To paraphrase the late President Richard Nixon, what will Democrats do when they dont have to kick around anymore?
Its a valid question. Currently, shared hatred of Donald Trump is the baling wire holding the fractured Democratic Party together. The party is deeply divided over nearly every facet of government and policy, with progressives and moderates warring over taxes, gender issues, AI, climate change, law enforcement and Israel.
It isnt at all clear who the partys leaders are. Is it Senate Minority Leader , whose approval rating nationally among Democrats barely clears 40%, or is it leftist Rep. , who may challenge Schumer for his Senate seat in 2028 but who is currently, astonishingly, under fire from progressives for trying to reach moderate voters?
New York Mayor is among those criticizing his partys lack of “vision,” telling “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, “We know very well what we oppose. What are we for?”
Hes not the only Democrat critical of his party. At a recent , party officials were lambasted by progressives over their ongoing refusal to release the official autopsy explaining why they were scorched in the 2024 elections, a report that presumably could guide them forward. Axios has reported that DNC Chair Ken Martin fears the report could unleash “unnecessary party infighting”; hes probably right.
Approaching the midterms, President Trump is less popular than he was during his prior term in office â by 7 points â but Democrats are a whopping 30 points behind where they were in 2018. Given the presidents many bold and controversial policy moves â from waging war against Iran, rebuilding the White House, implementing tariffs, bullying NATO and torching climate initiatives â those are remarkable readings. He has given the country â and Democrats â plenty to rail about.
Recently, scores of Democrats have threatened President Trump with impeachment or removal from office. Going into the midterm elections, Democrats, including California Rep. Ro Khanna and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, have promised that if they win control of the House, they will again. In a recent MS Now interview, Khanna said, “Absolutely, he should be impeached now … and the Democrats will impeach him once we take back the House and should impeach him for all the things hes done.”
While not specifying what those “things” are, Khanna is, in effect, promising to put the country through more show trials and more bitter congressional hearings that do not improve the lives of average Americans and, assuming Democrats dont achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate to convict, are an exercise in futility.
Not only have Democrats threatened impeachment, they have also vowed to go after anyone who worked in the White House as part of the current administration and even private businesses that cooperated with the Trump White House. This, from a party that wails that President Trump is out for “vengeance” and has weaponized his Justice Department to punish his enemies.
The leader of that program was former Rep. , who has ignominiously been drummed out of public office, accused of sexual assault. The ex-congressman proposed to act as judge and jury in making President Trump pay for his sins, promising: “Were going into the majority a year from now. … We will bring oversight and accountability, we will subpoena the Department of Justice, but also private actors who have done these drug deals with the administration, college campuses, entertainment companies, law firms. Accountability is coming.”
The singular focus on “resisting” Donald Trump may provide plenty of dopamine and give Democrats ample opportunity to get together and parade around in weird costumes, but it isnt building credibility or a popular political party. A recent CNN poll shows only 28% of Americans hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party, with the Republican Party a few points higher at 32%.
