Everybody is aware that the Republican Party at both the national and state level is in disarray.
The Congressional leadership is paralyzed and unable to pass any meaningful laws and recent polls show that the President is the leader of his own party, which is of no comfort to the Republicans. But, are the Democrats in any better shape?
The late Governor Al Smith once lamented that “I don’t belong to any organized political party, I am a Democrat.” For the past 75 years, the Democrats around the country have proven that even when in power they have the same problems that the Republicans are experiencing.
Just like there are two Republican parties today, there are also two Democratic parties. The Republicans are split between the fast disappearing moderates and the emerging ultra conservatives. The Democrats are split between the moderates and the left wing.
The year 2018 promises to be the year when the Democrats at the very least could get control of the House of Representatives. The fact that 50 Republican House members come from districts that voted for Hillary Clinton gives Democrats a chance to take control of the House. But are they capable of really pulling it off?
I respect the issues that candidate Bernie Sanders raised in his primary fight against Hillary Clinton. Many of those issues were embraced by Donald Trump and helped him get elected. But maybe it’s time for Bernie Sanders to get off the stage and allow younger and more attractive candidates to emerge who can carry the party message.
On almost every issue that comes up in Washington the Democratic left and the center are in complete disagreement. Most Democrats favor giving protection to the Dreamers, who are here because they were brought here at any early age. But all of a sudden the left wing says they don’t want money spent on border security. Is there any issue that the Democrats can all agree upon? I doubt it.
One interesting test in November is whether the Democratic Party in Nassau County is strong enough to elect their candidate Laura Curran to be the next County Executive.
There are more enrolled Democrats than Republicans so that is a starting point. Corruption has cast a dark cloud over the Republican Party. But this is what the politicians call is an off year with light voter turnout and Republicans have a history of getting their supporters to the polls.
Whether it’s at the national or local level, Democrats have the same problems that the Republicans have. And that means that the voters of this country should truly worry about what our future will look like.
Former State Assemblyman Jerry Kremer is a partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek in Uniondale. The views expressed are not necessarily those of
the publisher or Anton Media Group.
