When people say that Democrats should unify, the part they leave out is most important: Around what? Nearly everyone in Washington seems to assume that progressives should shut up, accept their place, and unify around the status quo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Think about what an arrogant and preposterous request that is. Progressive leaders, including our representatives in Congress, should abandon all of our policy positions and sell out our voters to please the Democratic establishment. Saying \u201chell no\u201d to that would be an enormous understatement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Democratic leaders don\u2019t want to fight Donald Trump, that\u2019s their problem, not ours. We signed up to rout him and send him home. If you\u2019re not on board with that, get out of the way and let us do it. Democratic voters were clear in 2018 that they want Mr. Trump impeached. Yet again last week Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies blocked an opportunity by tabling Rep. Al Green\u2019s resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike Mr. Green, I don\u2019t think we need to discuss President Trump\u2019s political or racial ideology to favor impeachment. The president has clearly committed two crimes. Robert Mueller\u2019s report outlines double-digit instances of obstruction of justice. That\u2019s a felony. Michael Cohen confirmed that Mr. Trump worked with him to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels in violation of campaign-finance laws\u2014a crime for which Mr. Cohen is in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s apparently still not enough for Mrs. Pelosi. There is not a single public official doing more to protect Mr. Trump than she is. Even Attorney General William Barr couldn\u2019t stop an impeachment inquiry if he tried. The only person who has the power to seek justice against Mr. Trump steadfastly refuses to pursue him. The only thing Mrs. Pelosi appears to be resisting is holding Mr. Trump accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democratic powder to fight Republicans is forever dry. Detention centers without any constraints? Check. Defeating an amendment to prohibit the Pentagon from housing kids at the military facilities? Check. Continuing to let Mr. Trump run roughshod through a House the Democrats control is an abdication of responsibility. Democrats have been surrendering to the GOP for as long as I have been alive. That is part of the reason we formed the Justice Democrats\u2014because we\u2019re sick of the nonstop capitulation. It\u2019s time for strong Democrats. Justice is coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Mrs. Pelosi makes the absurd point that we don\u2019t want to waste our time fighting or impeaching Trump because that would take time away from policy. What policy? She calls the Green New Deal, the \u201cgreen dream or whatever.\u201d She says she has 30-year-old \u201csigns about single payer\u201d in her basement but insists we aren\u2019t ready for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Progressives have been asking for a vote on the minimum wage for six months. Mrs. Pelosi said she\u2019d hold one within the first 100 hours. When she didn\u2019t, the rationale was that some conservative Democrats objected. So what? Let them vote no and it\u2019ll pass easily anyway. We were right. After enormous pressure by progressives, finally the House voted Thursday. Only six Democrats opposed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Mrs. Pelosi allowed six corporate Democrats to hold up that legislation for six months\u2014but God forbid a progressive Democrat ever objects to leadership. Then we\u2019ll have a national controversy over how insolent young progressive women are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The overwhelming majority of Democratic voters want to fight Mr. Trump and pass progressive priorities. If the Democrats unify around anything, it should be around their voters, who clearly prefer the positions of Justice Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. If the pundits really believe in unity\u2014as opposed to submission to the establishment\u2014they will support the logical conclusion that the Democratic Party should unify around AOC, not Mrs. Pelosi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Uygur is creator and a co-host of \u201cThe Young Turks\u201d and a co-founder of the Justice Democrats.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n