February 6, 2018
Isaiah Cordova
On Feb. 8, the question of whether or not the federal government will shut down will be raised again as thousands of immigrants wait in limbo.
On Jan. 19, the federal government shut down after Senate Democrats and Republicans disagreed on key issues, such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and President Donald Trump’s border wall.
But the shutdown didn’t last long. Just four days later, Democrats compromised with Republicans, voting to send a short-term funding bill through Congress to fund the federal government until Feb. 8.
As part of this, Chuck Schumer, senate minority leader, threw even more innocent people under the bus in the name of cooperation by offering funding for Donald Trump’s draconian border wall in return for accepting the Democrats’ budget plan.
The modern Democratic Party has tried time and time again to cooperate with an opposing political party that refuses to cooperate with them.
It is time to take things into their own hands. It’s clear the vast majority of Republican politicians won’t bend on any of their policy decisions, which are known to ruin rural economies and allowing corporations to step on the low and middle class.
So why do Democrats submit to the whims of Republicans?
It’s this incredible spinelessness that runs rampant within the Democratic Party that leads me to question its effectiveness as a “progressive” political party.
Would a true progressive really be manipulated under the pressure of regressive policy makers? Would a true progressive really put the border wall, a xenophobic and nationalist monument, on the table for discussion?
I refuse to accept that the Democratic Party is as progressive as their public relations people really claim they are.
Democrats are ignoring Puerto Rico, which is still struggling after Hurricane Maria and gone almost four months without power.
They are ignoring a justice system that expects people to rehabilitate into society with the tortuous solitary confinement punishment and overcrowded private prisons that soak up local tax dollars.
They have turned a blind eye to the opioid crisis in places s all over the country that kills thousands and so many other issues that need to be addressed for the welfare of the people.
If you consider yourself to be a progressive, you cannot continue to support the Democratic Party in good conscience while it continues to ignore all of these issues and continues to build on its incredibly weak platform of the counterproductive thinking, “Well, at least we’re not Trump.”
The Democratic Party is ineffective. It does more harm than good and is continuing to string along so many good people in the name of progress and growth all while continuing to collaborate with Republicans who continue to vote on damaging and regressive policies.