WaPo columnist suggests progressives are 'losing ground,' says party's political strategy is 'outdated'

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Color Us United spokesperson Christian Watson joined 'Fox & Friends Weekend' to discuss the progressive push to cancel student loan debt.

A Washington Post columnist warned that progressives were "losing ground" within the Democratic Party on Thursday but also said that President Biden's struggles validated that the political strategy of the party was "outdated."

Columnist Perry Bacon Jr. argued that after the 2020 election, progressives seemed to have some footing within the Democratic Party as even more moderate Democrats were embracing efforts to "address disparities and discrimination." 

However, as things started to go South for the administration and inflation and gas prices skyrocketed, many placed blame on the left-wing of the party, Bacon Jr. wrote. He said that the left was blamed for urging policies that contributed to inflation, for electoral losses, such as Terry McAuliffe's loss in Virginia, and for pushing for their preferred policies in the Build Back Better Bill.

"On domestic policy, the Build Back Better Act (BBB) stalled, with centrist Democrats such as Rep. Stephanie Murphy (Fla.) arguing the party’s left pushed too hard to get their preferred policies into the legislation," he said, adding that centrist Democrats were quick to blame progressives for their electoral losses. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks during a rally for immigration provisions to be included in the Build Back Better Act outside the U.S. Capitol, Dec. 7, 2021 in Washington. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

POLITICO REPORTS PROGRESSIVES WITHIN BIDEN ADMIN ARE FRUSTRATED BY THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGING ON INFLATION

He said the arguments against progressive politics were either "oversimplifications" or "outright wrong." He said that while the left's policies contributed to inflation, "supply-chain disruptions" were also a major factor. 

"It is ludicrous to blame the party’s left wing for the loss in Virginia when the moderate Biden-aligned Terry McAuliffe was the candidate," he wrote, adding that there was plenty going on in the world that were "validating" the progressives' arguments. 

"But despite all that, the centrist arguments gained traction. That’s partly because the mainstream media, the wealthy and Biden himself are skeptical of progressives and inclined to take the side of centrist Democrats in intra-party fights," Bacon Jr. contended. 

President Biden and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Getty Images)

He added that the "anti-left arguments" coming from Biden and others were causing electoral losses for progressives. 

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"They face a troubling future — a Biden-led Democratic Party that is likely to lose in November and then argue that the defeat is a further repudiation of left-wing ideas," the Washington Post columnist wrote. 

However, he argued that all was not lost for the left-wing of the party. 

"The left’s arguments that the party’s political strategy is outdated have been validated by Biden’s struggles," he said.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks as she joins abortion-rights activists as they demonstrate following Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022.  ((AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin))

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The progressive wing of the Democratic Party has recently called on the president to cancel student loan debt via executive action. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other members of the left's "squad" were seen protesting outside the Supreme Court in recent days in the aftermath of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization case, which overturned Roe v. Wade. 

Sixteen members of congress were arrested during the abortion protests on Tuesday.