Could it be that Democrats are finally going to lean into the policies they want and know Americans are yearning for now? Doug Thornell, a former DNC Senior Adviser, did just that, and it came across as assertive.
When confronted with Medicare for All as Socialism Doug Thornell was bold.
Democrat leans in to Medicare for All and Socialism
“Medicare is Socialism,” Thornell said without missing a beat. “That was one of the attacks on Medicare when it was passed in the . Ronald Reagan and others went after Medicare as Socialism. It’s also very very popular. Republicans defend Medicare as much as Democrats.”
The operative implicitly dared Republicans on the fight. Donald Trump wanted to equate Venezuela with Socialism. He would then tag Democrats as Socialists as he used the Venezuelan chaos for which the United States is partially responsible for as the outcome of having these “darn socialist” Democrats in power.
Now Democrats have been derelict in not making the Scandinavian countries, Canada, Israel, Australia, France, and New Zealand as better examples. But since Republicans have not yet made Medicare, a program many Americans are aware of, once they call Medicare for All Socialist, as Democrats lean in, Americans start to implicitly if not explicitly start removing the stigma of the label.
In my most recent article quarantined till Tuesday at Daily KOS, I wrote the following.
Democrats and progressives must remember the definition of insanity. We must not continue to do the same things and expect a different result. President Obama won because he defied the status quo. He did run as a change agent. Most importantly, he engaged broadly and early. …
Democrats and progressives must not be scared to make the leap. Republicans are scared that we will. That is why they are attempting to make Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many of the progressive Democrats toxic, with the help of the Democrats Rigby speaks about. Should we lean in and make the case to ALL Americans fearlessly and in a respectful manner as we listen to their wants, we cannot lose. The problem is that we have a core that is resistant. And because of that, I can definitely see Trump 2020. So if we want to win, we’d better start leaning in now.
One hopes many timid Democrats take the cue from Doug Thornell. We must be bold and show a conviction for our ideas especially since they line up perfectly with what Americans want. I will cover this today on Politics Done Right.