New York Times op-ed states Democrats' are making it too easy for Republicans to win in the midterms
One professor said Democrats have turned away from being the party of the working class and a party that now tolerates crime.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A New York Times op-ed published Wednesday argued that Democrats are making it too easy for Republicans to win the midterm elections in 2022.
Citing various political operatives and academics, Thomas B. Edsall, who writes a weekly column for the times, wrote about how Democrats’ more radical policies and positions, like defunding the police, have turned off more moderate voters.
NEW YORK TIMES OP-ED CALLS FOR MORE CENSORSHIP IN ORDER TO ‘PROTECT DEMOCRACY’
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to members at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Biden presented an optimistic vision of the partys prospects in Novembers midterm elections despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine and inflation continuing to slice into Americans purchasing power. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sean Westwood, a political scientist at Dartmouth, said Democrats have turned away from being the party of the working class and a party that now tolerates crime.
"Democrats used to be the party of the working class, but today they are instead seen as a party defined by ostensibly legalizing property crime, crippling the police, and injecting social justice into math classes," he said.
Westwood also argued that in some circles of the Democratic Party, people are ostracized for holding moderate views.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Even if you support reducing taxes on the middle class, immigration reform and increasing the minimum wage, opposing defunding the police or the legalization of property crimes makes you an unreasonable outcast," he added.
Major cities across the nation are seeing violent crime spikes. (Rashaad McFadden/Getty Images)
John Halpin, a liberal writer who was also quoted in the article, noted that voters view elected Republicans as being more competent than elected Democrats.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The biggest problem ahead of the 2022 midterms is that voters don’t think Biden and the Democrats are focused on the issues that matter most to them," he said. "If you look at the most recent Wall Street Journal poll, Democrats are currently suffering double-digit deficits compared to Republicans on perceptions about which party is best able to handle nearly all of the issues that matter most to voters."
The poll found voters believe Republicans are better equipped to handle the rebuilding of the economy, border security, and crime.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A liberal columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer Will Bunch pointed to class issues as a reason for the Democratic Party’s slide in popularity.
Bunch noted that there is "a sense that Democrats are now the party of self-enlightened degree holders" who look down on the working and middle class. However, Bunch did dismiss conservatives fears about critical race theory curriculum being taught in school and said President Biden and Democrats should lead on ideas like "academic freedom, preventing censorship and a belief in inquiry, including science."
Edsall concluded his column saying the Democrat Party can't be successful when the progressive base of its party stand against what the majority of Americans think and believe.