What Is the Democratic Party, Exactly?
People on the Left spend a lot of time arguing about what should be done about the Democratic Party — and rightly so. But first we need to understand what the Democratic Party is. Hint: it’s a lot more complicated than it looks.
Democratic presidential candidates Mike Bloomberg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar participating in the Democratic presidential primary debate at Paris Las Vegas on February 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mario Tama / Getty
The US left has forever been torn about how to relate to the country’s enduringly two-party system — and since the 1930s, to the Democratic Party specifically. In the post-Trump era, these questions are again in circulation, given fresh life by Bernie Sanders’s first run for president in 2016 and subsequent down-ballot efforts inspired by his run, including especially Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
A back and forth that is all too common on the internet left goes something like this:
“We’re making tactical use of the Democratic Party ballot line. US parties aren’t really parties!”
“Don’t you get it? The Democratic Party is much more than a ballot line. Just look at what the establishment did to Bernie in those three days before Super Tuesday!”
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