One minor fracas that garnered media attention recently was the criticism by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) of Vice President Kamala Harris’s recent speech on immigration. In the speech, delivered in Guatemala, the vice president told potential migrants “Don’t come” and “You’ll be turned back.”
AOC criticized those remarks, stating, “First, seeking asylum at any US border is a 100% legal method of arrival. Second, the US spent decades contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America. We can’t set someone’s house on fire and then blame them for fleeing.”
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez has a right to free speech, but it probably would have been more appropriate had she contacted the vice president privately rather than draw the undue attention of the press. After all, they share the same party affiliation.
In another unforced error, Ocasio-Cortez criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first-term congressperson tweeted, “If the Biden admin can’t stand up to an ally [Israel], who can it stand up to? How can they credibly claim to stand for human rights?”
By contrast, Republicans presented a united front on the issue, supporting Israel. Right or wrong, the GOP took a more organized stance on foreign affairs.
For example, some Democratic leaders publicly criticized President Biden for keeping Trump-era immigration camps open. The Associated Press reported on April 15, “[Biden] is under fire from migrant advocacy groups and some of his own Democratic Party allies for not releasing the children more quickly from shelters. Republicans blame him for the rising numbers, saying he was too hasty in rolling back former President Donald Trump’s restrictive immigration policies. Biden’s administration has promised a more humane approach to immigration and pledged to reverse many of Trump’s policies. But those goals have collided with a jump in apprehensions at the southwest border.”
In other words, Trump left President Biden with a mess at the US-Mexico border, but the new Democratic president was very slow to explain how he is solving the issue. And some of Biden’s fellow Democrats publicly shamed him when contacting the White House privately could have been more effective.
Despite some flaws in policy implementation, the Democratic Party is doing better than it has in years, with control of the White House, Senate and the House of Representatives. Republicans have agreed to massive spending on infrastructure, although negotiations have stalled over just how gargantuan the infrastructure deal should be. Whatever compromise is eventually reached will be significant because the COVID pandemic persuaded the federal government to bolster the economy with public investment. Citizens, pundits and politicians alike seem willing to try an FDR-like expansion of the federal government.
THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY has another advantage: It is encumbered with far fewer conspiracy theorists and anarchists than the alt-right, which has infiltrated the Republican Party. Extremist groups such as the Proud Boys and QAnon gained power under the Trump administration, fueling antisemitism and racial violence.
Some Trumpists have gotten elected to federal office, where they spread their odd brand of populism, cynicism and unprofessional, reality-show behavior. For example, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Georgia) continues to support the January 6 insurrection. And Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) insisted on carrying a gun into the Capitol and is openly anti-transgender.
By contrast, the most vocal Democrats stir things up with articulate statements – not oddball rantings. Even opponents of AOC concede that she is rational and follows laws.
Despite this banner year for the Democratic Party, they have taken attention away from their shared goals and accomplishments by bickering among themselves.
Republicans, on the other hand, have long been known for party discipline in adhering to their platform. As former president Bill Clinton once said regarding presidential elections, “Democrats want to fall in love. Republicans just fall in line.” When it comes to messaging, Republicans toe the line while Democrats nitpick and squabble among themselves.
For now, Democrats have power. They need to take a breath, organize and work toward their common goals. Even if Biden ends up being more moderate than the Left flank of the party wanted, he shares their views far more than Trump did. Progressives need to temper their idealism with a dose of reality, especially when the president shares their general ideals most of the time.
Joe Biden’s first term belongs to the Democrats, and it is looking bright.
If the Democrats unite and keep momentum, I think they may hold on to the House and Senate through the 2022 midterm election. If so, President Biden’s first term will have the power to pass historic legislation. Vice President Harris could be established as a future presidential candidate. This decade could be remembered less for Trump and more for the Democratic presidents Obama, Biden and, hypothetically, Harris.
But the hundreds of special interests that make up the Democratic Party first need to stop shouting over each other. For the next four years, President Biden is their best hope.
If Democrats stay on top of legislation and off of Twitter, they can change the world.
The writer is a columnist published by USA Today, McClatchy, Gannett, Hearst Newspapers, and other media outlets. He is a former associate editor of Hearst Magazines.