Now is Not the Time to Call for Unity With Republicans — They Will Never Compromise D.T. Pugh Follow Mar 2 · 4 min read

Photo Illustration by Kristen Hazzard/The Daily Beast/Getty

As the Democratic primaries head into Super Tuesday, remember that whenever a candidate preaches about compromise or reaching across the aisle, they’re setting themselves up for failure as president. This is not the time for unity, this is not the time for compromise. This is a time for getting done that we need to get done for the betterment of our country. This is the time to implement the policies and changes that are long overdue in America. It’s time to push for things like universal healthcare, student loan debt elimination, affordable housing, and aggressive climate change initiatives. This is what America needs in order to have a healthy future as a democracy. But to get these policies done, the new president and congress is going to have to do it unilaterally. The Republicans will never compromise, so why should the Democrats?

In this country, at this time in our history, we are being held hostage by one party in congress and in the White House. The Republicans do not act in good faith, they act solely to retain power for their corporate backers. They do not represent, nor do they act in the best interest of the American people. Their only concern is getting elected, and staying in office in order to line the pockets of their most generous donors. Any Republican who feigns concern or dissent, will eventually fall in line with what the party wants. They vote as a block and will never waver.

If we go back to when Obama was President in his second term, just about everything he tried to do was blocked by a Republican controlled Congress — even if the measures were reasonable, even if they were the best things for the constituents in their home states and districts. Their approach was not about making America a better place for all its citizens. Their goal is to hold on to power as America’s demographics change and their voter base shrinks. They would like to create an oligarchy that consolidates power for the richest in this country (and in many cases from outside this country). They want a government that runs counter to the will of the people as the majority want progress. When the richest, most powerful people of the country are the minority, they will have put in place a government that only represents their interests. It’s tyranny of the minority and they’ll destroy the country just so they can rule over the ashes.

Income inequality has reached its highest point since the 1920s — before the Great Depression, before the New Deal. We’ve let corporate interests run wild and unchecked for the last 40 years and as a result, we had our worst recession since the Great Depression in 2008. Many people lost their homes, their retirement funds and their promise of a secure financial future. The stock market and the biggest corporations have recovered, but the effects of the Great Recession still linger. People work in whatever jobs they can and are employed full time but they still live in debt. One medical issue can cause bankruptcy for the majority of Americans. Student loan debt has crippled an entire generation. So Trump says the economy is good, but for whom? Only for the rich and the powerful.

The Republicans in government, and President Trump, want to keep this status quo. They want to keep the rich getting richer, they want the rich to keep funding them and keeping them in power. They want to keep the average American down, fighting for scraps. They are not going to reach across the aisle for any Democrat to get things done, for not even the most minuscule detail. They will not budge, and they have no incentive to do so.

That’s why, in addition to having a Democratic president, we need a blue wave in November. The Democratic party runs the gamut of political ideology while acting in good faith for what they believe is best for the country. The only compromise that’s going to be done in Congress will be among Democrats with differing ideologies. And when we vote for a president to lead that Democratic congress, we had better vote for a president who is going to fight for what this country needs.

What we need right now is to get money out of politics so that we can have fair and free elections that actually reflect the will of the people. We need universal healthcare so that anyone who is sick can get the care they need without worrying if they will go bankrupt. We need affordable housing, affordable education, increased wages and stronger protections for workers. We need Supreme court justices who care about the Constitution and human rights. We need the power of the vote to be equal among all people. We need a strong and robust middle class for the lasting health of the economy. We need to restore the democratic powers back to the people of the United States.

To get these things we need someone who is going to fight to hold those in power accountable. Remember, one side is not going to play fair. If the Republicans would never compromise for Democrats, then why should the Democrats compromise on their goals for the Republicans? This no time for unity, or compromise or crossing the aisle. It’s time to push things forward as much as we can to give the power back to the American people.