Democrat, leftist, liberal, and neoliberal. These are a few of the many words used to describe the left wing groups of America. But what do they all mean? Why are they so separated?

Since the 2024 election, the Democratic Party has gone in an interesting direction. The policies Democrats value are often relating to climate change, education, and several economic issues. However, Democrats, often in line with and called liberals or neoliberals, perhaps have been disconnecting with others on the left. 

“Liberalism’s focus on democracy makes it intrinsically pluralistic,” said Nate Silver of Silver Bulletin. This means that in his opinion liberals focus on generally agreeable policies. This is not necessarily what leftists are looking for. 

“The neoliberals and leftists work really well together on climate change and things like that. When you get into social policies, that’s where you really see the split in the democratic party,” South history teacher Jacob Clark explained. The more centrist party is uncomfortable with some of the policies that the left wing wants to engage in”. So does the issue of the party lie entirely in policies?

“In a global sense, I think most left wing ideologies share reasonably similar goals with mostly differences in how they want to achieve it,” senior Alan Vu said. 

Boshemia Magazine describes leftism goals as “rewriting” the status quo, while liberalism goals are described as “altering” it. The ideologies of these groups usually clash through the internet, but the divide can often affect voter turnout. 

The Democratic National Convention (DNC), a group that organizes presidential candidates for the party, has indicated support of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s candidacy, according to Politico. Left-wing voters are divided on their opinions of Newsom, who has pitched concepts more in line with liberal ideals rather than leftist ideals. 

In the 2024 election, Jill Stein ran as the Green Party candidate, which she has done for more localized elections since 2023. She collected 0.4 percent of votes. Such a small percentage may seem unimportant, but the online support of her party has been vocal. 

“To this day, try getting a third-party candidate into a debate and, well, it’s practically impossible,” said NPR journalist Guy Raz in an interview with several Green Party candidates. Though Stein has ideals that align with leftists, she has faced criticism for her lack of action outside of election years. The European Greens, a collection of people in the party across the continent, asked her to step down in 2024 to endorse Kamala Harris. 

“We are clear that Kamala Harris is the only candidate who can block Donald Trump and his anti-democratic, authoritarian policies from the White House,” the organization stated.

There are many arguments that have been made for each side within the Democratic Party. Some leftists have argued that liberals are too centrist. Some liberals have argued that leftists are too disorganized. There are many different perspectives that lead to taking either, or neither side in the left-wing debates.

“I feel like the more separated we get, the farther we go back from the progress already made,” senior Reina Rivera said. “It’s concerning.”

Despite the details of each disagreement between these sides of the party, it is clear that open-mindedness and open discussion will have to take place to assure a united party.

Article by Story Frazier-Maskiell