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Will the Democratic Party tent be big enough to save democracy?
That’s a question I’ve been asking since I became a Democrat almost a month ago. After five and a half years as a politically homeless independent, which came after 30+ years as a hardcore Republican firebrand, I finally took the plunge and joined Team Blue. For a full explanation as to “why,” check out my Substack post here: From the TEA Party to the Democratic Party [ [link removed] ]
To narrow it all down to the most essential reason for my move, I can best summarize it thusly: “I love this country. I fucking love this beautifully unique experiment in human freedom and self-governance, and I’m deeply worried we’re losing it. In fact, I know we’re losing it. And the single greatest threat to our democracy right now is the Republican Party. So to preserve our democracy, the GOP must be defeated, must be purged of its authoritarianism. The only entity positioned to defeat the Republican Party, as our government is currently configured, is the Democratic Party. So…I’m a Democrat.”
This decision was based on a threefold bet I’m making that most Democrats agree with me on these premises:
Our very democracy is teetering.
Today’s GOP is THE threat that must be defeated.
To defeat the GOP, Democrats have to welcome conservatives like me into their fold—and not just as a voter.
I believe all of this in my bones. To defeat the Republican Party, it’s gonna take a tent big enough for a progressive like Zohran Mamdani, NYC’s Democratic mayoral primary-winner, and a conservative like me. That’s one HUGE fucking tent.
That was the bet I made: that this big, big, big Democratic tent is possible, because we’re living in such a unique time. Our democracy, our system of government, the rule of law, the Constitution…it’s all on the line. Lose our democracy and the rule of law—in other words, lose the very essence of what America is all about—then nothing else matters. Not any policies within that system. Not healthcare policy, not defense policy, not energy policy. Nothing. If we don’t have a democracy guided by the rule of law, NONE OF THAT OTHER STUFF MATTERS. We have no choice but to put our policy differences to the side for as long as it takes to save America.
So, a month in, how are we doing? Did I make a good bet? Do most Democrats understand and agree?...

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