’s chances in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, not voting for it is blowing up in conservative’s faces.
While Democrats may not be as extreme as Republicans, the party’s shift to hard-line stances on pressing issues makes them appear Republican-lite. It feels as if liberals are using far-right approaches on abortion, immigration, and oppressive policies toward the Latino community – as we have seen here in Texas – to usher in many conservative ideas while simply using nicer but still nationalist language.
While reforming the criminal justice system is still part of the platform, it’s a shell of what it once was as is holding police accountable for brutality and misconduct. Replacing them is the message that President Biden has been working tirelessly to increase the number of police officers on our streets appeasing GOP fearmongering.
To further highlight the party’s rightward shift Harris even told reporters she no longer backs Medicare of All.
As the Democratic party pushes itself away from the so-called “Activist Left” to appeal to anti-woke white conservative voters, it risks losing support from its core base – non-white constituents. What the party’s platform seems to be openly telling us is that when it comes to immigration, we can expect what former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama gave us: inhumane and often unjust treatment of Latino immigrants.
And when it comes to war, it appears genocide is still on the menu.
Arguing that both parties are not the same is easy because they’re not. But we have to face the fact that the line is becoming thinner and that is what’s most dangerous. We also have to note that the Republican nationalist politics of yesteryear are what inevitably the GOP to where it is today teetering on the precipice of fascism. Let that serve as a warning about the future for all.
*Read a draft of the Democratic Party Platform obtained by POLITICO.
I’m a freelance writer and journalist for The Antagonist Magazine and Unicorn Riot. Find me on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work become a paid subscriber or donate on Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp