In my media appearances and social media posts, I have been extremely outspoken in arguing that the mainstream Democratic Party must stand aggressively against the anti-American bigotry of the DSA and the far left. The response from my liberal friends has been largely positive, reinforcing my belief that a large but all too quiet majority of liberal Democrats share these concerns. I believe many are keeping quiet because they see the Trump administration as a greater threat to America and consider defeating it an overriding moral obligation. I understand their reasoning, but I strongly disagree with the conclusion. Having a clear moral voice about what we stand for and what we oppose is an essential strategic asset for the Democratic Party, now and in the future. Selective outrage undermines our credibility and strengthens the extremists we decline to confront. I believe this hierarchy of priorities helps explain Obama’s otherwise inexplicable support for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, as well as the relative silence of Schumer and Jeffries in the face of far left madness. They are trying to defeat what they see as the greater immediate threat, even if that means avoiding a direct confrontation with anti-Americanism and Islamist apologism within the Democratic coalition. The Democrats face an electorate in which too many young progressives have been drawn toward extremist views. That shift did not happen in a vacuum. Failures to teach civics and critical thinking, the lack of meaningful governance of social media, and the manipulation of information systems by hostile foreign actors and other bad-faith forces, the rise of oppressor/oppressed ideologies, and many other factors have created an environment in which extremism has spread and gained legitimacy. A significant faction of the Democratic electorate has become anti-American, anti-capitalist, and sympathetic to Islamist radicalism. A significant faction of the Republican electorate has become hostile to democracy and willing to excuse the Trump administration’s rampant corruption and lawlessness. Those of us who love our country must confront both, including when doing so means challenging people in our own party, including when we need to take short term political risks in the name of longer-term political gains and our principles. I firmly believe the sensible center can reassert itself, but that will require conviction, courage, and organization from people willing to defend our democratic values consistently. It will not happen on its own. Fighting for our civilizations, our societies, and our democracies must be the common work of everyone.