In anticipation of Trump’s formal start of the presidency, Republicans in Congress pushed a bill that can get things rolling on an Obamacare repeal. The bill had plenty of articles, but there are two that are the most important for this discussion.
On one part, they reshaped funding allocation that will give Obamacare reform an avenue that Democrats won’t be able to filibuster. It’s a big move.
The other primary point was a provision that would enable more Americans to import prescription drugs from Canada. Because the Canadian government regulates prices, this could potentially have equated to cheaper drugs for most Americans.
While the first part of the bill was passed, this provision was rejected, and in both votes, there were 12 Democratic Senators who crossed party lines to make them happen.
It might seem like a small move, but the import provision was written and championed by Bernie Sanders, and as such it had massive support from the progressives. When you consider that 12 Senators is more than a quarter of the positions held by the Democrats, it demonstrates the major underlying division within the party.
The Fissure in the Party
Obama was elected primarily because Progressives and Democrats were able to agree on a candidate. It’s important to note that the two are not one in the same. Democrats tend to favor moderate but traditional economic approaches. They are usually inefficient and represent problems, but they’re still capitalist at their core. Progressives are tried and true socialists.
While the two groups agree on some social issues, they are at complete odds when it comes to economics. The Sanders health bill that just failed further demonstrates this, as it wanted to incorporate federal negotiations in pricing pharmaceuticals.
The signs of this fissure have grown more apparent over the past year, highlighted by the Sanders campaign. The final split shows that roughly one-third of the whole party aligns as progressive, while the other two-thirds are more traditional in their views.
This wouldn’t be too big a deal (the tea party showed a similar division among republicans) if the traditional Democrats weren’t so vehemently against progressives. Unlike other, smaller divisions that have emerged within the major parties, the progressives have a destructive attitude so in denial of reality that even standard liberals are afraid. That was made clear in the DNC’s leaked emails that showed just how much they feared Sanders winning their nomination.
Looking to the Future
If the first session of Congress is any indication, the division between traditional Liberals and Progressives is far from healed. They will continue to oppose each other on many issues, and this may be a perfect green light for Trump and the Republicans to push sweeping changes through much faster than anyone would have previously guessed.
If even the overwhelming vitriol positioned against Trump can’t unite the two pieces of the party, it’s hard to imagine that anything can. In fact, the next two years will likely determine whether the bulk of Progressives register as Democrats or Independents in the next major primary, and if the passive aggressive tones continue, there’s a good chance the Progressives won’t be rallying behind a Democrat to run against Trump in 2020.
It will be important for the Republicans in power to remain focused. Political trends change quickly, and if they don’t take full advantage of this climate, they’ll miss golden opportunities. Thankfully, we finally get to see Trump’s leadership take full effect, and we’ll see just how quickly the country can improve.
~ American Liberty Report
