Opinion: In Wake of Mueller Investigation, Dems Must Focus on Progressive Policy

By Skye Hawthorne ‘22

On March 22nd, 2019, after indicting dozens for federal crimes, the two-year investigation by Robert S. Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election came to a surprisingly inconclusive end. The long-awaited report failed to find any evidence that Trump had directly colluded with the Russian government, and drew no conclusions as to whether or not he had obstructed justice by firing Comey. 

Make no mistake: this is a windfall for the Trump presidency and his shot at re-election. And if the Democrats want a fighting chance at winning in 2020, they must focus their rhetoric on their strength: progressive policy. 

This might seem counterintuitive. After all, wouldn’t a politically moderate candidate have broad appeal? Wouldn’t he or she be able to more effectively reach across the aisle and sway undecided or independent voters? 

Some might argue that. But the preponderance of evidence suggests that, across the board, progressive policies are broadly popular – even among voters who identify as conservative or Republican. 

Take the issue of gun control. Polls are a notoriously unreliable way to measure the popular appeal of an issue; they are marred by sampling biases, response and non-response biases, and the framing of the question. But past a certain point, they become impossible to ignore. For instance, a poll conducted by PPP last year found that 87% of those polled, including a whopping 85% of Republicans, supported universal background checks on all gun buyers. Likewise, 71% (and 54% of Republicans!!!) support a ban on assault weapons. These numbers show that advocating for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines is no longer a left-wing cause, and gun safety is no longer an issue that divides the American people along partisan lines. Instead, the divide is between American people, who overwhelmingly support common-sense progressive gun policy, against the NRA and gun manufacturers, who strongly oppose it and wield unduly influence in our national politics. 

Gun control may be the best example of a progressive policy with widespread support, but it certainly isn’t the only one. Several polls conducted on a single-payer Medicare-for-all healthcare plan have found that a majority of both Democrats and Republicans support the policy, although the numbers vary dramatically depending on how the question is framed. Support plummets when those polled are told that such a plan would raise their taxes significantly. However, it shoots back up again when people are given the full context: even though they will be paying more in taxes, they will probably end up saving money overall; after all, they won't be paying private insurance premiums. 

The list of progressive causes with broad support goes on and on. A Green New Deal? Some polls, including one conducted by Yale and George Mason Universities, show its support at nearly 80%, including over 60% of Republicans. Marijuana legalization? A majority of Americans support it and over 75% support its decriminalization, according to a Reuters poll. Tuition-free public college? Also supported by a majority of Americans (not yet by a majority of Republicans, although that number is also on the rise.) 

The evidence for this is not just in the polls, but on the streets and on the ballots. It can be seen in the flood of states that have recently legalized marijuana for recreational and medical purposes. It can be seen at the protests and sit-ins in DC, where thousands of young people demanded the first steps toward meaningful climate change action – and got it. And it can be seen in the surprising victories of “Justice Democrat” candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar. Many 2020 hopeful recognize this trend, and have come out in support of these policies. Yet some have been decidedly tepid. Candidates such as Joe Biden and John Hickenlooper, for instance, have yet to endorse a Green New Deal. Cory Booker, Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar, John Hickenlooper and Pete Buttigieg have all offered middle-of-the-road alternatives to the increasingly popular Medicare-for-all. And nearly all of the Democratic candidates, with a few notable exceptions (Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard, and Andrew Yang) have focused on being unifying, anti-Trump figures as opposed to putting their policy positions in the foreground. 

The problem? Being “anti-Trump” isn’t enough to win the election. “Bringing people together” isn’t enough of a reason for voters to head to the polls. How do we know that? Because the candidate whose slogan was literally “Stronger Together,” managed to lose to Donald Trump, one of the most blatantly corrupt, uninformed, and divisive presidential candidates in American history. Now, some may respond by mentioning that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote; this is, of course, true. But regardless, most progressives will agree that the 2016 election, both in terms of popular vote and the Electoral College, was way closer than it should have been. 

Unity was not enough: it wasn’t enough to elect a candidate with a history of scandals almost as long and complicated as Trump’s, a candidate whose positions on everything from war, trade, marriage equality and immigration were perpetually shifting to whatever happened to be politically expedient at the moment. And it won’t be enough to elect a Democrat in 2020 if that Democrat emphasizes identity politics instead of the policies that he or she will implement once in office. 

Whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being must double down on the progressive policies that enjoy widespread support from their base and Americans in general. If they fail to do this, they will lose.

Works Cited

Breuninger, Kevin. “Medicare for All, or Medicare for More? Here's Where the 2020 Hopefuls Stand on Health Care.” CNBC, 25 Feb. 2019

Cama, Timothy. “Poll: Majorities of Both Parties Support Green New Deal.” TheHill, 17 Dec. 2018.

Keller, Megan. “Seventy Percent of Americans Support 'Medicare for All' in New Poll.” TheHill, 28 Aug. 2018.

Langer, Gary. “Wrapping up a Wild Ride: A 2016 Exit Poll Review.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 10 May 2016.
PPP Admin. Voters Like High School Gun Protesters; Don't Like NRA.” Public Policy Polling, 27 Mar. 2018.