DNC bets party’s future, electoral gains on anti-Trump sentiment, activism, momentum
By Edmund Kozak, LifeZette:
The Democratic National Committee has declared this summer will be one of “resistance” in an effort to exploit anti-Trump sentiment on the Left to continue to derail the GOP agenda and build momentum ahead of the 2018 elections.
As part of the program, the DNC will hold a series of early-June events in the run-up to the launch of what The Hill describes as a “national training summit.” The hope is to swell the party’s voter rolls.
“Their allegiance to … extreme, far-left policies shows how out of touch Democrats are with middle-class Americans all across the country.”
“There has been an explosion of activism and energy after the election of Donald Trump, and we need to turn this moment into a movement,” said DNC Chairman Tom Perez in a statement.
“As the Democratic Party, it is our role to support this activism and energy, and convert it into electoral wins up and down the ballot by making sure state parties have the tools and resources they need to succeed,” Perez said.
The Democrats, despite the truth to the claim of increased activist energy, have struggled to translate that energy into electoral victories. Democrats came up short in a special election for a Kansas congressional seat and are expected to lose heavily contested contests for open congressional seats in Georgia and Montana.
Despite the series of setbacks, deputy DNC chair Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) was adamant the party is well-positioned to capitalize on controversies plaguing the administration.
“We have never had a better opportunity to win up and down the ballot. But showing up is not enough. We have to organize, knock on doors, and motivate voters to the polls. Only then can we deliver what hardworking American families need,” said Ellison.
The Hill also reports that the “centerpiece of the effort will be matching grants to help state parties fund organizers and fellows.” The first grants will go Arizona, Massachusetts, Michigan, Kansas and South Dakota.
The Democrats’ decision to use the concept of “the resistance” for its own ends was perhaps inevitable given its ubiquity on social media; however, it does not come without risk for the party. Many actions of the so-called “resistance” have been mired by violence, courtesy of black-bloc Antifa protesters — violence all but guaranteed to alienate moderate, swing voters.
Moreover, many of the self-appointed leaders of the resistance — such mainstream media pundits and the likes of Bill Nye — are becoming increasingly unhinged both in their anti-Trump hysteria and their promotion of radical progressive positions.
“As they plot their strategy of resistance, Democrats continue to ostracize the millions of Americans who want their representatives to work together, not sit around and come up with ways to say no,” said Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens in a statement Tuesday, “Their allegiance to … extreme, far-left policies shows how out of touch Democrats are with middle-class Americans all across the country.”
Harnessing the “power” of the “resistance” might seem like a good idea now, but it may very well end up alienating the middle-of-the-road voters whom Trump was able to successfully woo in 2016, and whom the Democrats will need to win back should they have any hope of significant electoral gains in the future.
This article was used with permission from LifeZette.
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