I have been a loyal Democrat since the mid-1950s when I worked for local Democratic candidates at Brooklyn. Since 1960 I have voted for every Democratic presidential candidate. The Democratic party I have supported for nearly 70 years, though, has now been hijacked by the hard-left.Though the vast majority of Democratic voters and elected officials remain centrist and moderate on most issues, its leaders have become too beholden to its woke, progressive, and radical wing, represented by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Senator Warren, Senator Sanders, and the protesters in front of the Democratic National Convention who President Biden said made “good points.”It was this extremist wing of the Democratic party that precluded Governor Shapiro from becoming the vice-presidential candidate. It was this wing that persuaded Vice President Harris to violate her constitutional duty of presiding over the Senate, finding an excuse to be absent from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech. It was this dangerous wing of the party that successfully demanded prime speaking spots at the convention for the Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, who has a history of support for the leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan.Other speakers included the Reverend Al Sharpton, who incited antisemitic pogroms at Brooklyn and Harlem; Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who attacked Israel as genocidal; and other elected officials who boycotted Mr. Netanyahu’s speech.Watching the Democratic National Convention repelled me, as an American, as a Jew, and as a traditional Democrat. To be sure, the DNC invited the parents of an Israeli hostage to give a talk about their now murdered son, but even their talks were carefully curated to avoid supporting Israel in general, for fear of a reaction from the many anti-Israel delegates and speakers.I am also convinced, despite hollow denials, that if Mr. Shapiro’s name were John Shepard, the governor of Pennsylvania would have been the logical candidate for Vice President. Ms. Harris was afraid to provoke her left wing by selecting a Jewish Zionist as her running mate, though.Nothing I heard in the recent debate changed my views, especially after vice presidential nominee, Governor Walz, said that the anti-Israel protesters — many of whom are calling for a Hamas victory — are speaking out “for all the right reasons.”This is not to say that I have no concerns about the Republican party. They featured Tucker Carlson, who has platformed antisemitic Holocaust deniers and has shown disdain for Israel. The GOP, too, has a dangerous isolationist wing that has too much influence over what has traditionally been a centrist conservative party.My decision to leave the Democratic Party is not a decision to join the Republican Party. Nor is it necessarily a decision to vote for Republican candidates, including its presidential candidate. I will make that decision based on the totality of circumstances and without regard to party affiliation. This decision has been a difficult one for me because my entire family and most of my acquaintances and colleagues are Democrats. I support much of the Democratic Party platform, regarding abortion, gay rights, reasonable gun control, climate concern and Supreme Court appointments. That is why I still plan to vote for centrist Democratic candidates. The face and the voice of the party itself has changed, though. They have moved it away from the center and toward the extreme left. I hope that someday soon I can return to my roots. For several years now I remained an active Democrat despite its leftward creep begun during President Obama’s second term. I had hoped that I and others of like mind could help move the party back to the center where most of its voters want it to be. I have now given up that hope, at least under the current leadership. Perhaps if other centrist Democrats follow my lead, the current leadership will decide to marginalize the hard left and move the party back to its traditional place on the political spectrum — as a centrist, liberal, pro-Israel home for all traditional Democrats, including Jewish and Zionist voters. Until then, I cannot remain associated with a party that does not reflect my principles and values.
