Posted by Nolan Dalla on Mar 16, 2025 in Blog | 0 comments

The Myth of Moving to the Middle

THE MYTH OF MOVING TO THE MIDDLE:

WHY DEMOCRATS SHOULD EMBRACE LIBERALISM, AND NOT RUN AWAY FROM AMERICAN MAJORITY OPINION

This article is long. But, it’s important.

I keep hearing that Democrats need to “move to the middle.” We’re told most Americans oppose things that are “too liberal.”

Hmmm. But, is this really true? Let’s examine several issues and look at the facts:

WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM / ABORTION RIGHTS:

— 63 percent of Americans say abortion should be LEGAL–in either *all* or *most* cases.

— Only 28 percent favor a comprehensive abortion ban.

— Moreover, 62 percent have a favorable opinion of Planned Parenthood and an equal percent approve of taxpayer support.

— 77 percent oppose Trump and far-right extremists slashing government funding for health care centers which provide counseling and birth-control services.

— All polls and surveys reveal that a MAJORITY of Americans favor the LIBERAL position on women’s reproductive freedom and support the right to control their own bodies.

— Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court judges were the tipping point that overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision supported by a majority for a half century. Since then, Republican states have been imposing much stricter bans on abortion, going to extremes–including criminalizing such actions by women, their doctors, and health care professionals. Incredibly, support for legal abortion in America has risen since the conservative court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Conclusion: Democrats and liberals represent the MAJORITY mainstream opinion in this country. Republicans and conservatives are the extremists and are in the minority.

MEDICARE FOR ALL:

— 62 percent of Americans hold a FAVORABLE view of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare.”

— A 57 percent MAJORITY also believe the government should ensure *all* Americans have health care coverage.

— A majority also believes that health care is “a basic human right.” These percentages have been INCREASING steadily every year, and have never been higher, than now.

— Trump and Republicans have been trying to overturn the ACA for a decade. They promised something called “the concept of a plan,” yet have shown nothing to the American people. Now, with Trump in power and few obstacles, they aim to slash Medicare and Medicaid.

— Republican-led states rank at the bottom of every study on health issues and access to medical care.

Conclusion: Democrats and liberals represent the mainstream majority opinion on healthcare. Republicans and conservatives defend a FOR PROFIT healthcare system, which has made this country the most expensive, wasteful, and inefficient on the world–by far.

GUN LAW REFORM AND RESTRICTIONS:

— 64 percent of Americans SUPPORT stricter gun laws. This number is even higher when it comes to restricting some firearms and banning others.

— 29 percent oppose background checks, and other restrictions on firearms.

— So, nearly two-thirds of the country AGREES with the LIBERAL position on guns. No matter what the questions is on guns, a MAJORITY of the nation agrees that gun laws are far too lax and reckless.

— Surprisingly, even many REPUBLICANS (in some cases–more than 50 percent–depending on the question) agree with stricter gun laws according to many polls. FOX News did a poll finding that voters overwhelmingly want restrictions on guns. A 2023 poll revealed 87 percent support background checks for gun buyers! That same poll showed 77 percent favor a 30-day waiting period on gun purchases!

Conclusion: Democrats and liberals represent the overwhelming majority opinion on gun safety in America. Only about a third of Americans agree with the Republican and conservative position on guns.

MAN-MADE CLIMATE CHANGE:

— 59 percent of Americans understand that GLOBAL WARMING is mostly human-caused. That is, they agree with the LIBERAL consensus position.

— By contrast, only 29 percent think the issue is either a myth or caused by natural changes in the environment. Some of these climate deniers are outlandish conspiracy theorists.

— Yet, despite most of the country understanding the threat of future climate disaster, a majority of Republican leaders ignore ALL the evidence, takes sides with the fossil-fuel industry, and openly DISMISS climate change.

— Trump often mocks scientists, ignores studies, disputes facts, disregards data, and is currently REVERSING government policies intended to improve environmental impacts. Just one example–Trump WITHDREW the U.S. from the global climate accords for the second time, ushering in a possible catastrophe ahead unless something is done about the planet continuing to heat up.

Conclusion: Democrats and liberals represent the majority viewpoint on climate change and global warming. Republicans and conservatives are extremists who are hopelessly out of touch with reality.

STANDING UP FOR DEMOCRACY:

— 60 percent of Americans agree democracy is now under SERIOUS ATTACK–both here at home and abroad.

— Remarkably, there’s a sizable minority of totalitarian-leaning voters in this country. This is proven by a quarter of Americans–overwhelmingly Republican–responding that they would “support rule by the military or a strong leader who could act without democratic oversight.”

— About two-thirds of the country favors democracy while one-quarter supports suspending constitutional traditions in favor of a more authoritarian form of government.

Conclusion: Liberals support democratic institutions and the rule of law, which is a majority opinion among Americans. Conservatives are divided on the issue of democratic (with a small D) oversight–a sizable wing supports an authoritarian form of government, so long as *their leader* is in charge.

IMMIGRATION REFORM AND A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP:

— Most Americans understand immigrants are both necessary and a net-positive for the country. In fact, a recent poll revealed 59 percent believe undocumented immigrants “should be allowed to stay” with proper legal channels towards documentation and citizenship.

— Most recently, in early 2024, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress widely supported by many Republicans, that is, UNTIL Trump butted in and pressured members of his own party to kill the measure. Trump was fearful that HELPING to SOLVE or IMPROVE the immigration mess would HURT his election chances. Trump’s threats were a disgraceful display of selfishness certain to hurt many millions of good, hard-working people who want to become Americans.

Conclusion: Democrats have mismanaged immigration issues when they’ve been in office, for sure. However, Republicans (especially under Trump’s spell) have been far worse, even going so far as to push for immigration policies that would seriously harm many sectors of our economy and cost a fortune to implement.

GAY RIGHTS / SAME SEX MARRIAGE:

— Polls show about 70 percent of Americans SUPPORT same-sex marriage, while only 28 percent are against it.

— Liberals overwhelming favor and support same-sex rights, as 83 percent of Democrats support same-sex marriage. Moreover, 74 percent of independents agree, and even 46 percent of Republicans support these rights.

— A notable development is that GOP support for same-sex marriage has declined–from a high of 55 percent in both 2021 and 2022, to 49 percent in 2023, and now down to 46 percent as of the last poll. So, the hate and disinformation campaign is working among the GOP base. This is both sad and frightening.

— Now, Republicans in many states seek to OVERTURN (or even deny) protections for same-sex couples, including reversing the right to marry. Gay rights are now under serious attack in many red states. Furthermore, Trump is erasing all measures to promote greater diversity in government, which includes gay people.

Conclusion: Americans have been remarkably progressive on gay rights and same-sex marriage in this generation. Few issues have seen a faster shift in public opinion. However, these advances are backsliding with Republicans now in charge and more power given to fundamentalist Christians and the far-right.

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION AND DECRIMINALIZATION OF DRUGS:

— A MAJORITY of Americans favor LEGALIZATION of the drug marijuana (sometimes termed as cannabis when posed in polls), as 57 percent say it should be LEGAL for both medical and recreational use.

— Unfortunately, when it comes to legal reforms, Republican lawmakers all too often ignore or seek to undermine their own voters. Incredibly, a MAJORITY of registered voters in *ALL 50 STATES* now favor making cannabis legal–from a low of 52 percent in North Dakota to a high of 81 percent in Vermont and Washington. Not everyone is on board with changes in the law, however. Multiple GOP governors openly oppose measures that would expand access to recreational marijuana.

— The last time a congressional bill hit the floor to DECRIMINALIZE marijuana, more than 200 Republicans voted against the legislation, while only 3 voted for it. By comparison, over 200 House Democrats voted for the legislation, while only 2 voted against it.

— Democrats believe in the DECRIMINALIZATION of many federal and state drug laws, which were written nearly a century ago. Republicans, often collared by religious extremists and the far-right, overwhelmingly vote against marijuana’s legalization.

— The “war on drugs” has been a ridiculously costly failure. That’s a fact.

Conclusion: Democrats would be wise to make Republican leaders’ opposition to marijuana and cannabis legalization an issue, as they represent the overwhelming opinion of the majority of Americans.

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS / TAXING THE WEALTHY:

— A sizable MAJORITY of Americans believe consumer protections provided by government are vitally important.

— About two-thirds of Americans SUPPORT the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), according to a poll done last month (Feb. 2025). But the Trump regime is now in the process of eliminating the CFPB, and gutting many laws that provide protection to consumers.

— Average Americans who have to deal with banks, credit cards, loans, and mortgages all the time understand very well that banks and other financial institutions will RIP-OFF consumers at every opportunity. Gutting regulations, oversight, and protections doesn’t help the middle class or low-income people. So, why would any of them vote for Republicans? This makes NO sense at all.

— More than 70 percent of Americans support RAISING taxes on the wealthy and making big corporations pay more taxes. But Trump and Republicans intend to give massive tax cuts (once again) to the wealthy, falsely claiming “trickle down” economics works. No, it doesn’t. It’s led to two economic disasters and record-high deficits.

Conclusion: One party (Democrats) believes in helping consumers. Liberals have a long and proactive history of being proactive in standing up for the little guy against powerful interests. The other party (Republicans) see consumers as targets ripe for exploitation by financial giants. Conservatives oppose many of these regulations and are working to slash protections.

BALANCING THE BUDGET / FEDERAL DEFICIT:

— One issue that garners near-unanimous support when it comes to American public opinion is the deficit and the nation’s massive debt. Everyone agrees we should lower the federal deficit.

— Thing is, since 1981, Democrats have a much better record when it comes to fiscal responsibility. In fact, Republican presidents have been horrible when it comes to EXPLODING the deficit. No president was worse than TRUMP in his first term (2017-2021).

— Here’s more data on the *best* and *worst* presidencies when it comes to their DOCUMENTED RECORDS on deficits. Not only did the U.S. economy perform much better under Democratic presidents than Republican presidents in the modern era, Democrats have also been much better on concerns about spending.

— President Clinton eliminated the federal deficit, which had previously been in the hole for 29 straight years. President Obama cut the federal deficit in half. Both were Democrats. President Bush (2) blew up the federal deficit to a (then) record high and nearly plunged the economy into a global depression (recall Bush’s 2008 economic meltdown–a much worse catastrophe was avoided WHEN GOVERNMENT STEPPED IN AND BAILED OUT THE BANKS). No stranger to multiple bankruptcies and financial irresponsibility, President TRUMP was responsible for the HIGHEST DEFICIT in history. He left the country economically shattered, largely due to his gross mismanagement.

Conclusion: Americans agree that we need to balance the budget and also strive for a strong economy that benefits everyone. By any metric, Democrats have a much better record than Republicans, especially when it comes to the federal deficit.

SUMMATION:

So, there you have it — women’s rights, immigration, climate change, health care, gun laws, gay rights, marijuana legalization, democracy, consumer protections, the economy, taxes, and federal deficits. America sides with liberalism ON EVERY ISSUE.

It may shock many of you to know the majority of Americans agree with the LIBERAL position on most important issues. Take a look at each one of the topics above. Still think it’s DEMOCRATS and LIBERALS who are “out of touch” with reality? Okay then–show me the contrary evidence.

Show me the issue where Democrats should *abandon* the more LIBERAL position and move to the middle (or worse, take the conservative position). Take your time. I’ll wait.

This isn’t to say things are good right now for Democrats and liberals. To the contrary. Democrats have serious problems, demonstrated by their dreadful poll numbers and approval ratings. What does this shocking disparity between ISSUES and PERSONALITIES reveal?

It reveals that the Democratic Party desperately needs new leadership. New faces. New strategies. Better communications. Better communicators. I’ll write more about this soon.

But the problem ISN’T Democrats being either “too liberal” or “out of touch” with America. Democrats don’t need to change their policies. They should EMBRACE them. Democrats REPRESENT the MAJORITY opinion on nearly every important issue of our time. All the data is there that proves it.

Conclusion: The suggestion that Democrats are out of touch with most of America and therefore should move the middle is a myth. What we desperately need is new leadership and better communicators of strong winning messages that are actually supported by the majority of Americans.

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SOURCES AND DATA:

WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM:

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/fact-sheet/public-opinion-on-abortion/

Three In Five Americans Believe That Roe v. Wade Being Overturned Has Been Bad For The Country (2024)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/08/20/how-americans-really-feel-about-abortion-the-sometimes-surprising-poll-results-as-dnc-gets-underway/

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-biden-election-2024-dobbs-498d14f6e2bbfe1f313f006ad089de4e

MEDICARE FOR ALL: