Democrats Revert to Centrism at the DNC

FEATURING ELIE MYSTAL – The Democratic National Convention begins on Monday, delayed by weeks because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and switched from an in-person gala in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to a nearly all-virtual event.

A politically tumultuous year has led up to a convention for a party that has been roiled with internal conflicts over ideology. While the Democrats’ old guard clings to a neo-liberal capitalist, hawkish platform for whom ‘diversity’ is a pretty buzzword, a new generation of energized Americans led by staunchly progressive people of color has attempted to break through.

Perhaps nothing symbolizes this internal rift than the DNC’s speakers list which features the hugely popular Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with only a 1-minute pre-recorded speech compared to South Bend, Indiana mayor and failed Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, scoring a prime live-speaking spot.

Read Elie Mystal’s article “The Democratic Convention Is Shaping Up to Be a Centrist Hoedown,” HERE.

Elie Mystal is The Nation’s justice correspondent—covering the courts, the criminal justice system, and politics—and the force behind the magazine’s monthly column “Objection!” He is also an Alfred Knobler Fellow at the Type Media Center. His latest article in The Nation is called, “The Democratic Convention Is Shaping Up to Be a Centrist Hoedown.”