The Socialists
The current headline grabbing commentary about the popularity of Democratic Socialists makes me think about the Libertarian Party, a perennial third party since its founding in 1971. Often, when the going gets tough, Americans flirt with radical solutions, but, as Churchill famously quipped, they always end up doing the right thing after exhausting all the alternatives. Both parties have some good ideas, but both also extol utopian schemes that don’t play well with the majority of American voters. It is still way too early to freak out about socialists taking over the Democratic party.
Venezuela
It’s also too early to celebrate Trump’s Venezuelan caper. If the president had taken the time or sought counsel, he would realize that American adventures in Latin America have not always gone as planned and frequently make matters worse. The most junior of area specialists in the State Department would have shared the CIA’s failures in deposing Arbenz in Guatemala and Allende in Chile, for example. Despite Maduro’s being locked up in Brooklyn, it’s anybody’s guess what is going to happen in Caracas.
Iran
The Iran War is the real deal when trying to understand Trump’s modus operandi – damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead; he repeatedly lets his hubris take charge, dismisses professional counsel, and relies on his audacity to carry the day. Here the Venezuelan experience looms large. The quick capture of Maduro and complacency of his government emboldened Trump to take on other unpopular enemies, it fed his ego and enhanced his self-image. Like Hitler doing his comical jigs after initial victories in WWII, Trump celebrates too early. Either someone forgot to tell him or he didn’t listen: Latinos won’t die for Jesus, but Muslims will die for Allah. Not to mention that Iran has over 90 million people and formidable resources for making war.
The Democrats
Partisan Democrats are screwing up. Like the Republicans, they are fighting among themselves when they should be coming together. Unlike the Republicans, they should have an unprecedented opportunity to win the midterms, if not the presidency in 2028. The surge of democratic socialists is the result of failure to energize the electorate by nominating new and convincing candidates. A second term for Biden was patently a bad idea and running Kamala Harris in his stead was equally ill-advised. There are several impressive and experienced politicians including Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Mark Kelley of Arizona. There are also up and coming candidates like Rob Sand in Iowa and James Talarico in Texas. Above all, Democrats must get on the right side of issues without sounding sanctimonious or overly zealous about unpopular ideas. And they should stop thinking that bashing Trump is, itself, a winning strategy. People want adults in the room making decisions that they can relate to.