Analysis: Why Democrats Fail Workers
Democrats serve the extractive class through corporate capture, consultant grift, and incremental reform that preserves extraction.
The Democrat Con
Democrats claim to be the party of workers and reform, but deliver corporate subsidies disguised as “public-private partnerships,” consultant contracts that extract billions while delivering nothing, regulatory capture where industry writes the rules, healthcare “reform” that subsidizes insurance company profits, and “affordable housing” programs that enrich developers.
The Consultant Grift
Democrats enable massive extraction through the consulting class. McKinsey, Deloitte, and Accenture get no-bid contracts worth millions. They deliver PowerPoint presentations while state employees are prevented from doing work. They create dependency through vendor lock-in on government IT. Party operatives rotate between government and consulting firms. Every “reform” requires hiring consultants who bill $300 per hour while paying workers $80 per hour.
A government employee could build the system in three months. Democrats pay consultants $5 million to deliver it in 18 months, poorly. Extraction is the point.
Regulatory Capture
Democrats claim to regulate but allow pharma executives to run the FDA approval process, finance sector to write financial regulations, tech monopolies to advise on antitrust policy, insurance companies to design healthcare policy, and real estate developers to shape housing regulations. The revolving door ensures regulators protect the industries they regulate.
The “Public-Private Partnership” Scam
The theory is private efficiency plus public accountability. The reality is private profit plus public risk. Examples include toll roads where private companies extract profit while public bears debt, charter schools where private interests extract from public funds, and Medicare Advantage where taxpayer subsidies flow to insurance companies. Workers pay, corporations profit, Democrats call it “innovative.”
Healthcare “Reform”
Obamacare forces workers to buy private insurance and subsidizes insurance companies. Insurance companies still deny coverage, raise premiums, and extract profits. Democrats oppose single-payer because insurance companies fund campaigns. The result is workers still go bankrupt from medical bills while Democrats claim victory.
“Affordable Housing” Credits
Democrats give tax credits to developers to include “affordable” units. Developers build luxury buildings with token affordable units. “Affordable” is defined as 80% of area median income, which is still unaffordable for most workers. Developers pocket tax credits while workers get gentrified out. Democrats could build public housing directly but won’t because developers donate to campaigns.
Infrastructure “Investment”
Democrats promise to rebuild infrastructure but deliver consultant studies, cost overruns, and contractor grift. A $2 billion high-speed rail project becomes $10 billion and never finishes. They could use public employees and union labor but won’t because contractors donate. Money flows to construction monopolies and engineering consultants.
Climate “Action”
Democrats provide subsidies for electric cars that benefit wealthy buyers who can afford Teslas, tax credits for solar that benefit homeowners but not renters, and approval for fossil fuel pipelines and drilling. They won’t break oil monopolies or build public transit. This is green capitalism: same extraction, different branding.
Education “Reform”
Charter schools drain public school funding. Standardized testing creates consulting markets. Student loan “forgiveness” programs have impossible requirements. Democrats won’t provide free public college because banks fund campaigns. They won’t cancel student debt because the financial sector opposes it.
The Pattern
Democrats promise reform but deliver extraction with progressive aesthetics. They say “we’ll make housing affordable” and subsidize developers. They say “we’ll fix healthcare” and subsidize insurance companies. They say “we’ll address climate” and subsidize electric car companies. They say “we’ll improve transit” and hire consultants who deliver nothing. They say “we’ll modernize government IT” and pay vendors ten times what it should cost.
Why Democrats Can’t Deliver Real Reform
Campaign finance prevents real reform. Real estate developers fund campaigns, so Democrats can’t build public housing. Insurance companies fund campaigns, so they can’t implement single-payer. Tech monopolies fund campaigns, so they can’t break up platforms. The finance sector funds campaigns, so they can’t regulate banks. Pharma companies fund campaigns, so they can’t negotiate drug prices. Consulting firms fund campaigns, so they can’t cut consultant contracts.
Democrats are structurally unable to attack extraction because extractors fund them.
Class Interests
Democratic leadership is wealthy. Pelosi’s husband profits from insider trading. The consultant class rotates between government and private sector. Party elite benefit from the current system. Progressive aesthetics allow them to feel good while serving capital.
Incremental Reform Preserves Extraction
Democrats offer adjustments that maintain fundamental relationships. They provide slightly higher minimum wages that are still poverty wages, marginally better healthcare subsidies while insurance companies still extract, tax credits for housing while developers still profit, and student loan payment pauses while debt still exists.
Never do they break monopolies, build public alternatives, prosecute fraud, ban the revolving door, or eliminate consultants.
Democrat Governance in Practice
Blue state examples reveal the pattern. California has a homelessness crisis while blocking public housing and maintaining high taxes with terrible services. New York’s subway is falling apart despite billions going to consultants, with the MTA captured by contractors. Washington State’s Seattle light rail is massively over budget, creating a consultant paradise. Massachusetts has healthcare costs crushing workers despite “universal” coverage.
High taxes on workers, corporate capture of spending, consultant extraction, failing services.
Federal Democrat Policy
Obamacare subsidizes insurance companies while workers still face bankruptcy from medical bills. Student loan “reform” provides means-tested forgiveness that helps almost no one. The infrastructure bill delivers mostly contractor giveaways and consultant studies. “Build Back Better” was negotiated down to nothing because donors opposed it. Democrats oppose Medicare for All, oppose wealth taxes, and oppose breaking up monopolies. They protect pharmaceutical profits, protect tech monopolies, and protect the financial sector.
Examples of Democrat Failure
“Affordable housing credits” go to private developers who build luxury buildings with token affordable units. “Transit studies” pay millions to consultants who produce decades of reports with nothing built. “Public-private partnerships” generate private profit with public risk. “Healthcare marketplace” creates subsidized private insurance extraction. California high-speed rail cost $10 billion with consultants enriched and nothing delivered. New York subway repairs cost $2 billion per mile, the most expensive in the world, revealing contractor grift. Any government IT project runs ten times over cost, years late, with vendor lock-in.
The Democrat Coalition Strategy
Democrats maintain power by using identity politics without economic redistribution, celebrating diversity while serving capital, means-testing everything to create administrative jobs that exclude workers, creating wonkish complexity that requires consultants to navigate, promoting incremental reform that always needs more work for the professional class, and claiming moral high ground while serving the same interests as Republicans.
This prevents class solidarity by making economic justice about credentials, process, and expertise rather than power and ownership.