Ed Rollins: Sanders wins NH, but his victory is a major loss for divided Dem Party
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary is over, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., can consider himself victorious. But Sanders’ victory is nothing but a resounding loss for a deeply divided Democratic Party.
Post-New Hampshire, one thing is clear: Infighting between what’s left of center-leftism and the surge of socialism will only accelerate in the weeks to come. Presidential primaries often become messy, but the first primary of 2020 has exposed just how deep the Democrats’ divisions are — and how dangerous they may turn out to be.
Of course, the “split” first emerged in 2016, when Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, challenged establishment darling former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The latter was essentially forced to rig the primary system to defeat him, but neither Sanders nor his legion of supporters went away. Socialism endured.
In 2018, Democrats of differing ideological persuasions united in their hatred of President Trump, but unity was short-lived. It didn’t take long for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and the rest of “The Squad” to take over the Democratic Party. House members who would’ve been silenced decades ago became key spokespeople for a far-left agenda.
It is difficult to overstate just how far-left that agenda has become. In New Hampshire, Sanders promoted AOC’s “Green New Deal,” claiming it is necessary for “saving the planet.” Yet the Green New Deal would cost $93 trillion in its first decade of implementation. Even liberal economist Noah Smith estimated an annual cost of $6.6 trillion, on average — three times as much as the federal government collects in tax revenue or one-third of American GDP.
In the Green New Deal’s first year, the average household in a battleground state like New Hampshire would be on the hook for more than $70,000. That’s right: $70,000 in one year alone!
And yet, that’s the Democratic agenda of today. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., one of the biggest losers in New Hampshire, has not only urged voters to support the Green New Deal but also vows to spend an additional $3 trillion to move the U.S. economy to 100 percent clean energy.
This, as she and other Democrats take private jets to campaign events. Which brings us to one more takeaway from New Hampshire: left-wing hypocrisy is at an all-time high.
Hypocrisy has always been a staple of Democratic politics, but recent weeks have taken it to another level entirely. Democrats who publicly decried a partisan impeachment process 20 years ago just led the most partisan impeachment charge ever. Democrats who decry the “one percent” saw the emergence of two billionaires — Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer — as viable candidates. The same Democrats who lament President Trump’s “corruption” turn a blind eye to Joe Biden’s quid pro quo in Ukraine.
Yet Sanders’ victory is perhaps the most dramatic display of the Democratic Party’s hypocrisy to date — not to mention its deep divisions. The supposed party of “diversity” chose an old, white man, essentially dismissing all candidates of color. The supposed party of youthful energy just rallied behind the oldest candidate ever.
As the 2020 election unfolds, how can the Democrats overcome those divides? How can they continue to talk one talk and walk another? How will they convince Americans that they are to be trusted — on any issue?
What the New Hampshire primary exposed is that the Democratic Party is as vulnerable as ever before. That can only mean one thing: President Trump is as well-positioned to win as ever, and his supporters are growing more emboldened by the day.
Here’s your last takeaway from New Hampshire: President Trump isn’t going anywhere.
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