For Democrats, Pragmatists Are Still Trumping Progressives Where It Counts

For Democrats, Pragmatists Are Still Trumping Progressives Where It Counts Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Lennihan/AP; Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images; Mark Wilson/Getty Images; Alex Brandon/ AP Mark Lennihan/AP; Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images; Mark Wilson/Getty Images; Alex Brandon/ AP Despite all the Democrats' special election wins, high voter turnout in primaries and polls showing strong party enthusiasm heading into the midterms, the fact remains that Democrats are still stuck at their lowest level of power in nearly a century. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who unsuccessfully challenged Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to be minority leader in 2017, said the party is stuck in a feedback loop: "Democrats don't have the power," he said. Pelosi and her deputies say they want a "big tent" party that welcomes the far left and center-left, united by goals like universal health care and access to a free or affordable college education. "The ideas that he was talking about — Medicare for all, a $15 minimum wage, free tuition at public colleges and universities, radical criminal justice reform, immigration reform — many of these issues were considered fringe issues, and now they are mainstream issues that we take for granted that, of course, there are legions of Democratic candidates running on these platforms," said Sanders' 2016 campaign manager, Jeff Weaver.