"The problem is you" - Shark Tank's Mark Cuban comments on Democrat vs. Republican ideologies

Former Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban has never shied away from expressing his opinions about the political parties of the United States, and this time, he compared the ideologies of both.

Talking to New York Magazine, he offered an assessment of what he feels is the driving force behind each, the Democrats and the Republicans. He discusses the very framework by which the party appeals to its voters.

According to him, the Democrats have a desire for ideological purity, which often costs them the broad connection to their audience, and is required to win national elections. As for him, Mark says that he is an Independent. He said,

"Democrats, I think, are understanding that they have to get away from ideological purity, that they have to be pragmatic, have to be objective, and have to put themselves in the shoes of the 150 million potential voters not in the Democratic Party. That’s always been their missing link. That’s why I like being an Independent."

The critique that he delivered is not a rebuke of the policies that Democrats have made, but of the strategic rigidity that is seen from their side. He did not say that the party stands for wrong things, however, they sometimes insist on a kind of moral alignment which might exclude people who share a common sentiment.

He says,

"Democrats, in my experience, want to project forward — they want to extrapolate. 'This is what I’m seeing, and the obvious next thing that happens is this. If you don’t see that and understand that, the problem is you.'"

As for the Republican party, Mark says they operate from a view that provides an immediate understanding of their electorate. Drawing a comparison, the Shark Tank investor expressed,

"Republicans, on the other hand, say, 'This is what’s happening to me right now, and I know that there are other people who are feeling this, and we are going to aggregate those people by telling them they are not the problem. Everybody else is the problem."

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban on why Democrats often lose the middle

Mark's comments are about a fundamental difference that each party uses for their political messaging. He says that the Democrats are far-sighted and like to project forward and point out the systemic issues as well as their long-term consequences.

On the contrary, the Republicans focus on the now. They talk about present-day emotions and lived experiences.

Shark Tank's Mark Cuban says that his outlook on both these parties is shaped by his being an Independent and a businessman too. He looks at the electoral politics as a market with consumers who must be understood and not lectured.

His view is not about dropping the core values of a political party, but finding common experiences that connect them to the world.

He says that this is a missed opportunity for Democrats who have failed to frame their idea in a way that resonates with those who feel culturally or economically alienated, even though they might benefit from the policies made by the party.

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Shark Tank season 16 episodes are available to stream online via Hulu.

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