In the past few years, a schism has appeared in the left. It was seen in the rise of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). During the 2016 Democratic primary, Sanders achieved more than was expected because of his young, leftist base. This base, many of whom identified as Democratic Socialists, were angrier than their centrist counterparts. They expected more from the government, and they expected it sooner. They saw the Democratic Party as the party of Wall Street, capitalism, hypocrisy, and incremental, insubstantial change. This New Left didn't just want to "fix" their broken institutions. They wanted the raze them to the ground and build something better, fairer on the remains.
However, their centrist colleagues admired and trusted the institutions which supposedly made America great.Democrats were the party of process, and they believed the only to way fight right-wing stonewalling was with compromise. After all, to paraphrase President Obama, the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice. For some of us, however, this arc is taking too long to bend, and in some ways (voting rights, income inequality) we are backsliding.
This is where the left and the center-left must reconcile. In order to form any formidable "resistance" we must define our goals, how we present them, and how we fight for them. Should healthcare be a civil right, paid for by the government? Or is it a consumer good, controlled by the markets? Should the prison system be reformed or abolished and replaced? How can we present a truly helpful economic vision for the poor and working class? How can we present a a plan for social reformation that liberates marginalized peoples? These are questions the Democratic Party must answer before can pose any significant threat to the rise of fascism. And to answer these questions, the center-left establishment cannot dismiss its base, which grows younger, more demanding, and more radical every day.
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