WANTED: Radicals for President

Photo by Ben White

“Radical is the new trendy and chic”

With the 2020 presidential race right around the corner, the Democrat Party begins to churn out candidates for their primary elections at break neck speed. With over 20 declared candidates seeking the party’s nomination, it comes as no surprise that they are frantically trying to differentiate themselves from each other. This is the nature of any election, individuals running need to prove why they are the best man, or woman, for the job. However, there is something unique about this cycle of candidates. Overwhelmingly, they present — as CNN calls them — “bold ideas.” What the left calls their own “bold ideas” is largely an attempt to normalize and pass off radical policy proposals. Afterall, radical is the new trendy and chic.

This is one of many questionable outcomes of our electoral system. Especially in scenarios where the primary cycle is utilized to determine a party’s candidate for general election. These potential candidates pander to the far reaches of their party’s base in order to ensure wide support within and secure the nomination. Once this is accomplished, candidates fail to moderate during the general election thus alienating previously undetermined voters. This presents the possibility for great ire and ridicule to arise from their opposition. In the American two-party system, we are presented with the unfortunate reality of the two polarized ends exchanging political haymakers as they castigate each other over stances that alienate those beyond their bases of support. The public can already see this beginning with candidates that have declared their intention to attain the Democrat party’s presidential nomination.

A prime example of this pandering can be seen in Representative Eric Swalwell’s proposed mandatory national ban and buyback of “military-style semiautomatic assault weapons.” Rep. Swalwell is proposing that the federal government offer gun owners the false choice to either sell their firearms to federal authorities or face the possibility of either being criminally charged or outlandishly fined. Putting aside the fact that this is simply unfeasible, it is indicative of the American political left drifting further and further to the left. No longer are Democratic candidates flirting with the idea of Statism, they are wholeheartedly embracing and calling for it. However, this is not where the radical policy proposals end.

“Each candidate seeking the Democrat party’s nomination needs to outperform their counterparts”

The United States is well over $22 trillion in debt. This state-sponsored behemoth grows by leaps and bounds every day, at the expense of the taxpayer. Yet Democrat candidates continue to propose programs with massive expenditures while offering little to no logical explanation as to how these programs will be financed. When pressed, their answers indicate a fanatical obsession with increasing taxes without any consideration for balancing the budget or cutting spending. Now, to be frank, there are several aspects of American society that are in dire need of reform, but it is evident that this pool of candidates — in which several endorse the outlandishly expensive Green New Deal policy — is not concerned for the financial future of the United States.

These candidates are intending to cash checks that the federal government has no hope of writing. Take, for instance, Senator Cory Booker’s proposed “baby bond” policy. Sen. Booker is proposing that at the birth of each child within the United States the Treasury department deposit $1,000 into a savings account personalized to each child. This account would accrue various rates of interest, dependent on a number of various factors. Sen. Booker’s campaign team estimates that this would cost around $60 billion annually. Policies, such as these, indicate a complete disregard for the financial state of the country and reverberate the Democrats tune of Statism. However, the questionable policies do not end here. For a full list of individuals seeking the Democrat party’s nomination for President of the United States, click here.

Each candidate seeking the Democrat party’s nomination needs to outperform their counterparts; they need to find a way to stand out and attract a following. How do they do this? They push to the far reaches of what the party will tolerate in order to shore up strong base support amongst those affiliated with the political left. But when their party already openly endorses an ideology that superimposes the power of the state over individual liberties how much farther left will they drift to push out those that might take away their spotlight? Many of these candidates have already endorsed a policy that calls for a complete overhaul of how every single building in the United States is built, so it isn’t unreasonable to be highly skeptical of what they may endorse down the road.

The first debate for these candidates will be held on June 26 and June 27, and with all the candidates that currently qualify it’s shaping up to be quite the spectacle.

Follow this author on Twitter: @SavorySizzam

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