The Democratic Party has been struggling to unite since their shellacking in the last national election. It’s no surprise then that Dem party leaders are also confused and splintered on how to combat President Donald Trump and Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ignited ire for his vote to advance Republicans’ spending bill to avert a government shutdown. In ordinary times, Schumer’s typical establishment response – reserved cooperation specific to a spending bill — wouldn’t have generated massive protests among grassroots Dems or other Democratic elected officials. But considering the utter chaos caused by Trump and his DOGE, the mass firings, threats to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid – a majority of Dems progressive or moderate, expected a fiercer fight from Schumer.
Only eight senators voted with Schumer and Republicans – including Hawaii’s Brian Schatz – to pass the continuing resolution (CR), which will extend government funding until September 30.
At the House, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries steered Dems to vote against the spending bill, he hasn’t spoken out critically against his counterpart in the Senate. On a fairly dry response to the CR, Jeffries said, “The House Republican spending bill is an attack on everyday Americans. It will cut healthcare, cut veterans benefits and cut nutritional assistance to children and families. It is unacceptable. And that is why there was a strong showing of opposition amongst House Democrats. We stand ready, willing and able to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people in terms of their economic well-being, health and safety.”
It is Jeffries first time as House leader under a Republican-led trifecta. There’s been reports that Nancy Pelosi – who served as speaker during President George W. Bush and the first administration of Trump – advised Jeffries “to use your power” and sharpen Democrats’ strategy.
Schumer is the veteran legislator here but hasn’t provided a needed vision for a Democratic party in crisis. Jeffries must step up or step aside. The same could be said for Schumer who is facing intense pressure – and deservedly — to step down as Minority Leader.
Democrats are angry and want more from their Democrat leaders
Grassroots Democrats in town halls across the nation say it’s not just about challenging the limits of Trump’s power or the passage of the CR. It’s also not whether Schumer and Jeffries can align their political strategy. But rather, that the Democratic Party needs to be bolder in their advocacy of working Americans, which is why some traditional Dem factions left the party to vote for Trump in the first place, erroneously believing that he would lower inflation. To just offer opposition to Trump without offering a new commitment to issues that matter to working people will not bring back Democrats who left the party or chose not to vote in the last election.
A CNN poll taken March 6-9, days before 10 Democratic senators voted with Republicans suggests discontent does in fact go deeper than the CR vote. 52% of Democratic-aligned adults say that the leadership of the Democratic Party is currently taking the party in the wrong direction. Among the American public overall, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating stands at just 29% – a record low in CNN’s polling dating back to 1992.
Make no mistake, Americans are angry, concerned, even scared about their ability to survive. Americans are already being stretched to their limits financially. And the situation could worsen as critical programs potentially face cuts or be privatized in the near to distant future if Democrats do not get their act together as soon as the next midterm election.
Who do Democrats think reflect the core values of the Party?
In another CNN poll, Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were asked to name one person when “thinking about Democratic leaders today” who “best reflects the core values of the Democratic Party.” The results: 10% pointed to U.S. Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), 9% said former Vice President Kamala Harris, 8% said Sen. Bernie Sanders, and 6% said Jeffries. The others were 4% to former President Barack Obama and Rep Jasmine Crockett, and 2% to Schumer, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pelosi, and Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
Interestingly, none of the vice presidentiables from the last election – mostly all establishment Democrats like Govs Tim Walz, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker – who were touted by big media then as the future of the Democratic Party were mentioned in this “open-ended” question.
Bernie Sanders and AOC Fighting Oligarchy Tour
One poll is only a snapshot in time, but could there be sustained momentum building among 2 of the top 3 in that CNN poll – AOC and Bernie Sanders? The two recently teamed up to do a Fighting Oligarchy Tour at several battleground districts: Las Vegas, Nevada, Tempe and Tucson, Arizona, Denver and Greeley, Colorado. Turnout at these rallies were in the tens of thousands (34,000 in Denver) and they received copious national press coverage.
The tour was not self-campaigning for their political future, but rather to bring attention to the dangers of oligarchy in which a handful of billionaires have extreme outsized influence in controlling government. It was also about messaging of popular progressive causes like Medicare for All, livable wages and affordable housing — issues that were either ignored or subordinated in the last failed election. “This isn’t just about Republicans,” AOC said. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too. But what that means is that we as a community must choose and vote for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class,” she said at the Las Vegas rally.
AOC said Americans need to elect brawlers to fight for working people because these are the politicians who can defeat Trump. She is right. It bodes well for all Democratic leaders to listen more to what their base wants – a pro-working class agenda, and less to what their big donors demand if the party hopes to win.
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