Democrat’s Future

Is the future for the Democratic Party looking bleak?  When on considers the losses in Hispanic and Black voters from Clinton in 2016 to Biden in 2020 the future does not bode well.  There are those who think it is not just conservative men who have drifted away from Democrats. More and more younger people are identifying less with Democrats not because they are Republican or conservative, but because Democrats do not keep their word; Democrats are weak. And who wants to align with the weak?  One way Democrats can quickly reverse this trend is to demonstrate strength and conviction in their policy beliefs by eliminating the filibuster.  While they have threatened to do just that a Republican minority will still block the policies of Joe Biden’s administration just as they blocked the policies of the Obama administration.  Without the elimination of the filibuster voting rights will fail and Republican state legislatures will gain control over election results.  Immigration reform will also fail to pass in the Senate and any policy tool designed to strengthen the immigration wing of the Democratic Party will lie fallow.  Increasing the minimum wage, another popular measure will also fail to pass in the Senate as long as 60 votes are required and this will further the impression of weakness on the part of Democrats in control.  Eliminating the filibuster will certainly enhance Democrats’ electability while failure to do so will paint them as subservient to the whims of Republicans.  At the very least, the filibuster needs to be altered in some manner so it cannot be used to block every vote in the Senate.  A really strong Democratic Party would go full bore and eliminate this ancient practice and allow policies approved by a majority of voters pass in the Senate, be turned into law, and serve as reasons to continue Democratic control of government.  “Fair play” on the past of Democrats does not win elections and for too long Democrats have tried, without success to play fair only to have the practice blow up in their faces.  Democrats’ future depends upon the realization that enough is enough and it is time to play hard ball.