As primary results roll in from across the country, a trend has become apparent. Unfortunately, both Democrats and Republicans are drawing the wrong conclusions from it.

The Primary Message

The new mayor of New York City is now a Democratic Socialist and candidates from that party have won several important primaries. Here are the typical reactions:

• Republicans chortle: “The Democrats are offering radical extremist socialist, communist, fascist candidates. VOTE FOR US or the country will fall apart.”
• Democrats worry that these candidates will lose in the general election because they are far too far left for Independent voters. They fear that crucial voting bloc will never accept a fringe candidate. But they don’t get the real message.

Democrats are voting for candidates who will stand up and fight.

Experience with Traditional Democrats

Sad experience over the last five and a half years has told the American people that (1) traditional Democrats follow the rules to a fault regardless of consequences, and (2) given a choice between playing it safe and saving our Democracy, they will play it safe.

I’m an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Once upon a time I voted for the better candidate, regardless of party. Now I would not vote for a Republican for garbage collector. I have two reasons.

First, I rarely find the Republican to be the better candidate these days. The quality of their candidates goes down every year as the party sinks deeper into the MAGA fever swamp.

Second, I don’t want to give them majority power at any level, but particularly in Congress. They have shown us what they do with that power and it’s terrifying.

The McConnell Debacle

A good case in point is the Mitch McConnell debacle. The Kentucky senior senator has been missing from the Congress for nearly two months. No one outside his staff has seen him despite frequent calls from the press and pleas from Gov. Andy Beshear. A couple of senators purport to have spoken with him but their reports sound scripted and unbelievable.

Sen. McConnell has missed over 48 votes on the floor of the senate and is clearly not representing the people of Kentucky. He is supposed to be recuperating but no one says from what. A woman who searched for him in the hospital declares that he was nowhere to be found. We have no prognosis of when he could be well enough to return to the Senate.

What If He’s Dead?

Many people, myself included, doubt that he is still alive.

On July 23, reporter Nicholas Ballasy confronted McConnell’s communications director, Stephanie Penn, with pointed questions about his prolonged absence. Instead of answering him, she walked away smiling. In fact, she seemed to be having a hard time not breaking into outright laughter.

As I watched this, I thought she found it humorous that they were putting one over on the country and the people of Kentucky and getting away with it.

Why would his staff keep his death a secret? Because they’re running out the clock to avoid a special election to fill his seat. Running out the clock was Sen. McConnell’s specialty when he was alive so it’s more than likely his staff is doing it on the party’s behalf now.

The Governor’s Dilemma

Gov. Andy Beshear could act. He could ask himself “What would Mitch do?” and get an immediate answer.

Mitch McConnell would have bulled his way past the deadline, smashing the rules, and kicking restrictions to the curb as he went by.

Instead, Gov. Beshear continues to play it safe. He calls for reports, medical records, a conversation with the missing senator—and gets nothing. The staff ignores him as if he doesn’t exist.

He could go to the hospital or the rehab center where McConnell is presumably recovering from this imaginary illness and demand to see him. But he chooses not to.

Failing that, Gov. Beshear could simply appoint an interim senator to represent the people of Kentucky and dare the Republicans to fight him on it.

That’s what Democrats and many independents like myself want him to do. But the governor is a traditional Democrat and just won’t do it.

Democrats Who Will Fight

People are voting for Democratic Socialists because they will fight. Because the play-it-safe, follow-the-rules Democrats won’t. Oh, they will moan and complain. They will tell you how things should be but never say what they will do to make it happen.

Yes, we know you’re in the minority and out of power. But that only applies if you stick to the way things have always been done instead of breaking out of the box. Republicans recognize no such restrictions. They just do what they want.

The Frustrating Four Years

We spent the four years of Joe Biden’s administration waiting for him to take action, to dismantle the previous administration’s excesses, to cancel the executive orders, to get rid of MAGA appointees, to cut the tariffs and even start vwhat needed to be done to get rid of Louis DeJoy.

Instead, he played it safe, ignoring the outrages and excesses to pursue his agenda. Even when Merrick Garland dawdled and delayed, running out the clock on prosecuting Trump’s criminal and treasonous actions, he let the man continue when he should have replaced him with someone like Jack Smith.

So, we’re angry. And we’re frustrated. We want action. If middle-of-the-road Democrats won’t act, we’ll vote for Democratic Socialists who will. Yes, it risks playing into the Republicans’ hands, but it might also send a message. This message:

If you won’t act, we’ll elect people who will.