In a stark admission of his party’s struggles, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) warned Sunday that the Democratic brand is “problematic,” arguing that the party has become synonymous with elite coastal interests rather than the working-class Americans it once championed.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Bennet did not hold back in his critique, acknowledging that Democrats have failed to connect with everyday voters—especially as former President Donald Trump has twice managed to seize the White House.
“We should have never lost to Donald Trump once, much less twice,” Bennet said bluntly. “The Democratic Party has lost touch with working people in our country at a time when 50 years of trickle-down economics has meant that most Americans feel like no matter how hard they work, their kids are not going to live a life better than the life they lead.”
When asked by host Kristen Welker about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s future, Bennet sidestepped, instead pivoting to a larger issue: the party’s lack of a compelling vision for American voters.
“I think a much more important question is what we are going to do as the Democratic Party to create a compelling view for Americans that will allow us to lead again,” he said.
Bennet’s remarks echoed the concerns raised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who recently declared that the Democratic brand had become “toxic.” When pressed on whether he agreed, the Colorado senator didn’t mince words.
“I do agree that the Democratic Party brand is really problematic,” he admitted. “It is a brand that is… associated with New York and with California, is associated with the educated elites in this country, and not anymore with working people in this country.”
Bennet’s criticism underscores a growing concern among Democrats that their party has become detached from the economic anxieties of middle America, leaving a vacuum that Trump and his populist rhetoric have repeatedly filled.
Despite his grim assessment, Bennet argued that Trump’s return to the White House could provide an opportunity for Democrats—if they can reclaim their working-class roots and offer a stronger economic vision.
“The good news, for the party, I think, is that Donald Trump is pursuing the same trickle-down economics that he pursued the first time he was president, to make sure that he can create, again, the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in the United States, and pay for it by taking away healthcare from the American people,” Bennet said.
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3 Responses
They can’t win without the support of their “progressive” (WOKE, i.e. anti-Semitic) wing since it is a key part of their base. But if the national ticket or platform are “woke”, they lose too much support to win. And many aspects of the WOKE agenda alienate so many moderate Democrats and Independents .
The Republicans have less of a problem since the gap between MAGA and traditional Republicans is less (though its growing). Also, the WOKE agenda is so bad that few Republicans will vote for the Democrats unless they reject the WOKE clique.
“Problematic” “failed to connect with voters”, then he repeats the same tired old Democrat mantra “and pay for it by taking away healthcare from the American people”. He’s doing the same thing that he is supposedly bemoaning, his ironic.
The problem is they’ve become a socialist elitest party that has distanced them selves from their own members .