Where the #WalkAway Movement Started

The #WalkAway movement was started by Brandon Straka when he posted a viral video explaining why he was leaving the Democratic Party. He has since been harassed and bullied by the radical left, but his sacrifice has opened the door for many others to leave the so-called “Democrat Plantation.” Straka’s tale was echoed across the internet. Over a month later, Democrats continue to blind themselves to their own party’s disenfranchisement.

Recently, a forum on Reddit.com called /r/WalkAway was founded as a gathering point for ex-Dems. Reddit provides an excellent platform for the movement, allowing users to post personal stories which are often too wordy to fit in a Tweet. The Reddit page swelled in popularity, much in the same way the hashtag rampaged across Twitter. Users wrote how they couldn’t bear the intolerance of the left any longer, how Democrat policies had let them down, how liberal friends were becoming increasingly radical and staunchly anti-American. There was a common theme. Everyone felt that the Democrat Party had let them down in some way.

Self-defeating Response

How did the left respond to the exodus? Hundreds of users descended on social media forums to call #WalkAway members Russian bots and paid actors. Instead of asking why people were walking away from liberalism in droves, listening to the grievances of its base and addressing them, the left missed a prime opportunity. The DNC pretended there was no problem and simply wrote us off as liars.

I can say “us” because I, too, am an ex-Democrat. My #WalkAway moment happened several years ago when I realized that both my health insurance costs and deductibles had skyrocketed under an act that was anything but affordable. When I shared my story of unending bills, people on the left sent me obscenities in Russian text.

Eating their Own

By not only ignoring the complaints of their allies but outright attacking fellow liberals, the left will only continue to push away their more centrist voters along with an entire swathe of independents. This will lead to a self-feeding cycle. As moderate leftists are alienated by the extremists at the core, the party will shift towards more radical stances. Those who are considered devout liberals today will be seen as merely left-leaning tomorrow. They, in turn, will be the next round of supporters to peel off as though the DNC were a snake shedding its skin.

Embrace Newcomers

In a time when the liberal left should be coalescing, the loudest and most vocal of its members are working hard to drive a wedge in the party. These are the cult-members who refuse to admit there is a problem. This division is not unlike a crack in a road. If left unrepaired, it widens into an unsightly pothole that will wreck a car’s alignment and bend its rims. So far, Democrats seem intent on letting that pothole form and deepen.

With the 2018 midterms a few short months away, the timing for this separation couldn’t be better for the Republican Party. Over one hundred thousand joined the #WalkAway movement, stunting the left’s momentum as another election season begins. Those on the right should do their best to welcome the ostracized men and women. Teach them how a rising tide lifts all ships. Show newcomers the tolerance that their previous party refused to give them. Most importantly, bring them with you to the polls in November.

Any ex-Dems reading who decided to #WalkAway? Please share your story on /r/WalkAway.