Primer: Democrats are a failure
The 2024 election results are in, and the Republican party is the winner. Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States, the Republicans will hold the Senate with 53 seats, and it appears that Republicans will also win the House of Representatives. This was clearly a bad election for Democrats, who now have some soul-searching to do in order to rebound moving forward. This week’s resolution is: The Democratic Party is a failure.
The pro side will look at this year’s election as evidence. Republicans made huge gains in Black and Latino populations, traditionally core members of the Democratic base, illustrating that Democratic policy positions are no longer popular. A focus on social issues has alienated the working class that won Democrats elections over the last few decades, and it’s hard to see a winning path forward. The current President is woefully unpopular, and the party’s failure to oust him earlier shows their internal weakness and inability to gauge public opinion. Failure is easily measured by elections, and the Democrats performed terribly in 2024.
The con side will argue that labeling Democrats a failure for losing one election is a knee-jerk overreaction that doesn’t account for context. Incumbent parties that ruled over post-COVID inflation lost elections all over the world, and the Democrats actually fared better than most of these incumbents. The red shift was less pronounced in states where Democrats campaigned the most, showing that their message is powerful, just not as strong in the face of such overwhelming headwinds. Every party loses elections, and this one was always going to be tough, so labeling them a failure is absurd. And given the unpopular president and brutal Senate map, the overall performance of the party was passable. A stronger presidential ticket, one that results from a real primary, will help them win back the White House in 2028.
Come join us for our debate on Monday at 7pm in Scott Hall 201!
"Democratic Donkey - Icon" by DonkeyHotey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.