Charting a New Path to Save Democracy

As a nonpartisan nonprofit, MADVoters’ path is distinct from that of political parties. Our work is rooted in advocacy, which means we focus on issues, solutions, and education, rather than pledging allegiance to candidates and a party. It’s about championing the issues, not a party. Our commitment to equity, progress, and our core values of healthcare, education, economics, community, and democracy guide our work. 

This path may run parallel at times, and perpendicular other times, to political parties. But it is not the same path. That gives us the flexibility and freedom to challenge the status quo and barriers within both major political parties, and to offer frank commentary on the problems created by that duopoly.

Here are some of our observations:

We are seeing some Republicans balk against Trump’s agenda, which has been to sow chaos, abandon international allies, target and scapegoat marginalized populations, throw the economy into turmoil to benefit shareholders, and normalize cronyism and political favors - all coming from a well-oiled propaganda machine. 

Whatever MAGA claimed to be when it first started (remember the Tea Party?), there is no doubt now that it is the Trump machine. And because of that, it makes Republicans who have supported Trump - or those who stand back and say nothing - complicit in both his and MAGA’s climb to power.

This isn’t an indictment of every Republican ever. As the saying goes, the best time to speak up was then, but the second best time to speak up is now. Reformed Republicans are not the enemy. If they are realizing - finally - the utter destruction caused by the MAGA monster that they helped unleash - there is hope. 

But it’s also about taking accountability. And this one is on the Republicans. They created the MAGA monster, used it to reinvigorate their party, and rode it to the top with two Presidential terms. The fact that that same monster is now chewing on their leg is for them to clean up - not the Democrats. Republicans need to take accountability. 

Because the fact is, Democrats are far from perfect. They’ve got their own path to maintain and develop, and one of the greatest challenges currently facing the Democratic Party today is its identity crisis. 

In recent years, some top Democrats have scolded the progressive wing of their party and told them to sit down, be quiet, wait their turn, and unify. They have backed more moderate candidates with name recognition over progressive grassroots candidates, and ultimately they have upheld the status quo at the expense of progress and meaningful change. Their message has been clear - abandon the progressive causes, make room for those reformed Republicans and centrists within the party, and continue to support corporate interests. 

But the truth is, Democrats don’t need Republicans to win. For much of the past 30 years, it is the Democrats who have won the popular vote; it is only in being saved by the Electoral College that Republicans have won the presidency. The Democratic party should be able to stand on its own merit, and embrace the progressivism that more and more voters are demanding. 

It’s not a radical idea. In fact, it’s straight out of the history books. FDR’s New Deal brought the American people out of the grips of the Great Depression, improving workers’ rights, infrastructure, and economic stability. It also reoriented the Democratic Party as a coalition of blue collar workers, left-wing intellectuals, Black Americans, and women. It is this coalition that built the Democratic Party, and yet it is where they are now hemorrhaging support. 

And yet, a significant bloc within the Democratic party - most often the older, “establishment” bloc, fears that in moving left, the party will lose supporters. This is thinking that is driven by fear, though. It’s the flight, freeze, and fawn response, when what voters really want to see is fight. 

Trump didn’t take control of the Republican party by appealing to facts, logic, or reason. His base was motivated by his willingness to buck the system that many felt was broken. They didn’t see him as a builder, but as a destroyer. In that regard, he’s proven true. 

Trump and his MAGA movement have pulled American politics so far to the right, that even as Democrats have stayed relatively still, they are now the object of “radical leftist” insults. So “move to the center” has been the mantra by those who fear change. But in moving to the center and moderating its values, the Democratic Party looks weak and lacks a platform. Ultimately, moving right just appeases MAGA, and the more we feed that monster, the more powerful and insidious it becomes. 

@SchmittlerTracy on X

So we say, own it. Show Hoosiers what “radical leftism” is all about - affordable housing, accessible healthcare, freedom from government intrusion and control, investment in infrastructure, and safe working conditions. Democrats need to stand up proudly for progress and people, and give voters something to be excited for. The rest of the industrialized world has agreed that healthcare, education, housing, and addressing climate change are important policies. Everywhere else, these are centrist policies. In America, they’ve been warped by the far right to be seen as radical.  

There was a time in politics when the Democratic and Republican Parties were on two different but mostly parallel paths, where respect for our democratic ideals and a commitment to decorum acted as the guardrails to those paths. Both parties wanted to arrive at the same destination, but they had (mostly reasonable) differences of opinion on which exact path to take. 

Unfortunately, that roadmap has long been discarded. The world of politics we’re in now is cutthroat and win-at-all-costs. It eschews collaboration and compromise for domination. In this polarizing environment, the best path forward is for the Parties to take an earnest look inward, and focus on resolving their own problems. 

According to historian Heather Cox Richardson, “One of the curses of history is that we cannot go back and change the course leading to disasters, no matter how much we might wish to. The past has its own terrible inevitability. But it is never too late to change the future.”

Now is the time to implement that change. 

Democrats need to stay on their own path and forge ahead to new destinations - embrace populist progressivism, and allow new and young voices a seat at the table. Republicans need to focus on their path and prune the extremism, bigotry, and authoritarianism from their ranks. By holding themselves accountable and changing from within, both parties can better meet the moment, regain public trust, and focus on the real point of a political party - developing good policy. 

As for MADVoters, we’ll be right here, advocating for accessible healthcare, equitable education, an economy that works for the people, safe communities, and a stable democracy. Because advocacy isn’t about picking sides; it’s about finding solutions.