Yes, Sarah McBride Is A Delaware Way Candidate. And That’s OK

GUEST POST BY JASON SCOTT

It isn’t controversial to state that the “Delaware Way” prioritizes corporate constituents over human ones. We often define the Delaware Way as deference to established political relationships and the agreements—both spoken and unspoken—among politicians to uphold these rules in order to advance within the hierarchy. While this structure underpins the Delaware Way, the more insidious aspect, rarely discussed, is the central virtue  –  tending to corporate interests with the belief that corporate interests may eventually benefit some human constituents.

If your political mentors are figures like Chris Coons, Tom Carper, and Jack Markell, it’s likely you have adopted this corporate-centric set of virtues to some extent. Even if you are inclined towards social justice, within the Delaware Way, justice is often seen as peripheral to the primary focus on corporate welfare.

This isn’t to say that I dislike Sarah McBride as a candidate. On a spectrum from 1 to 5, where 1 signifies the least alignment with the Delaware Way and 5 the most, you could count the “1’s” on three fingers of your left hand. A distasteful group of “5’s” would dominate, alongside a large contingent of “4’s.” I’d place McBride in the group of 4’s.

McBride’s strategic decision to run for representative, demonstrates political acumen, as well as acceptance by her fellow 4’s and 5’s.  So, we mustn’t delude ourselves into thinking we’re electing a progressive champion. None of us would label Lisa Blunt Rochester as progressive, would we? While her progressivism on certain issues stems from her racial background, it does not encapsulate her entire political stance. Similarly, Sarah McBride’s progressivism on specific issues arises from her circumstances. I’m not opposed to voting for candidates who demonstrate progressivism on one key issue but are otherwise corporate Democrats. Sometimes, that single issue is all we have.

Nevertheless, let’s cast our votes for her while acknowledging the disease afflicting our system: late-stage capitalism and its centrist Democrats who perpetuate it.

All this to say I am happily voting for Sarah McBride, but I am preemptively disillusioned with her. I won’t wait for her inevitable corporate centrism to surface on the House floor. I’ll go ahead and voice my concerns now, if that’s alright with you.