OP-ED: A Warning and An Opportunity
by Noah Woods - b.noah.woods@gmail.com
This past Saturday, March 13th, 2021, marked the anniversary of the murder of Breonna Taylor by the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD). A full three hundred and sixty-five days have gone by since Breonna’s life was tragically taken and not a single person has been held accountable for her murder. Detective Brett Hankinson is the only individual facing criminal charges for his role in the botched raid. However, these stem from his indiscriminate shooting that endangered the lives of a pregnant woman, her husband, and their child in a neighboring apartment. Along with Hankison, Detectives Joshua Jaynes and Myles Cosgrove have been terminated from the LMPD for their roles in the slaying of Breonna Taylor, but still, not a single criminal charge directly relating to her death have been filed.
As hundreds gathered in downtown Louisville at Injustice Square Park — also known as Jefferson Square Park — to mourn and protest the anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s death, an important message was broadcast to the Democratic party both in the commonwealth and nationwide:
“The Democrats don’t own our vote”
proclaimed one speaker to the crowd of protestors, embodying an underlying theme of the day. Several speakers raised concerns about Democrats co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement to galvanize support for the 2020 election but neglecting to effectively address those grievances once in power. Louisville mayor Greg Fischer, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, and Vice President Kamala Harris — all Democrats — were lambasted for the lack of meaningful reforms implemented in response to nationwide protests over the past year. These frustrations directed at Democratic leadership highlight a growing discontent amongst assumed party loyalists that should not be taken lightly.
The sentiments towards the Democratic party on Saturday are not isolated to protestors in Louisville, nor are they limited to anger surrounding the Breonna Taylor case. Rather, the criticisms reverberating throughout the crowd were emblematic of a growing disillusionment with the Democratic party’s ineptitude to effectively address vexing problems that America must confront. Whether it’s tackling the injustices of police brutality and mass incarceration, reducing egregious economic disparities, expanding affordable healthcare to all, combating the worsening climate crisis, or numerous other pervasive policy-driven issues in which Democrats remain complicit, voters are desperate for leadership that actually delivers real progress. Much like when Obama was brought to power in 2008 under the guise of hope and change, Biden faces expectations for genuine reforms that cannot and will not be satisfied by superficial executive orders and high-minded lip service.
If the DNC wants to preserve the voting base that delivered them the Presidency in 2020, let alone bolster support for the 2022 midterm elections, then the attitudes conveyed by protestors on Saturday should be taken as a warning. Voters are sick and tired of electing Democrats that campaign on lofty policy proposals that they almost immediately back-peddle on once in office. Exacerbating this feeling is the fact that elected Democrats are unwilling to fight tooth-and-nail to actualize policy change like their Republican counterparts. If anything, one could argue that increases in the notoriety of Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders suggest a growing appeal to unapologetic and relentless progressive politics. After all, the data from the 2020 election revealed that progressive initiatives are widely popular amongst Americans.
Although we have not yet reached the end of the fabled “first 100 days,” Biden’s lack of gumption thus far to act boldly in pressing for much-needed reforms offers dim prospects for truly progressive leadership in the years to come. While many felt uneasy by the President’s promising of a $2,000 stimulus check, only to later clarify this meant an additional $1,400 on top of the $600 already given, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 should still bring much-needed relief to many desperate for it. That said, the Democrat’s failure to doggedly fight for a $15 minimum wage through budget reconciliation was a painful blow to the hopes of many yearning for lasting progressive reforms rather than temporary bandages for systemic failures. Instead of compromising policies simply for the sake of “bipartisanship,” Democrats should unite around widely popular progressive initiatives like the $15 minimum wage in an effort to restore faith in the party’s ability to follow through on promises of improving the material conditions of working-class voters.
By seizing opportunities to improve the day-to-day lives of average Americans, the Democratic Party can coalesce the support of disaffected voters across the political spectrum who are, above all else, sick of the status quo.
Championing progressive policies that deliver noticeable improvements to American’s quality of life will undoubtedly help to restore faith in the party and return working-class voters to the party base. Anything less than this will surely be the demise of any hopes for a “blue wave” in the fall elections of 2022, and all but solidifying the return of Donald Trump and a Republican majority in 2024.
Additional sources used to inform this piece:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/23/us/wanton-endangerment.html
https://www.nytimes.com/section/opinion
https://www.filesforprogress.org/datasets/2021/2/dfp-vox-minimum-wage.pdf