I’m idealistic (somewhere in the ballpark of Elizabeth Warren and AOC), but not so unreasonable that I expect the impossible. I voted for Gore, Kerry, and Hillary Clinton, not third party candidates. The growing concern about Democrats this election season comes not from “purity” per se, but from the fear that they are underestimating the risk of alienating the voters they need to win: people who care, not fringe enthusiasts. It contains the basic values of human rights, democracy, inclusiveness, and intellectual honesty. If you feel this way, it’s usually a sign that something is wrong.
In the second panel of the cartoon, I reference the New York congressional primary in which George Latimer suggests that Jamaal Bowman’s “district is Dearborn, Michigan” (mostly Arab-American) and that he has a “clear racial advantage.” Speaking of elections. This language has no place in the Democratic Party in 2024. And Michigan is a swing state! Latimer received support from AIPAC. Endorsed more than 100 Republican candidates who voted to overturn the 2020 election.. Likewise, many Democratic voters do not want to undermine the International Criminal Court, which they cheered when it issued a warrant for President Putin.
In my experience, Democrats do better when they at least acknowledge the concerns of multiple factions in the Big Tent. In 2004, when Iraq war jingoism was at its peak, they were at their milquetoast worst. —Kerry lost to Bush. This was a formative era for me as a cartoonist. It was a time when many people were energized to build a more progressive political party that reflected their voters. Even if Biden wins, all this Republican pandering will leave the party unable to address the pressing issues of our time: the Supreme Court, big money in politics, authoritarianism, and other crises that require the courage to speak frankly. If you give up too much ground, you lose moral clarity and moral authority.
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