While the Democrats face the reality of President Trump’s second term, they share a fundamental belief: this moment calls an inspiring message from their party.
They just can’t decide what exactly it should be.
In private meetings And during public events, elected democrats seem without leader, without rudder and divided. They do not agree on the frequency and the way in which the Stridence oppose Mr. Trump. They have no shared understanding of the reason they have lost the elections, no matter how they can win in the future.
And in a first step towards the elevation of new leaders, An election this weekend For the president of the National Democratic Committee, the party has chosen a candidate, Ken Martin of Minnesota, who said he was planning to carry out a post-electoral examination largely focused on tactics and messages. Mr. Martin said that he had not determined the parameters of the exam, except that he was not interested in discussing if the former president Joseph R. Biden Jr. should have asked for a re -election.
More than 50 interviews with Democratic leaders have revealed a party that has trouble defining what it represents, what priority problems and how to face a Trump administration which Perform a right program with a head of head of the head. Governors, Senate members and chamber, state -of -the -art prosecutors, local leaders and DNC members offered a wide range of views of their party.
Their concerns are distributed in public, because the most powerful and most eminent democratic politicians in the country are clear disagreements on how they should oppose Mr. Trump.
“We are not going to take each issue,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority chief, in an interview. “We choose the most important fights and we lie on the railways of these fights.”
‘We have to get up and fight’
Many Democrats believe that the selection of battles is the wrong approach when it comes to a president who is willing to ignore constitutional standards and legal directives.
During a private call with Mr. Schumer last week, half a dozen Democratic governors urged him to be more aggressive to oppose the entire Trump agenda – not just the questions on which The party thinks that it can win strategic victories.
“He is not someone you can appease,” said Governor JB Pritzker, an Illinois democrat, in an interview. “We have to get up and fight. And by the way, at the level of the state, I think that many of us are. But I think we have to make sure that in the Senate and the House, that people who have a platform get up. »»
Democrats are more like that they have to do more to solve the problems that have fueled Mr. Trump’s campaign, such as the costs of grocery store, inflation and immigration. But there is little consensus on how – or even if – to prioritize the traditional concerns of the party such as abortion rights, LGBTQ equality and climate change. Some Democrats fear that even if these problems continue to animate the party base, they did not resonate among a wider band of voters in the last presidential election.
“We do not have a coherent message,” said representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat in Texas. “This guy is psychotic, and there are so many things, but everything that underlines is supremacy and white hatred. There must be a message that is clear at least on the underlying thing that comes with all this. »»
However, a healthy party segment believes that a close accent on the economy is the best way to win back the voters who supported Trump because they hoped that he would reduce prices and facilitate their lives.
“There are people in the middle – and believe me, there are many – who wanted the costs to drop,” said senator Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat. “Instead, what they see is that chaos rises, the corruption that increases with the dismissal of the generals of the inspector, and guess what else is riding?” Price of eggs. “”
The party’s fortune may depend on how Mr. Trump’s disruptive policies are received. His announcement on Saturday that he impose rigorous prices in Mexico, Canada and China Adding a new layer of economic uncertainty that could provide an opening to the Democrats.
Calls for tactical adjustments and patience
The warm breed for the DNC chair illustrated the absence of a large message that goes beyond attacking Mr. Trump to offer a new vision.
While the members of the party gathered in Washington this weekend, they heard candidates for the pulpit who offered largely tactical solutions and fiery attacks against Mr. Trump who echoes the party’s message there At eight years old. The possible winner, Mr. Martin, offered a diagnosis that concerned how the party communicated, rather than what he said.
“The policies we support and the message we have is not wrong,” said Martin in an interview after his victory. “It’s a messaging problem and a brand problem. These voters do not connect our policies to their lives. »»
Mr. Martin admitted that he should smooth certain internal divisions of the party. He won despite his opposition by some of the most important elected officials and donors in the party. His best rival, Ben Wikler, Democratic President of Wisconsin, was supported by Mr. Schumer; Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democrat chief of the Chamber; Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the former speaker of the Chamber; A stable of democratic governors; And liberal billionaire donors Reid Hoffman and Alexander Soros.
Representative Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat who presents himself to the post of governor of New Jersey, said that the party should reset his message to focus more intensely on affordability – reducing the costs of housing, grocery store and services on guard.
“Within the party, we must make sure that we have a very clear direction to go,” he said. “We must have our own ideas. We will never win if we play just in defense. »»
Many Democrats believe that all evolution will not come from the leaders of Washington, but from what many consider a solid bench of governors, the prosecutors and the legislators of the States. Mr. Martin acknowledged that the presidential primary race in 2028 of the party – probably two years from the start – would greatly contribute to determining an affirmative democratic message. Mr. Martin considers his work largely to reshaped the party infrastructure – including democratic advertising expenses, data collection and the resources of the State Party – for a future in which the solar belt becomes more politically dominant than The rust belt.
In private discussions, former President Barack Obama compared this moment in early 2005, after the Democrats lost the White House and control of the congress, according to a person informed of the conversations. Two years later, the Democrats took control of the congress. And two years later, Obama became the country’s first black president and revived the party.
“We are going to have faster mid-term elections than you may know,” said former Governor Jay Inslee from Washington’s state. “And the last time we picked up all kinds of seats, and I am impatient.”
However, there are few questions that for the moment, at least, the Democrats are at a low point.
A Quinnipiac University Survey Directed the week after Trump took up his duties found that 57% of voters consider the Democratic Party – the highest level since 2008.
‘We are not only against Donald Trump’
Eight years ago, after Mr. Trump’s first victory, party officials followed the example of liberal voters, who rushed to protest, paid money into democratic campaigns and ran for local offices. This time, the demonstrations were minimal to nonexistent, while the Curry business leaders promote the new administration and liberal celebrities steal their opposition for fear of remuneration.
The lack of outcry has let the Democrats struggle if the liberals are simply tired of politics or if they agree with more of Mr. Trump’s platform than they wish to admit it.
In Congress, several Democrats have expressed optimism as to the search for means to work with the new administration. They include certain Democrats who have set up primary offers in the hope of challenging Mr. Trump in 2020, including the senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts and Mrs. Klobuchar.
“”We cannot get caught in every blatant thing he says, each insult he launches, each ally he attacks and each decree, “said representative Veronica Escobar, Democrat of Texas. “There is just too much.”
For others, letting Trump get away with things that violate their conscience is an anathema to their political identity. Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, said that he had decided after Mr. Trump Unhappy attempt to freeze funding For billions of dollars in federal subsidies and loans, he would not support any of the administration candidates or vote for republican priorities.
“It will be very difficult to mobilize people in America if we regularly issue many votes for candidates and legislation,” said Murphy. “You have to represent a feeling of alarm and emergency, or people will continue to believe that the country will go well.”
But the representative Robert Garcia, California Democrat, warned that the presentation of an alternative vision for the country could be more difficult given the Trump’s alliance with the main social media and communications.
“We are not only against Donald Trump. We are against the richest billionaires in the country who control a large part of our communication apparatus, “said Garcia. “We have to start calling her like that. And I think that public and American working class who make up the majority of this country will understand this. »»