Democrats' Munich Meltdown Exposes Left's Intellectual Void

Commentary: The American left has taken over the Democratic Party but lacks true intellectual underpinnings.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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In this opinion piece, David Marcus argues that the American left, which has taken over the Democratic Party, has no true intellectual foundation. He points to comments made by prominent left-wing figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at the recent Munich Security Conference as evidence of the left's lack of substantive policy ideas and intellectual rigor. Marcus contrasts this with the American right, which he says has a core of intellectuals that can be drawn upon in policy debates.

Why it matters

This commentary highlights the perceived intellectual divide between the left and right in American politics. It suggests that the Democratic Party's leftward shift has come at the expense of serious policy thinking, potentially putting the party at a disadvantage as it seeks to govern. The piece also touches on broader debates around the role of identity politics and cultural Marxism on the left.

The details

Marcus argues that the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and the rise of critical race theory and identity politics on the left have contributed to the dearth of popular far-left, socialist intellectuals. He claims that challenging the "shibboleths of race and identity" is now seen as too dangerous, leading to a situation where left-wing politicians like Ocasio-Cortez and Whitmer are able to espouse "nonsense" without facing substantive criticism.

  • The Munich Security Conference took place in February 2026.

The players

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

A Democratic Congresswoman and prominent figure in the party's left wing.

Gretchen Whitmer

The Democratic Governor of Michigan.

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What they’re saying

“What we are seeking is a return to a rules-based order that eliminates the hypocrisies around when too often in the West we look the other way for inconvenient populations, to act out these paradoxes.”

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Munich Security Conference)

“Ukraine's independence, keeping their land mass, I mean, um, the support of all the allies, I think is the goal, from my vantage point.”

— Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan (Munich Security Conference)

The takeaway

This commentary suggests that the American left, as represented by the Democratic Party, lacks a strong intellectual foundation to support its policy positions, in contrast with the American right which Marcus says has a core of intellectuals to draw from. It raises concerns about the ability of left-wing politicians to govern effectively if they are not grounded in substantive policy ideas.