(Washington Insider Magazine) -Just a few short years ago, some political talking heads were predicting the demise of the Republican party. According to those pundits, Donald Trump had forever stained the GOP brand, and the future looked increasingly blue. But that was before the diverse coalition making up the Democratic Party lost their common enemy. Since then, a civil war has broken out between the moderate and more progressive wings of the party. If Democrat leaders fail to act quickly, there is a good chance that they will lose their House majority during the upcoming midterm elections.
Over the past several weeks, Centrist House Democrats from swing districts have been accusing their far-left colleagues of failing to see the big picture. Those more progressive Democrats have refused to vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill until President Biden’s social spending bill is brought before Congress for a vote. Moderate Democrats argue that this hardline stance is hindering the Democratic Party from passing a major piece of legislation that is popular among the American public. According to them, this is the kind of victory that could put the wind at their backs as they face the 2022 midterms.
More progressive Democrats argue that the moderates are the ones who are putting the party in peril ahead of the election. They believe that they are fighting for the left-leaning agenda that America chose when Biden was elected. This disagreement between moderates and progressives is quickly fracturing their coalition and leaving them politically vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the Republican party has been preparing for a comeback after Trump’s defeat in 2020. GOP hopefuls have numerous at-risk Democrats in their sights, including Reps. Elissa Slotkin (MI) and Abigail Spanberger (VA). According to recent attack ads, these swing state Democrats have committed themselves to a “$3.5 trillion socialist spending spree.” Democrats have claimed that this number grossly exaggerates the true cost of the package which Biden’s administration estimates will land between $1.9 and $2.3 trillion.
These are not the only dangers that the Democratic Party faces as it approaches 2022, though. President Biden’s approval ratings have been dropping for months. Many of the most recent polls have him in the low 40s. This is an ominous sign for hopeful Democrats. With everything else that they’re facing, they also have to go to sleep at night knowing that midterms are historically bad for a sitting president’s party. For Democrats, 2022 could be the perfect storm that leaves them without a House majority, leaving both moderate and progressive wings of the Democratic Party disappointed and defeated.
