OPINION: The Democratic Party has given up on the working class

“Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) swears in new members of Congress during the first session of the 117th Congress in the House Chamber at the US Capitol on January 03, 2021 in Washington, DC.” Photo by Tasos Katopodis of Getty Images

The U.S. has seen a sudden rise in support for populist ideologies, notably characterized by the recent rise in unionization efforts and support for leftist policies. The increase in these ideologies, especially in young people, can be partially attributed to declining trust in governmental institutions and rising uncertainty among the working class. Yet neither party acknowledges the major problems facing the middle class as millions struggle to get by.

According to a study from Edelman, overall trust in democratic institutions globally has declined, characterized by less trust in government, media and capitalism as a whole. The study also states that “developed countries lack economic optimism,” including the U.S., which is at an all-time low.

This comes at a time when the top 1% in the U.S. owns more than the bottom 90% combined, the price of college has nearly tripled over the last 20 years for a less valuable degree, the price of homeownership has skyrocketed, more than 60% of citizens live paycheck to paycheck, tens of thousands of Americans die annually due to a lack of healthcare and north of 500,000 people go bankrupt every year due to medical bills.

These examples don’t even mention the many additional issues with labor compensation. The minimum wage is not enough to pay rent in any state in the U.S. and contributes to the housing crisis. Workers create massive wealth for their employers relative to their compensation, and with inflation, nearly every price is rising except the cost of labor. The top 1% has made $6.5 trillion within the last year alone, while $50 trillion has been taken from working-class Americans.

Yet, no meaningful change has happened from Congress or any administration in many years that would ease the burden of the working class or lessen the ever-rising wealth gap in recent decades.

The Democratic Party has given up on its working-class roots. While it was once the party of social democracy and the New Deal, it’s now the party of special interests and corporate America. The party once stood for breaking up big banks and monopolies, strong labor laws that protected workers, a “living wage” and the creation of millions of jobs to lift America out of the Great Depression. Now, it seems to stand for nothing.

According to a recent poll from NBC, more than 60% of respondents say their family’s income is “falling behind the cost of living,” 71% say the nation is “on the wrong track” and 63% disapproved of the administration’s handling of the economy. 

Years of working-class Americans being ignored by those meant to represent us has led to dire consequences and strong support for populist ideologies. A large majority of American citizens now support policies such as universal healthcare, taxing the rich and free college.

Similar policies exist in most of the developed world. They are incredibly popular among their citizens, but many Democratic elites here treat these ideas as fringe or radical, although these are hardly new ideas. Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt advocated for many of these policies under his proposed second bill of rights. Under former President Eisenhower, the top tax rate for the nation’s wealthiest was over 90% and the economy boomed. Today, billionaires pay an effective tax rate of just around 3.4%.

Countless studies have shown that universal health care would save the country trillions of dollars and save lives. There is a near-unanimous consensus on the benefits of both free college and taxing the rich. Policies such as these would help undo the decades of harm done by a government ignorant of working-class struggles, but the chance we’ll see it happen soon is unlikely.

As the Democratic Party continues to ignore the needs and struggles of the working class, millions of workers will continue to suffer, as will Democrats in future elections. Unless something substantial changes between now and November, Congress and the Biden administration could fuel a massive red wave, which would likely lead to further deregulation and tax cuts for the rich, exacerbating the problem evermore.

Michael Riojas is an opinion writer for The New Political. He is a senior studying journalism with a focus on environmental studies. He was previously an intern for Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and has a strong belief in progressive social and economic policies. When he isn’t writing for TNP, he’s probably on a run or getting his soul crushed by bosses in Elden Ring. He’ll be on Twitter someday, but in the meantime, you can contact him at mr313217@ohio.edu.