Democrats start clawing each others' eyes out

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Earl

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Democrats start clawing each others' eyes out​

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Illustration of diverse fists, reaching hands, and pointing fingers at a donkey

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

The dust has not yet settled from the 2024 election, but the Democratic Party's blame game over their bleak showing has already begun in earnest.

Why it matters: Democrats across the ideological spectrum are quickly seizing on this raw moment to try to redefine the party in their image.
  • "Instead of saying, 'How can people vote for Donald Trump,' we should be asking 'Why do people vote for Donald Trump'... what did he do right and what did we do wrong," Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) told Axios.
Zoom out: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a scathing statement alleging the Democratic Party "abandoned" the working class, Axios' Stephen Neukam reported.

  • "Will the big-money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lesson from this disastrous campaign? ... Probably not," Sanders said.
  • Several other progressive members of Congress, such as Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), offered similar critiques of the party's approach.
  • "There were a lot of mistakes," Bowman told Axios.
The other side: Suozzi, a moderate, told Axios, "We have to stop pandering to the base and we have to start listening to the people ... people are sick of extremism."

  • Suozzi predicted that he is "going to get beaten up" for his post-election takes.
  • "The far-left is going to say it's because Kamala Harris was a war hawk ... they'll try, but I think no one's buying it," said another House Democrat.
State of play: Democrats are feeling dejected and shellshocked by the decisive loss of the White House and Senate.

  • "It was not what any of us expected, and it was certainly not what I was hoping for," said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.).
Zoom in: Some House Democrats are hanging onto the slim hope that they can keep the House and deny President-elect Trump full control of Congress, but others acknowledge that is a tough needle to thread.

  • "Their pathway is wider and ours is narrow," said Suozzi.
  • Another House Democrat predicted "the best case" for Democrats is that they will be just one seat short of a majority.
Between the lines: Several House Democrats, speaking on the condition of anonymity, argued the outcome is a less a pox on an ideological branch of the Democratic Party than on its leadership.

  • One House Democrat took aim at Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), asking, "Is that the future of the Democratic Party?"

  • Another said they mostly blame Vice President Harris, but that they are "not sure [President] Biden would have been any better."
  • A third House Democrat said Harris "didn't really engage with moderates" in Congress and faulted Biden for "failing to leave early enough."
Yes, but: House Democratic leadership seems to be getting a pass from its members, with few popping up to blame House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) or his deputies.

  • Jeffries, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) have "done a great job," said Schneider, adding, "I don't think anyone is looking at them."
What's next: Democrats are also starting to quibble over how the party should recalibrate its approach to Trump during his second go-around.

  • One House Democrat said the party needs "pick and choose our battles" and get past "this idea they call 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'."
  • "Democrats just literally attacked everything he did. We could never agree with anything, never give him credit for anything, could never say, 'Well actually securing the border is a good idea, I just disagree with how he's doing it,'" the lawmaker said.
The bottom line: One senior House Democrat warned of the inevitable post-mortem, "It'll be tough."
 
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