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For many Americans, today’s Democrat Party more closely resembles an insane asylum than the “loyal opposition” to the Republicans. From their insistence on intersectional politics to their dogged pursuit of completely open borders to their blind acceptance of the sketchy science of man-made global warming, the Democrats seem to have taken leave of their senses on many key issues in America today.
And it’s not just the right side of the political spectrum that’s noticing the phenomenon. Black Entertainment Television (BET) founder Robert Louis Johnson (shown), a lifelong Democrat, told CNBC’s Hadley Gamble on Monday that the party has moved too far left.
“The party, in my opinion, for me personally, has moved too far to the left,” Johnson said.
Johnson, America’s first African-American billionaire, calls himself a centrist Democrat. As a businessman and a pragmatist, Johnson is exactly the type of person who is being left behind by today’s Democrats.
As a successful businessman, Johnson sees today’s divide between Republicans and Democrats as a huge problem. “If business people are concerned about anything, it’s the clear, clear partisan politics that’s become very wicked and very mean.”
Johnson believes that the Democrats’ primary fight, which has seen candidates go further and further to the left, is potentially bad news in the upcoming general elections.
“I think, at the end of the day, if a Democrat is going to beat Trump, that person, he or she, will have to move to the center and you can’t wait too long to do that,” Johnson said. “The message of some of the programs that Democrats are pushing are not resonating with the majority of the American people.”
When asked which Democrat, of the seemingly dozens still seeking the nomination, he prefers, Johnson demurred. “Right now, I’m not taking a position on the Democratic Party. I’ve long time been a centrist in terms of Democratic politics,” Johnson said. “For that reason, I don’t have a particular candidate in the party at this time.”
While not coming out and endorsing President Trump, Johnson did have words of praise for the president, particularly his handling of the economy. “I think the economy is doing absolutely great and it’s particularly reaching into populations that heretofore have had very bad problems in terms of jobs, unemployment and the opportunities that come with full employment.”
While every Democrat on the debate stage would look to increase taxes on the American people by giving away free healthcare or paying for the Green New Deal, Johnson pointed out that President Trump’s tax cuts have stimulated economic growth. “I think the tax cuts clearly helped stimulate the economy. I think business-people have a little bit more confidence in the way the economy is going,” Johnson said.
“Overall, if you look at the U.S. economy and you look at the number of people who are no longer looking for jobs but are now seeing the opportunities for job growth you’ve got to give the president an A+ for that.”
Johnson also had positive words for the president’s dealings with Iran. “I think President Trump has taken the right position in saying to the Iranians, ‘Look, I’m not looking for a fight but I am looking for a change in the nuclear arms agreement as related to the processing of nuclear weapons.”
Johnson’s words are more proof of a large problem for Democrats heading into the 2020 election season. While their platform moves ever more leftward, rallying around fringe issues such as open borders, LGBTQ rights, and government intervention on climate change, the Democrats risk losing not only undecided voters, who tend to stand somewhere in the middle on policy, but the centrists within their own party.
There’s evidence that it’s happening already. Whether it’s Brandon Straka’s Walk-Away movement or Candace Owens’ Blexit campaign, the Democrats’ leftist tilt is alienating many of the voting blocs that Democrats have long taken for granted. More and more, people are longing to be treated as individuals instead of as part of an identity group. And the Democrats don’t have any idea how to do that. Their platform caters to special interests and fringe positions, not to the things average Americans truly care about.
While Democrats and the media have one message, which is “We hate Trump,” Johnson seems to be looking at facts. The Democrats don’t have a coherent message, at least not yet. And “We hate Trump” is not a platform.
Photo: AP Images
