During his speech to Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump faced an unexpected disruption when security removed U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Democrat from Texas, for causing a disturbance. The incident raised a question: Are Green and his fellow Democrats taking their opposition to Trump too far?
Democratic mayors and governors are increasingly pushing to shield illegal immigrants, including those convicted of serious crimes, from deportation. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, along with the mayors of Chicago, Denver, Boston, and Houston, have publicly defended allowing convicted rapists and drug smugglers to remain in their communities. They frame this stance as a defense against what they view as a hostile federal administration.
Should the likes of Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, JB Pritzker, Al Green, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez define the Democratic message, or should Democrats aim to sound more like mainstream Americans rather than woke wackos?
Senate Democrats are also supporting policies that permit biological men to compete in women’s sports and use girls’ locker rooms. This position contradicts their claims of supporting “women’s rights.” About 80% of Americans oppose these policies, seeing them as threats to women’s privacy and fairness in sports.
A similar majority rejects another key Democratic position: allowing minors diagnosed with gender dysphoria to undergo surgical procedures. Additionally, most Americans disagree with the Democratic assertion that there are more than two sexes. This stance has sparked conflicts, particularly when people are pressured to use pronouns or language that they believe contradicts biological reality.
Democrats’ defense of an already bloated public workforce, especially that based in Washington, is equally puzzling. Do most Americans really support spending billions of dollars each year to keep the Department of Education handing out taxpayer money to woke educational projects nationwide? And after seeing the massive funding from USAID to Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe for LGBTQ indoctrination disguised as foreign aid, it’s fair to ask how many Americans actually see this Democratic spending as a “hill to die on.”
These questions naturally arise for non-leftists watching the direction the Democratic Party has taken since Trump’s victory on November 5. Some Democratic advisers have questioned the party’s current path and have urged a shift toward more moderate positions on social issues.
The party faces a choice: Should the likes of Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, JB Pritzker, Al Green, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez define the Democratic message, or should Democrats aim to sound more like mainstream Americans rather than woke wackos?
Like Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), I believe congressional Democrats “embarrassed themselves” by refusing to applaud a young boy introduced during Trump’s speech as a brain cancer survivor. Throughout the address, Democratic lawmakers waved signs and made faces to display their opposition. It’s doubtful they took issue with Rep. Green’s rude behavior, which may have been encouraged by his party’s leaders.
The real question is whether these antics damage the Democratic brand. They might have swayed some independents, but they likely had little impact on the polarized ideological camps in the country. Neither Senator Schmitt nor I would vote Democratic, even if the Democrats at Trump’s speech had shown perfect courtesy. We find the party’s cultural politics so repellent that supporting most Democratic politicians is unthinkable. By the same token, I can’t imagine any feminist, government worker, or college professor I know voting for a MAGA Republican.
It seems unlikely that Democratic opposition to Trump, no matter how distasteful it appears, will drive a mass shift to the GOP. Democratic voters genuinely dislike Trump. According to a Hill poll from the end of his first month in office, Trump held a 52% approval rating, but 43% disapproved, with most of them expressing strong disapproval. A recent Pew poll also showed that 44% of Americans believe Trump has gone too far in deporting illegal immigrants. It’s not hard to imagine that this large minority aligns with the Democratic Party on other issues and likely shares Democratic politicians’ intense disdain for Trump.
The Democrats still have a large core constituency that remains loyal to the party. This base is unlikely to be alienated by the party’s resistance tactics or its recent, baffling positions. I see no reason to believe that the American left is outraged by the Democrats’ behavior.
In fact, a glance at the legacy media online suggests otherwise. The focus has returned to portraying Trump as an ally of Vladimir Putin, dominating left-leaning news coverage. Issues like allowing biological men into women’s locker rooms, Al Green’s outburst, or the party’s willingness to shield this lout from congressional censure seem to have taken a back seat. So be it. The Democrats will reap what they sow.
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