There is no shortage of people who could be willing to challenge the Democratic establishment. They just aren’t doing it. Unless you count Dean Phillips, and I don’t.
It’s hard to challenge the establishment if it is as established as it is. By the nature of the system, a challenger running on public healthcare or repealing anti-labour union regulations can’t come from outside the Dem party, since third party candidates don’t go anywhere. But you also can’t get anywhere with that inside the party, because you would be a fringe.
The problem is that people don’t get to vote on policy, policy shifts depend on internal party dynamics. And that’s awfully far from a healthy democracy. Can you vote for prohibiting right-to-work laws in your next election? In mine, I get to say climate change is important to me, or free enterprise, or strong border controls, or a better healthcare system. I get to vote on issues that impact me and are important to me, largely without them being bundled together with stuff I don’t like. It’s not perfect, but it’s not like I get to choose between voting for the interests of corporations versus nazis.
There is no shortage of people who could be willing to challenge the Democratic establishment. They just aren’t doing it. Unless you count Dean Phillips, and I don’t.
It’s hard to challenge the establishment if it is as established as it is. By the nature of the system, a challenger running on public healthcare or repealing anti-labour union regulations can’t come from outside the Dem party, since third party candidates don’t go anywhere. But you also can’t get anywhere with that inside the party, because you would be a fringe.
The problem is that people don’t get to vote on policy, policy shifts depend on internal party dynamics. And that’s awfully far from a healthy democracy. Can you vote for prohibiting right-to-work laws in your next election? In mine, I get to say climate change is important to me, or free enterprise, or strong border controls, or a better healthcare system. I get to vote on issues that impact me and are important to me, largely without them being bundled together with stuff I don’t like. It’s not perfect, but it’s not like I get to choose between voting for the interests of corporations versus nazis.