Democrats are in the midst of an identity crisis.
Currently, according to Real Clear Politics average of polls, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders leads the polling for the 2020 Democrat Presidential Nomination. This is not a fact that seems to be sitting well with the Democrat establishment.
- “How Bernie Broke the Democratic Establishment,” – The Atlantic
- “Bernie Sanders isn't the frontrunner in the Democratic race. The moderates are,” – NBC News
- “Sanders sends Democratic establishment into panic mode,” – Politico
- “Bernie Sanders just declared war on the Democratic establishment,” – CNN
- “Democratic establishment's angst over Sanders grows,” – Axios
Some Democrat leaders believe that Senator Sanders is pushing the party too far left. Fears are beginning to be reported that Democratic leaders fear that Senator Sanders will not only cost the Democrats the White House but could have second order effects on the down ballot races, possibly even turning control of the House back over to Republicans.
While interesting, the fear that Senator Sanders is too far left for mainstream Democrats seems to be in question. According to a series of polls from 2019, Democrats seem to be pretty accepting of Senator Sanders’ policy positions. The only policy that does not enjoy greater than 50% support from Democrat voters is Single Payer Healthcare, where support is still 36%. So while Democrats in Washington, D.C. may be concerned about Senator Sanders’ policies, it doesn’t seem that Democrat voters have the same concerns.
The Democratic primary contest, like the 2016 Republican primary, appears to be a contest for the future of the party. For better or worse, Democrat voters are going to be determining where exactly the Democrat party falls on the left-right political spectrum. Senator Sanders, at minimum, appears to be dragging the party further left, which will likely play well in the primary, but the general election seems to be where most Democrat leaders see the real trouble.
At a time when President Trump’s approval rating has reached all-time highs in the Real Clear Politics average of polls, 46.3 (President Trump enjoys a 55.7 approval rating on his handling of the economy), the 2020 general election is setting up to be an interesting one. On one hand we come into 2020 with a choice between President Trump and the Trump Economy versus a Democratic Socialist (self-proclaimed). The result of the 2020 election could determine the type of economy the United States has in the long-term, especially if a Senator Sanders type is actually elected (as we have seen how difficult social welfare programs are to reform, let alone cut).
https://www.politifact.com/…/polls-show-most-democrats-man…/
