According to the Associated Press, on April 6, North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee announced that he is no longer member of the Democratic party. He has, instead, switched his affiliation to the Republican Party. This move is a direct result of the push for socialism from the Democrats.
Mayor Lee explained in an announcement on Fox and Friends, “In the Democratic Party of Nevada, they had an election recently for leadership, and four of the five people were card-carrying members of the socialistic (sic) party. It’s not the party that I grew up with 25 years ago in this environment, and it’s not the party that I can stand with anymore.”
Democrats openly veered toward socialism during the Trump Presidency. Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has expressed favoritism for socialism since the start of her political career, as has Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and other “Squad” members who have been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in the past few years.
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a growing organization comprised of about 92,000 members. Popular with college students and other young Americans, the group promotes typical progressive policies such as Medicare for All, the Green New Deal without offering clear strategies as to how to pay for these massive programs.
DSA, of course, does not address the catastrophic effects of socialism that have been felt by China, Cambodia, Cuba, East Germany, Ethiopia, North Korea, and Venezuela, where human-rights abuses were abused and millions of people were killed at the hands of authoritarian regimes. The people of Venezuela are still suffering.
Just last fall, in a leaked phone call, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) admitted that socialist policies would not win elections for Democrats. This is proving to be true even months later, under a new, far-left leaning administration that has actively aligned with the ideologies of socialism.
Mayor Lee is looking to the future, and has decided that where the Democrats are pushing this country isn’t where he wishes to go. This may be in part because he is being considered a potential candidate for the 2022 Nevada gubernatorial race. So far he has not indicated whether he wishes to run for the office, but admitted that members from both political parties have approached him on the subject.
Whether Lee runs for Nevada governor or not, his decision to step away from the Democrat Party over policy issues could inspire other moderate Democrats to abandon the party as well. The backlash against socialism is strong in this country, regardless of what the mainstream media declares or how many people are joining organizations such as DSA.
