Unless you live with your head under a rock, you’re definitely aware that Donald Trump won the 2024 election. Many Democrats entered Nov. 4, 2024, hopeful that America would elect its first female president. By the end? Their dreams were dashed as Kamala Harris lost all of the swing states and the popular vote by a solid margin. It was clear that the Democratic Party had to change. In the months since the election, however, nothing has changed in their agenda or in their behavior. Thus, the Democrats have a series of obstacles to overcome in order to redeem themselves in the eyes of voters.
The Republicans have a brand. They’ve seemingly accepted their role as the “villains” in the political sphere and have become “Trump’s Party.” Sure, maybe some Republicans don’t like Trump (such as his own VP, JD Vance), but they move on because that’s what they believe is best for the Party. Even if there are a small few Republicans who vote against Republican-backed legislation, that’s just what they are: a small few. Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer (minority party leader for the Dems), completely flipped the script on his fellow Democrats by endorsing the Republican-led budget plan back in March. For context, after swearing for weeks that Schumer would never vote for a Republican led plan, he suddenly endorsed it.
This reveals a major flaw in the Democratic party: the complete divide between the party, leaving two different types of Dems in it. One type includes the leftists: A.O.C., Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Browman, etc. These are the (normally) younger, more progressive members of the party. Meanwhile, there are the moderates, who include Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, etc. This group of Democrats actually leans right on a good portion of issues. The problem is, these two groups envision a very different present and future. Schumer’s plan, as he puts it, is to simply wait for Trump’s popularity to dip below 40%. That, he says, is when the Republicans will cooperate. A.O.C. and co., however, are still attempting to push through and block legislation that they are opposed to. In my opinion, both groups are annoyingly frustrating. They are creating cracks in the Democratic Party, which in turn creates cracks in the Democratic voting bloc.
Another major obstacle for the Democrats to overcome is their messaging. While Republicans have accepted their “villain” moniker, the Democrats aim to be the “heroes” of it all. Although they may be fashioning themselves as the party of the working class, statistics show that those who earned under $100,000 often voted for Trump. The issue is that the Democrats sound elitist. Whether or not that is true is irrelevant; public perception is what matters. In the lead-up to the 2024 election, it was important that many celebrities came out and supported Harris. This just further enforced the claim that their economic agenda doesn’t benefit the middle class.
Don’t get me wrong, the Republicans are also elitist. Often, Republican senators are some of the richest people in Congress. However, they hide it much better. They don’t scare potential voters by waving around vague tax plans after inflation is already at a record high. And, in the last few months since the election, the Dems haven’t changed their messaging in the slightest. In fact, their favorability poll is at an all-time low (even within their own party!). The most disappointing part of this is the Democrats’ inaction. They don’t seem to be making a decisive change in agenda, simply languishing in their own passivity.
In short, the Democrats have a large number of problems that none of them want to solve. All they seem content to do is wait for Trump to lose popularity, and then they will capitalize on that moment. In the meantime, they will play “Candy Crush” on their phones and string voters along.
