By Gerry Scharfenberger
The ideological divide between the two major parties has never been more pronounced, not only in New Jersey, but in the country as a whole. With the rise of the so-called, “Democratic Socialists” the more extreme faction within the Democratic party appears to be gaining momentum with a platform that many believe, is antithetical to the nation’s values, traditions, and founding ideals.
There are many Republicans, Independents and even some Democrats who have expressed shock at the number of Democrat Socialists of America (DSA) who have openly embraced tenets of communism on their way to winning recent primaries – often times at the expense of long-serving incumbents. Moreover, many current Democrat elected officials at all levels of government are extremely concerned about being primaried by a DSA challenger given the energy the latter has of late.
One look at the DSA platform shows there is great reason for every American to be frightened for our country’s very survival. In short, the DSA plans to abolish the U.S. Senate, defund the War Department, replace the President and Supreme Court, defund police departments, phase out prisons, institute a Green New Deal and so on. This, of course, is insane; the product of a radical group who is somehow enamored with the ideology and systems of the most oppressive, deadly, failed societies the world has ever known. That is their vision for America.
Perhaps the most puzzling aspect of this situation is the dearth of pushback from the mainstream Democrat party. In fact, when was the last time anyone heard a Democrat publicly criticize another Democrat? Most people would be hard pressed to come up with even one example. Despite the blatant, over the top anti-American rhetoric and kooky antics of AOC and her fellow “squad” members, and the dangerously bizarre policies of the latest group of aspiring DSA candidates, research has shown no instances where a veteran Democrat officeholder, pundit or operative has definitively called out this incredibly anti-American ideology that is infecting the platform of a major American political party. I don’t mean some wishy washy, perfunctory “socialism may hurt us in the midterms” blather. I mean no holds barred condemnation and disgust that this is even a passing thought as a direction for our country.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the Republican party. Its basic platform is one of freedom, security and opportunity. In New Jersey, the legislation introduced by the Republican members of the legislature has been nothing short of inspiring with solid, workable policies that would transform New Jersey from an overtaxed, overregulated laughingstock, to a model of American prosperity.
Yet incredibly, you see regular instances of Republicans breaking Ronald Reagan’s “11th Commandment” and attacking other Republicans, many times gratuitously to score political brownie points and breathe life into a moribund primary campaign, or simply to get noticed on social media. There have even been cases where former Democrats flip to Republican to hurt solid Republicans in the general election.
In my opinion, the differences between Democrats and Republicans can be summed up as follows: Democrats have the wrong vision for the country along with dangerous policies. However, they walk in lockstep (except for John Fetterman) and stay unified no matter what the circumstance. Conversely, the Republicans have the true vision for America with the needed policies to make it happen. Yet, they don’t seem to be able to grasp the importance of a united front to not only win elections but implement the policies that would strengthen and propel America into the future.
Given the chaos in our election system as the difficult task of instituting security and fairness slowly progresses, it is more important than ever that Republicans stay united, engaged and active as voters to offset whatever fraud exists in our elections. We owe it to the nearly one million soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice to use the precious right to vote and ensure that the country they died for continues to flourish as the founding fathers envisioned.
