Democratic voters are very dissatisfied with their party at the moment. At the heart of the matter is the perception that Democratic politicians are not radical enough when it comes to fighting President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Based on an Axios report, it seems constituents believe more political theater is the most effective tactic Democrats should be using. The news outlet interviewed several Democratic lawmakers who explained that their constituents are urging them to become more antagonistic in their opposition to the president.
To put it simply, they want their representatives to become more Trumpy.
One lawmaker told Axios that a “sense of fear and despair and anger” is putting Democratic leaders in a position where “we can’t keep following norms of decorum.”
Some lawmakers expressed frustration with how the base wants them to behave. "We've got people who are desperately wanting us to do something ... no matter what we say, they want [more]," Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) said.
There have been Democrats who have heeded this advice. There have already been multiple articles of impeachment against Trump filed by far-leftist Democrats. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) made headlines after he was tackled by security while heckling Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last month. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) garnered national attention after trying to shout down the president during his address before a joint session of Congress. New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was filmed shouting at border czar Tom Homan back in March.
One Democratic official told Axios that “what we really need to do is be willing to get shot” when protesting at ICE facilities or other federal agencies. Another told the outlet that his constituents said “what we’re doing is not good enough…[that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public.”
Constituents believe “civility isn’t working,” according to another lawmaker.
While other Democratic lawmakers said their discussions haven't gone that far, nearly every one who spoke to Axios cited examples of voters' panic and fury fueling demands to adopt brute force tactics.
As I stated earlier, this suggests that many Democratic voters want their leaders to engage in more political theater and be less “civil” in their rhetoric. For starters, this is already hilarious because Democrats have been anything but civil for decades. You can’t constantly refer to your political opponents as “Nazis” and “bigots” and still claim the high ground.
But some of this is understandable. As one lawmaker pointed out, Democrats have no real power at the federal level at the moment. Republicans dominate both chambers of Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. This is why they have relied heavily on lawfare to stymie Trump’s agenda.
But engaging in more political theater is not the killshot Democratic voters seem to think it is. If anything, this would only serve to help Trump’s agenda, as some lawmakers pointed out. They noted that most of those calling for this type of action area white leftists who “live in upscale suburban or urban neighborhoods.”
"Not only would that be a gift to Donald Trump, not only would it make the job of Republicans in Congress easier if we were all mired in legal troubles ... [we are] a group that is disproportionately people of color, women, LGBTQ people — people who do not fare very well in prison,” one Democratic lawmaker said.
There have already been plenty of instances of Democratic officials grandstanding to signal how much they hate the Orange Man What Is Bad™. Each of these incidents have made Democrats look like petulant children — not crusaders for justice and democracy. The bottom line is that using these tactics might do wonders for getting clicks on social media, but it won’t help Democrats regain any real power.
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