Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is signaling that the Democratic Party has room for candidates who openly embrace the label democratic socialist, so long as they are prepared to push aggressive economic changes and challenge what he describes as a broken system.
During an appearance on CNNs OutFront, Schiff was pressed on new polling showing the leftward drift of his party, according to Breitbart. Host Erin Burnett noted, Weve got a new poll out here at CNN tonight, which finds about just over a third, actually, of Democrats now identify as democratic socialists. 59% of them, right? So, 60% are younger than the age of 45. Are you on board with this? Do you see this as accept this, that this is where your partys going, and are you good with it?
Schiff responded by embracing the partys ideological expansion, framing it as a strategic necessity for Democrats seeking to maintain power. Look, I think were a big tent party. I think we should be a big tent party. And I would rather be in that big tent in the majority than be a smaller party that is stuck forever in the minority, he said, making clear that electoral dominance outweighs concerns about the partys hard-left flank.
At the same time, Schiff attempted to distance rank-and-file Democrats from the formal agenda of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization whose platform veers sharply away from traditional American free-market principles. I dont think that most Americans that say they want to associate with the Democratic Socialists of America are buying into what the bylaws of that organization say, which is pretty extreme, he admitted, implicitly acknowledging the radicalism embedded in the groups official doctrine.
Schiff argued that many voters are drawn less to socialist ideology than to personalities and rhetoric promising disruption of the status quo. I think they like Mamdani. I think they like some of the other people who are running under that banner. They think theyre changemakers, theyre attacking the status quo, theyre charismatic figures. I think thats whats attracting their interest, he said, suggesting style and activism are overshadowing the substance of socialist policies.
For Schiff, the litmus test is not whether candidates embrace socialism, but whether they are prepared to expand government intervention in the economy under the guise of helping a majority of Americans. And, for me, the most important thing is, are they willing to challenge a system which is not working for a majority of Americans? Are they willing to do bold things to make the economy work and bring down costs? If they are, they can call themselves whatever they like, as far as Im concerned, they have a place in the Democratic Party, he declared, underscoring how far the party has drifted from the pro-growth, limited-government vision championed by conservatives and by President Donald Trumps supporters.
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