Scenes from the Democratic Panic Room

And now it is Tom Friedman’s turn to panic about the Democrats’ sharp turn to the left. Savor some yummy samples from his column yesterday:

I’m struck at how many people have come up to me recently and said, “Trump’s going to get re-elected, isn’t he?” And in each case, when I drilled down to ask why, I bumped into the Democratic presidential debates in June. I think a lot of Americans were shocked by some of the things they heard there. I was.

I was shocked that so many candidates in the party whose nominee I was planning to support want to get rid of the private health insurance covering some 250 million Americans and have “Medicare for all” instead. . .

I was shocked that so many were ready to decriminalize illegal entry into our country. I think people should have to ring the doorbell before they enter my house or my country.

I was shocked at all those hands raised in support of providing comprehensive health coverage to undocumented immigrants. I think promises we’ve made to our fellow Americans should take priority, like to veterans in need of better health care.

So far so good, but the real comedy comes later in the column when Friedman recommends what policy ideas Democrats should be for:

I’m disturbed that so few of the Democratic candidates don’t also talk about growing the pie, let alone celebrating American entrepreneurs and risk-takers. Where do they think jobs come from?

Friedman hasn’t been paying attention. Didn’t he listen when President Obama said “You didn’t build that”? (Ditto Elizabeth Warren.) Liberals no longer believe in entrepreneurship and “growing the economy” (in Bill Clinton’s clunky phrase). It’s the Bernie-Lizzie Party now: the system is rigged! Only redistribution and punitive taxation on the prosperous will satisfy the sanctified envy and blood lust of the ascendent left. The Democratic Party is back to loving workers but hating employers. A winning formula I’m sure.

I’m adding Friedman to Paul Krugman on my Election Night 2020 Suicide Watch list.

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