What’s in a Name?

By Tina Tyler

​The Democratic Party has long considered itself a ‘big tent’ party with a wide range of ideological viewpoints, ranging from progressive to center-right positions. But the labels for the different viewpoints also act as triggers for some people, causing them to react negatively, often without understanding what those terms represent. What is your reaction when someone says they are liberal? Or progressive? Or socialist? What if they say they are a ‘social democrat’? 

Socialism/Social Democracy/Democratic Socialism

Eugene V. Debs

​It may surprise you that Clallam County has a history of supporting Socialist candidates. In the 1912 election, Eugene V. Debs ran for President as a Socialist Party candidate. ​​Clallam County delivered the highest percentage of votes in Washington State for Debs at 24.1% of the 2,536 votes cast. He garnered 6% of the national vote. He founded the American Railway Union and championed the rights of workers. While opponents often label socialists as ‘communists’ or ‘antifa,’ or equate the Socialist Party to governments with dictators, a socialist believes society, often through the government, should collectively own or control major resources (like Medicare for all, education, infrastructure) to help meet basic needs and create a fairer, more cooperative, system than pure capitalism. 

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Bernie Sanders

Both Zohram Mandami and Bernie Sanders are examples of  democratic socialists. Again, Clallam County has a history of  supporting  socialist candidates. In the 2016 primary, Bernie Sanders received 49.67% of Clallam County’s vote. In the packed 2020 primary, he garnered 29.97% of the county’s vote, second only to Joe Biden. While social democracy works within capitalism to create robust welfare states (healthcare, education) through regulation, democratic socialism seeks to replace capitalism with a socialist system using democratic means, often involving worker control and socializing industries. Some sources list countries as “democratic socialist,” but most are more accurately described by political scientists as social democracies. These include all the Scandinavian countries, as well as Germany, Canada, Iceland, and France, to name a few. This short, four-minute video does a concise job of breaking down the details of these two ideologies.

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Liberals/Progressives

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Clallam County has long been known as a bellwether county, having voted for the person who then became President 11 times since 1980. (This was not true in the 2024 election when the county went with Biden for President.) The county’s unique geography splits into a more liberal east end and conservative west end. So, what is the difference between progressives and liberals? Progressives advocate for greater equality (economic, racial, social), often challenging existing power structures, whereas liberals (in the modern U.S. context) think government should be active in social and political change. Think of progressives as wanting to rebuild institutions for fairness, while liberals often focus on improving them. In today’s context, these two ideologies often overlap. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is known as a progressive Democratic Socialist, championing democratic socialist principles through progressive policies. Opponents often equate these outlooks as a form of communism which is why the term ‘pinko-liberal’ or ‘communist’ has been used negatively against self-proclaimed liberals, progressives, Socialists, and Democratic Socialists.

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Centrists/Moderates

Although the national news predominately focuses on the extremes in both parties, a majority of Americans actually fall near the middle, especially in local elections. These tend to be the people that examine both party positions, seeking the best of both ideologies.

Centrists believe in true middle-ground political thought and are less about finding compromises between Democratic or Republican policies and more about actively vouching for policies that include elements from both ideologies.

A moderate is someone whose political views fall between the left and right of the political spectrum. Moderates often seek middle-ground solutions between progressive and conservative policies.

Local Impacts

Elected officials are faced with navigating these different positions and focusing on shared, practical goals rather than emphasizing any ideological labels.  Randy Johnson, 3rd term Clallam County Commissioner, ran in 2016 with ‘no party affiliation’ and as a registered Independent in March 2024. Johnson decided to run in March 2024, saying “there are priorities that remain unfinished in this county, and I intend to continue advocating for things that matter to all of us. These issues include affordable, adequate and accessible housing, the need for more accessible, affordable child care, veterans’ needs, conservation of farmland and a new safe Emergency Operations Center to be ready for our next crisis, whether an earthquake, severe weather or another pandemic.” (Source: Leach, Leah. “Clallam County Commissioner announces bid for 3rd term” March 2, 2024. Peninsula Daily News.)

LaTrisha Suggs

Another example is Port Angeles City Council member LaTrisha Suggs who holds a non-partisan position. But, due to the current Trump administration’s actions, her personal leaning has shifted from a conservative moderate (Pre-Trump) to liberal (post-Trump). She says, “As a city council member, it is vital to be pragmatic and locally focused, even with the range of views within the democratic party tent; however, this is not adequate for our community, we cannot stay off the national stage, because what is happening at the national level (Trump administration) is devastating our local community with lost jobs (Olympic National Park, U.S. Forest Service) and local organizations/governments (non-profits, county/City government, Tribes, the Economic Development Administration and the Community Financial Development Institution) that have had grants cancelled.” Suggs went on to say, in her view, “the current Trump Administration has encouraged movement of local democrats toward Progressive/Democratic Socialism, calling for more changes to the economic system to redistribute wealth, improve workplaces, offer free college, and legislate for universal healthcare (public ownership).” 

Suggs is a strong advocate for universal healthcare and a free college education.

“We benefit when a population is educated and healthy, creating a stronger economy as folks are able to consider opportunities that were unattainable due to cost. This creates potentially more people wanting to explore careers as scientists, physicists, doctors, biologists, researchers, writers, teachers, explorers, and nurses. This is much harder to do if our neighbors and friends are sick and not able to afford college, creating less opportunities in a person’s life and never knowing a person’s true potential.” 

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Regardless of which label you identify with, it is important to understand the goals of each ideology and find the common ground that will unite people. While the goals may align between ideologies, it is the method of achieving these goals where disagreements occur. America is in a time of extremes. Regardless of what ideology you embrace, few can expect to get everything their way and win. Which ‘label’ do you fall under? How will that help you make future choices in elections? The Democratic Party will survive if all these ideological elements can find common ground and common goals. No one group can afford to adopt a ‘my-way-only’ path, especially if we want to stop the current attack on our democracy. Together, we can go forward if we are willing to unite and collaborate beyond our ideological boundaries.

Eugene V. Debs. photo via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Bernie Sander's official photo via sanders.senate.gov
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez photo via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Photo provided by Port Angeles City Council member LaTrisha Suggs.