With Democrats now wandering in the political wilderness (at least at the national level), there’s no shortage of pundits and consultants who are eager to offer the party their roadmap back to relevance.
One such group is Third Way, which bills itself as champions of “modern center-left ideas.” The outfit recently held a retreat in the D.C suburbs of Loudon County, Virginia to plot out a comeback and emerged with a plethora of plans that they believe will help them be seen as the party of the working class… including some outreach to gun owners.
The group blamed the party’s disconnect with the working class partly on progressive figures, left-wing staffers, and activist groups.
“Activist groups and progressive staffers push unpopular cultural positions, making it seem like Democrats are more extreme than they actually are,” they said, stressing the need to “reject fringe positions that alienate the median voter.”
The proposed solution to the party’s perceived far-left problem was to build up the moderate Democratic base through “media, talent pipelines, and communications networks,” pushing back against staffers and groups “that exert a disproportionate influence on policy and messaging,” and banning “far-left candidate questionnaires and refuse to participate in forums that create ideological purity tests.”
The document also advocated for embracing populism “thoughtfully” by critiquing corporate excess and corruption but “avoid[ing] an anti-capitalist stance.”
“Democrats need to stop demonizing wealth and corporations broadly,” it read, urging the party to “be pro-aspiration & pro-capitalism in a smart way.”
At the same time, the summary recommended getting “out of elite circles and into real communities” like tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants, and churches as part of a bid to spotlight working-class voices.
“Democratic economic messages often come from elites, celebrities, and politicians rather than working-class voices that voters can relate to,” the document read, while simultaneously urging the part to “move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the broader electorate.”
Obviously these suggestions don’t all revolve around Second Amendment issues, but there’s plenty of overlap when it comes to things like activist groups pushing unpopular cultural positions. What kind of reaction will a “moderate” Democrat get if they do decide to show up at a gun show to meet voters? They’re not going to be applauded just for making an appearance. They’re going to be grilled about their stances on semi-auto bans, “red flag” laws, denying under-21s from purchasing or carrying a gun, “sensitive places”, and a host of other infringements endorsed and embraced by the vast majority of Democrat politicians.
The only way that Democrats can make inroads with most gun voters is by removing themselves from their embrace with the gun control lobby, and despite the suggestions compiled by Third Way there’s no sign at all of that happening. Democrats are still pushing broad semi-auto bans in several states across the country, along with ammo rationing laws, more “gun-free zones”, and costly and time consuming mandates before someone can legally possess a firearm. And let’s not forget that gun control activist David Hogg was recently elected one of the DNC’s co-chairs, which means that gun control is almost certain to remain a top priority for the national party over the next two years.
As a Second Amendment advocate I’d be genuinely thrilled if both major political parties were competing for my vote, but the half-hearted suggestions from Third Way shows that while some on the left are able to diagnose at least part of their problem, they’re not yet prepared to make the changes necessary to heal their sickness on Second Amendment issues that’s killing their chances in rural America and among the tens of millions of ardent 2A supporters.
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