Publius Pax: Silence is compliance, right?
Over the past decade or so, the Left has become fond of the idea that failure to speak out on a disfavored opinion or publicly flagellate oneself for the barely tangential actions of others is akin to an endorsement. Well, buckle up, Bucks County Democrats, because that very logic is about to land squarely on your doorstep. Your deafening silence on the socialist circus in New York City and Philly’s ongoing crime spree isn’t just an oversight; it’s a giant, flashing endorsement — according to your own rules.
New York City Democrats have just nominated an openly socialist mayor in 30-something-year-old Zohran Mamdani. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, isn’t shy. He’s making the media rounds, explicitly pushing policies that would fundamentally dismantle the very principles of free markets and individual liberty that have fueled American prosperity. Government-run grocery stores, nationalizing utility companies, freezing rents, and even defunding the New York Police Department. In his own words, the “end goal [is] seizing the means of production.” Karl Marx must be so proud.
These policies are not AI-generated fakes that can be fact-checked and dismissed, or mere differences in political opinion that can be waved away as part of the discourse. These aren’t just academic musings; they’re failed ideologies that have crippled economies and shattered cities and nations worldwide. Yet, they’ve been wholeheartedly embraced by the modern Democratic Party, with Mamdani receiving endorsements from the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders and the rest of Democratic establishment. This isn’t just a new direction; it’s the direction, rubber-stamped by the highest echelons of their party from D.C. to New York City.
As such, isn’t it fair to ask where our own representatives stand on their party’s new direction? If middle-of-the-road Republicans for years have been forced to comment on an unsavory social media post by a candidate for dog catcher in Laramie, Wyoming, or express their fealty to the LGBT or Black Lives Matter agenda, shouldn’t every Democrat go on the record about what’s taking place in America’s largest city just up Interstate 95?
It seems only fair and it shouldn’t be too hard to do. Elected officials in our community shouldn’t have a problem standing up to the extremism in their party, right? We know the media won’t push them on this, so it’s incumbent upon them to do so on their own for their constituents. Bucks County residents deserve to know if they should expect breadlines and “restorative justice” turning our streets into free-for-alls from their local Democratic leaders.
If they don’t speak out, the rules apply: Silence is compliance.
We know that bad ideas and failed policies don’t stay contained within the bluest cities in the country. The concepts and consequences leak out into our communities, whether we want them or not. Look no further than neighboring Philadelphia, where District Attorney Larry Krasner has been running a real-time experiment in progressive ideology. His disastrous, soft-on-crime policies are cut from the very same cloth as the “defund the police” movement and the Maoist mantras pushed by Mamdani and his ilk. For years, Krasner has practically been running a “get out of jail free” card factory, gutting prosecutions, emptying jails, and watching crime rates surge. His tenure has been a grim lesson in what happens when ideology trumps public safety.
Since the Covid pandemonium of 2020, Bucks County has seen a mass exodus from New York City. Thousands upon thousands have fled the urban decay, the spiraling costs, and yes, the exact progressive policies Mamdani champions. They came here seeking safety, sanity, and a sliver of fiscal responsibility. They came here for a better life for their families. How dare our local Democrats, then, remain silent on the very ideology that drove these people to our county in the first place? Will they protect the values that drew our new neighbors here, or will they roll out the welcome mat for the same chaos they ran from?
So, to every Bucks County Democrat — from the high-and-mighty county commissioners down to the smallest borough’s council members: Where do you stand? Are you going to nod along with the socialist fantasies brewing in New York? Are you only privately concerned with the lawless free-for-all Krasner’s unleashed next door? Or are you going to stand up for the hard-working families of Bucks County who simply want a safe, sensible place to live?
This isn’t a thought experiment for a college sociology class; this is the future knocking on our door. Your silence isn’t golden; it’s complicity. And trust us, Bucks County is watching. Closely.
Publius Pax is a tenth-generation Bucks Countian, political consultant and author.
