Does the 'centrist' Forward party really offer Americans anything new?
Co-chaired by former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang and Republican-in-name-only (RINO) former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman, the Forward Party professes to be the new party for moderate voters. “Not Left. Nor Right. Forward,” their motto promises. But if we’re expected to believe this will be the party that unifies America, it’s worth looking into who is behind it, what their political motivations are, and what “forward” really means. Forward into…what, exactly?
Andrew Yang ran his entire 2020 presidential campaign on universal basic income. His other far-left talking points were about restricting access to firearms, a Green New Deal-esque climate agenda, and “making taxes fun.” He’s as far to the left as they come, which apparently failed him in 2020. In 2021 he suddenly decided the Democratic Party wasn’t for him, and now – despite seemingly holding the same views – he’s a revived moderate, forming a new party. Sorry Yang, but if you look like a leftist, talk like a leftist, and ran as a Democrat with a left-wing policy in the last election, it’s kind of hard to make the jump that you formed an entirely new centrist view and party in one year.
Christine Todd Whitman, Yang’s co-chair, and former Governor of New Jersey is a known RINO with such a serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that she endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. Ousted by her own party, it makes sense that she’d be giddy for a third option, rather than suffer the fate of Liz Cheney.
I feel a joke coming on. Something like, a Democrat and a RINO walk into a bar…
But back to the issues. What does the Forward Party aim to address? What’s their platform other than NOT being left or right, and hating Trump? Well, it’s hard to say. Checking their website will offer you a short list of three very vague, but admittedly feel-good talking points:
- Free People: Revitalize a culture that celebrates difference and individual choice, rejects hate, and removes barriers so that each of us can rise to our full potential.
- Thriving Communities: Reinvigorate a fair, flourishing economy and open society where everyone can live a good life and is safe in the places where we learn, work, and live.
- Vibrant Democracy: Reform our republic to give Americans more choices in elections, more confidence in a government that works, and more say in our future.
Quite the interesting platform. It sounds warm and fuzzy, but nothing tangible is really being said here. And without any endorsed candidates, we have to assume the Forward Party leaders continue to represent their own views. Of course, maybe Andrew Yang has changed in the last year and no longer wants to take your firearms and implement socialism. I hope anyone considering him for any office he may run for in the future will ask him about these issues and not take “thriving communities!” as an intelligent answer. As for Whitman, she seems to spend the majority of her time on Twitter attacking Republicans and bemoaning Donald J. Trump. Is that supposed to be the alternative the “Forward” Party offers Americans?
Americans surely aren’t interested in joining allegiance with a new “team” of sorts. We’ve been through this before, and it turns out allegiances to political parties do not serve our interests. Many Democrats feel betrayed by Joe Biden and many Republicans feel betrayed by the likes of Whitman, Cheney, McConnell, Romney, Collins, Graham, and the list goes on – thus, the acronym RINO. Why would we join up with yet another party, especially one whose founders express the exact same views that happen to be the talking points of one existing major party – the one in control right now?
If Whitman and Yang cared about America they’d be working to fix their own parties instead of using subversion tactics to gain votes from both sides, which will only come from people who are dissatisfied but don’t want to take the time to research. But they know this, and they know Americans don’t need another political party. What we need is for the leaders we elect to be held accountable, and to be transparent about their intentions. Sadly, that is lacking.
The outcome of elections is supposed to be a result of the character and views of those who are elected, their loyalty to their constituents, and in turn, their constituents’ loyalty to them. It is not about parties. You can form all the new political parties in the world and all that matters are the candidates and the end result.
The Forward Party does get one thing right. The American voter needs a change. And that change won’t come from a political party, but from serious introspection and a renewed, collective sense of responsibility as citizens to take the time to research the issues, and actually look into who we are voting for. Even if you hate politics, every American citizen has a right and a duty to vote with sound knowledge, and that knowledge isn’t gleaned from feel-good language and empty promises.
The way forward is simply to vote wisely next time.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
