Key progressive-minded people say they know the reason for the Election Day tally that handed control of the Senate to the Republicans: Democrats didn’t go liberal enough, they said.
“The reason Democrats lost in 2014 was that there was not a united and bold Democratic economic vision, it was very much an election about nothing, in some cases, small-bore or conservative ideas,” said Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, to The Hill.
Mr. Green said Democrats need to swing farther to the left and paint “a picture in people’s minds of what a bold, populist Democratic governing agenda looks like,” he said, The Hill reported.
He said in an op-ed with his committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor that the party ought to rally behind some select issues: Reining in Wall Street, trimming college costs and expanding Medicare and Social Security, The Hill reported.
And he’s not alone in that view.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who’s frequently described himself as a Socialist, said America is begging for a more progressive bend.
“The irony of our time is that on virtually all of the important issues, the American people want government to act on their behalf and are progressive,” he said, during an interview with Thom Hartmann on “The Big Picture” radio show.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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