Democrats Debate Capitalism and Socialism as GOP Uses 2 Primary Wins to Brand Party 'Red'
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Democrats Debate Capitalism and Socialism as GOP Uses 2 Primary Wins to Brand Party 'Red'
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 19
Summary
Recent democratic socialist primary victories have reignited a Democratic argument over capitalism versus socialism, a fight the opinion piece says distracts from the party’s midterm electoral task.
Republicans, including President Trump, have used those wins to portray Democrats as “reds,” turning a few high-profile races into a broader attack line against the party.
The tension is sharper because Democrats remain a big-tent coalition that must hold together centrists and the left to win House districts in suburban areas now represented by center-leaning Democrats.
That coalition strain sits alongside a longer leftward drift since the 2008 financial crash, rising inequality since 1980, and younger voters’ frustration with high urban living costs and precarious work.