When Kamala Harris lost the presidential election in early November, many different theories emerged to explain why. The campaign was criticized for not doing enough to distance itself from the Biden administration, appeal to the working class or ease voters’ concerns about inflation. However, one of the most overlooked factors in Harris’s defeat was her hesitance to embrace the progressive policies she defended for most of her career. Although campaigning on left-leaning policies runs the risk of alienating voters on the right, Democrats cannot succumb to the fear of this prospect. Rather, they must unapologetically champion progressivism to mobilize their base and combat the impending threats to democracy.
Since 2020, the Trump campaign has falsely accused Democrats of being radical socialists and communists. Policies like tuition-free community college and abortion access have come under attack as Republicans claim they are part of a broader far-left communist agenda. Just last week, President-elect Trump taunted “radical left lunatics” who he claimed “worked so hard to destroy our country.”
This isn’t new to American politics. Since the 1920s, the country has seen several Red Scares, waves of mass hysteria over the supposed rise of communism or socialism. Trump and his allies have reignited this phenomenon with renewed fervor. Instead of pointing to the rise of communism in the East or among Hollywood elites, Republicans are attacking every liberal and progressive policy. Medicare for All, a policy that would ensure that every American has adequate healthcare, has been cast as a socialist overhaul of the American healthcare system. The Green New Deal, an expansive economic plan that tackles both inequality and climate change, has been painted as an attack on middle-class laborers.
In an effort to appeal to moderates who were susceptible to the right’s messaging, the Harris campaign shifted center. For example, in 2020, she supported a complete ban on fracking. In 2024, however, she no longer supported the ban. In 2017, Harris vowed to block funding for the border wall, yet as a presidential nominee, she promised to bring back a bipartisan bill that included funding for the wall. As a senator, she backed Medicare for All, but mentions of the policy were notably absent from her presidential campaign. Harris’s attempt to win moderate votes led to inconsistent back and forth on her policy stances. As a progressive myself, this was both frustrating and disheartening.
There is also a great irony in the Democrats’ shift to the center. Every time the Harris campaign acquiesced to the right’s fear-mongering, they gave credence to the claim that progressive policies are dangerous and communistic. True progressivism is bold and assertive. It does not bend to the demands of the status quo. Rather it challenges it vehemently and works toward a politic that centers the working class and the disenfranchised. If Democrats worked to educate Americans about the benefits of real progressive policies instead of shying away from them, then Harris might have had a fighting chance in swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Some might argue that if Democratic candidates boldly champion progressive policies, they will lose their chance of receiving a vote from moderate and right-leaning citizens. However, when Democrats try to appeal to everyone by watering down their ambitious policies, they in turn alienate their own base. Trying to reconcile such polarized viewpoints is futile, weakening the resolve of the party and compromising its vision. The failure of the Harris campaign showed us that conciliatory politics just don’t work.
Republicans waged their bets on fear and misinformation, and they won. Progressive policies have been strategically vilified in a PR campaign that values fear over facts. Now, as a result, we are facing a future of right-wing extremism. Republicans have made it clear that they want to increase the President’s power and authority over the federal government by bringing independent agencies under his direct jurisdiction and targeting his critics with legal and military power. And there is little in his way.
Even in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy, the fight for progressive values must continue. We must remember that pillars of our social and economic fabric like Social Security, Medicare and minimum wage laws were all progressive policies championed by ardent lawmakers who had a vision for a more equal United States. As a result, the quality of life for millions of Americans improved. Moving forward, democrats must courageously embrace these policies and trust that campaigning on the strong values of progressivism will pay off in the long run.
Kendall Ricks ’27 can be reached at kendall_ricks@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
