2020 Democratic candidates are alienating needed votes

The Democratic party candidates are gearing up for their next debate later in the month. The Dec. 19 debate will take place not too far from USC, at Loyola Marymount University. 

The candidates have been stomping around the country for causes near and dear to their hearts such as gun control, abortion rights, and environmentalism, among others. Sprinkled between each debate have been CNN town halls. USC students took part in one regarding environmental concerns in September, posing questions and concerns to the candidates themselves. There was another debate in October on issues facing the LGBTQ community. 

Coupled with these town halls, the candidates have made indelible remarks regarding hot-button issues. All these social platforms that the candidates now stand on in regard to issues all would be dandy but only if the entire nation was filled with liberal Democrats and not in the midst of a culture war. If the Democrats continue to emphasize these social issues and vilify the exact people they need the most support from, President Donald Trump will win a second term. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who many believe will be the Democratic candidate to battle Trump in the general election, has said that inmates are entitled to taxpayer-funded transgender surgery. This is a noble idea of human rights and can enliven a discussion on the topic of medical care, but it only appeals to those voters who are already in the pocket of the Democratic Party. Warren’s statement makes for a fantastic slogan and a great applause line but doesn’t really attract the evangelical Democrats living in the middle of the country and, thus, may need to be abandoned since to Warren is really only preaching to the choir. Other Democratic candidates have advocated for similar social justice goals, including Sen. Bernie Sanders who is advocating for the enfranchisement of the jailed. 

The Democratic Party had a lot to learn from the 2016 general election, especially the fact that voter alienation does not work in their favor. The states that led to Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016 were all states in the Rust Belt. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan were all neglected by Clinton and subsequently won over by Trump. West Virginia, which has been dubbed “Trump Country,” is filled with citizens who work in the coal mines to barely make ends meet, and with Democrats pushing for intense environmental reforms, these coal miners have sought refuge in pro-coal Trump. 

Environmental concerns are justified, but the coal miners are not worried about the next 18 months when environmental issues may become worse. They’re worried about the end of this month when the bills are due. It is when candidates blame coal that the coal miners themselves feel that their livelihood and themselves are under attack. Therefore the candidates must have a gentler approach that is an actual invitation to coal workers to join the environmental movement. All four states are filled with blue-collar evangelical Christian voters who feel neglected by certain social policies. Considering how far left the Democratic Party has moved since 2016, it is hard to think that these voters will vote blue in 2019. 

College students have historically leaned left and have been known to protest for specific social causes. Political clubs at USC have butted heads with one another, as seen in particular with Trojan Advocates for Political Progress advocating for the suspension of conservative student organization Young Americans for Freedom. 

Additionally, the College Democrats and the Trojans for Warren have made their agenda clear: often advocating for the same social causes the Democratic Party sees as the most vital to the soul of the nation. As political as USC has become in the past presidential term, one may wonder why the University was not been tapped to host a Democratic debate. 

USC is ranked higher nationally than UCLA and Loyola Marymount according to Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education 2020. The Trojans have the national standing and capacity to host a Democratic debate or even a general election debate. 

According to polling by The Wall Street Journal and NBC News, the percentage of white voters describing themselves as very liberal or liberal is roughly twice as large as the percentage of black voters who do so; a voting bloc the Democratic Party has relied upon heavily to win elections. Members of the Democratic Party who are not woke white liberals remain more committed to economic issues. 84% of Black Democrats view jobs and wages as “very important” opposed to the mere 64% of white Democrats who said so. These statistics blatantly show that the largest pack of Democratic voters care more of what’s in their wallets then what is happening outside of their wallets. 

Is it really going to be this hard to wrestle away a second term from Trump? It shouldn’t be. 

Democrats need an overarching message that unites the many members of their tribe into a firm coalition that can form a strong uprising against Trump. The party and the candidate, whoever they may be, must avoid the categorization of people into bubbles and appeal to already dedicated niches and pockets of the country. Without a well-rounded campaign, hatred for Trump will not be enough oil to fuel the Democratic machine.