Why I Can No Longer Be A Democrat (And Could Never Be A Republican)
By
Leonard Zwelling
I have a real problem with the new breed of left-wing socialists that are coming to dominate the discussion in the Democratic Party. Ilhan Omar is once again in hot water because of insensitive remarks she has made. This time she has juxtaposed the tragedy of 9/11 with the rise of profiling of American Muslims. While that may be true, she has left herself open to the Trump Twitter machine. This is a really bad idea right now when America is still under assault from radical Islamists in the Middle East who threaten us here at home. What? You don’t think that? Really? Haven’t you been on a TSA line of late? What do you think that’s all about?
I understand that the Republican leadership is calling for her resignation and that several prominent Democrats have defended her. Neither position is justified. I am not really sure what her motivation is but Representative Omar is nothing if she is not a provocateur for the left with more than a hint of anti-Semitism in her rhetoric. I for one have had enough. I don’t think she should resign but she should get a challenge at the ballot box in the 2020 primaries. The Democratic leadership in the House ought to deny her positions on key committees and reprimand what she says and she herself as well. The group of young, female liberals have taken their celebrity a bit too far and ought to be reined in by the adults in the room, particularly by the motherly Speaker Pelosi.
That being said, the Dems have yet another problem. They are running, what is it, 20 different candidates for president? We don’t need from them what we had from the Republicans last time only to have them gift us Agent Orange and the mess that is the executive branch right now. Is anybody still home at Homeland Security? Who’s left?
The Democrats need to get together and pick three or four people to run against one another in the primary and get on with formulating a winning message. No one needs to hear twenty messages for the next six months. Cacophony is not a prelude to effective governance.
Both political parties are failing the American people. The Dems are confusing everyone because it is most unclear what they stand for. The Republicans stand for regressive policies and are led by a man whose middle name is chaos and whose family is just as dangerous as he is. It’s a curse on both their houses and we are all paying the freight.
During my year on Capitol Hill in a GOP office, I rapidly learned that while certain Republican principles appealed to me–free trade, individual freedom, economic competition–many did not, particularly the social issues associated with health care—abortion, for example. Thus, I was kind of a de facto Democrat. Now, I can’t even remotely imagine myself in the Democratic Party with the Sanders et al lefties and the weak leadership of people like Chuck Schumer.
As far as I can see it may well be time for a third choice, although I don’t have any favorites to lead it right now. Maybe Mayor Pete? At least he makes sense, but not enough sense to not be a Democrat.
Representative Omar is a real threat to her party and the response of the president to her remarks is a scary reminder of incitement to violence on the part of political opposition.
Everyone needs to get a grip and think about what he or she says before opening his or her mouth.
America is starting to become unrecognizable. I am all for diversity, but not without civility.
Representative Omar and her colleagues need to be more mindful of the hurt their remarks are causing. The Republican leadership in Congress needs to do its job and oppose the ridiculous policies of this president and consider the possibility of actually doing its job. Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham are really not doing theirs now.
