The Democratic Party has long prided itself on being the standard-bearer of tolerance and acceptance—a strategy that, for a time, served them well. But their increasingly radical stance on social issues may be backfiring in a big way. Case in point: the 2024 campaign, where Democrats were caught flat-footed by Trump’s savvy attack on Kamala Harris’s extreme positions on transgender issues.
The Trump campaign didn’t shy away from highlighting Harris’s support for taxpayer-funded gender transitions for illegal immigrants. They hammered the point home with a devastatingly effective ad featuring the slogan, "Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you.” The message was simple, resonated with voters, and proved just how out of touch Democrats have become with mainstream America.
It goes way beyond taxpayer-funded transitions. Their positions on butchering minors and letting men play women's sports are way out of touch with mainstream America. Yet, the question that has yet to be completely answered is whether Democrats will recalibrate and move toward the middle.
Right now, it doesn't look likely.
Appearing on CNN Tuesday morning, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) addressed the backlash he experienced over comments about boys playing girls’ sports, warning that the Democratic Party risks alienating voters with its rigid stances and lack of open debate.
"I have two little girls. I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that," he said last month after Trump won the election.
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Moulton criticized what he called the party’s “liberal litmus tests,” telling CNN’s John Berman, “If you don’t meet those litmus tests, then you’re not even allowed to share your opinion. … If you don’t agree with us, then not only are you wrong, but you’re a bad person.” He pointed to men who “identify” as women in sports as one example where dissenting views are dismissed, adding, “So I gave this example of transgender women in sports. It's just one of many issues where we're not even allowed to have a debate. And many Americans are turned off by that. They say, why would I want to be a part of a party where my views aren't valid? They're not even up for discussion. The definition of a majority party is you actually encompass the majority views of Americans. And a lot of people feel the Democratic Party is out of touch right now.”
Berman pressed Moulton on his blunt assessment of the party. Moulton doubled down, saying, “We lost across the board. … We’ve got to look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘we lost.’ We lost across the board. And we got to make some changes if we want to start winning again.”
Can the Democrats do that? Probably not. In fact, Moulton believes he’ll be primaried for speaking out on the trans issue.
“I probably will be primaried,” he admitted. “And that’s great. That just proves my point: you can’t speak a sentence that’s out of line and not get backlash from the left. But that’s OK. This is a democracy.”
If Moulton is right, the Democrats who are willing to speak out against the radical gender ideologues of the left are going to be purged, and the Republican Party tent will just get bigger.
