OPINION: Dem debates show drift to far left

Last week, Nevadans tuned in to two nights of the Democrat debate spectacle and saw just how out of touch today’s Democratic Party has become. As the 20 candidates duked it out in hopes of standing out from the crowd and landing a zinger, their embrace of the radical left took center stage.

The 20-plus Democrat contenders have all endorsed an agenda too extreme and reckless for Nevada. On issues of health care, climate change, immigration, late-term abortion, the economy and more, today’s Democratic Party has gone completely off the rails — choosing big government over individuals and families.

Many of these Democrats have embraced “Medicare for All,” which would limit health care decisions for Nevadans. The government-run program — a litmus test for 2020 contenders to prove how “progressive” they are — would encroach on personal choices in health care.

A government takeover of health care would mean higher taxes, longer wait times and low-quality care while stripping nearly 2 million Nevadans off their private health insurance. Only delusional Democrats believe the federal government should have more influence over individual health care decisions than the individuals themselves.

Remember President Barack Obama’s line, “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor”? It was not true then and it really won’t be true for Nevada if Democrats take over the executive branch.

In addition to low-quality care and limited choices, the Democrat health care plan comes at a huge cost of more than $32 trillion. Yes, that’s trillion with a “T.” Nevadans certainly can’t afford that price tag.

One of the other horrible policies championed by Democrats in the debates is the radical climate plan known as the Green New Deal. This plan, sponsored by socialist darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., would give government control of nearly every aspect of our lives. The Green New Deal would eliminate much of Nevada’s energy industry and add costly regulations that would cause energy prices to skyrocket.

Not to mention the Green New Deal would cost American taxpayers more than $93 trillion, or more than $600,000 per household. This plan would wreak havoc on our economy and increase taxes for families everywhere.

But 2020 Democrats are not satisfied simply proposing ridiculous policies. They are determined to attack President Donald Trump’s approach to health care and his roaring economy, promising to reverse the unprecedented progress we’ve made under the Trump administration.

Nationally, the unemployment rate is at its lowest point in 50 years. Here in Nevada, the unemployment rate has decreased from 5.3 percent to 4.0 percent under President Trump. Wages are finally growing —— we’ve seen the 10th straight month of wage growth of at least 3 percent. And since President Trump took office, he’s helped create more than 6 million jobs, including more than 102,000 in Nevada. Yet 2020 Democrats want to undo this historic success by repealing President Trump’s tax cuts and implementing new policies that would dramatically raise taxes and hinder growth.

This week’s Democrat debates made it clear that the days of your grandfather’s Democratic Party are long gone. Their values no longer align with those of Nevadans. Instead, the 2020 candidates vying to be president have endorsed a socialist agenda that would be disastrous for Nevada and our nation.

As 2020 Democrat candidates trip over themselves in their lurch to the left, they are leaving Nevadans in the rearview mirror.

Michael J. McDonald is chairman of the Nevada Republican Party and was an advisor to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.