Biden and progressives lead Democrats into the wilderness
By Keith Naughton, opinion contributor — 11/03/21 09:00 AM EDT
Election 2021 was a wipeout for the Democrats. Not only did Glenn Youngkin get elected governor in Virginia, Republicans swept out of office the incumbent attorney general and elected the first Black woman lieutenant governor in Virginia history. On top of that, high-profile progressives and their causes got crushed. The avowed socialist Buffalo, N.Y., mayoral candidate lost — to a write-in. The Minneapolis referendum to replace the police department also lost badly.
Here are five critical takeaways from Election Day 2021.
The infrastructure bill will pass
Progressives decided to hold the $1 trillion infrastructure bill hostage for their big wish list. That brinksmanship failed spectacularly. The Democratic Election Day debacle has completely cut their legs out from under them. The inability to pass any parts of Biden’s agenda wrecked the Democratic message that they can get things done and likely is weighing on their support.
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Chuck Shumer (D-N.Y.) will press hard for passage of the infrastructure bill that has been sitting in the House. It already passed with bi-partisan support in the Senate. The Democrats have to start enacting popular things — the alternative is an absolute rout in 2022. Progressives need to face the fact that they don’t have the public behind them.
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https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/579779-biden-and-progressives-lead-democrats-into-the-wilderness
