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Democratic Party brand is “in the toilet,” according to party strategists on Monday.
The New York Times held a “written online conversation,” moderated by Times contributing opinion writer Frank Bruni, with progressive campaign consultant Anat Shenker-Osorio, Democratic communications strategist Lis Smith and former Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan to discuss what remains of the party after the brutal losses in November.
“The Democratic brand is in the toilet,” Smith said. “Many of the Democrats who have succeeded this cycle — our top performers in House races, for example — are people who ran against the brand of the Democratic Party. Trump has broken down the blue wall in the industrial Midwest, but he’s also expanded his voice at the highest in our bluest and most urban areas.”
The Democratic Party is no longer the “friend” of the working class after the election, one voter claimed. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“‘Toilet’? God, Lis, that’s serious. Do you really think it’s that bad?” Bruni asked.
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“When the best way to win as a candidate is to run against your own party, that’s so bad. Our candidates who got out on the ballot are good. That’s what the ‘D’ next to their name stands for (status quo) that people don’t like” , Smith said.
Ryan explained that Democrats are “stuck as the party of the status quo” and “failed to redefine themselves on cultural issues,” although Shenker-Osorio was more critical.
“Well … toilets have a clear benefit, so maybe the comparison is even ‘generous,'” Shenker-Osorio said.
They also agreed that the biggest problem is that Democrats have failed reject the image of “elitism” over working-class voters.
“The sign outside the headquarters should now say ‘Beware: Entering the Echo Chamber,'” Ryan said. “I said move to Youngstown, but it could be Pittsburgh or Cleveland or Toledo or Detroit or Milwaukee. But I am dead serious that it should not be in Washington or anywhere on the coast. We need to send a bold signal that we are committed to reconnecting with people in the real world.”
A New York Times panel criticized the Democratic Party. (Left: (Photo by Leigh Vogel/WireImage), Circle: (Photo by Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images))
Bruni asked if Democrats should stop “falling on Hollywood celebrities and putting them on stage en masse,” to which Ryan agreed. Smith, however, said deeper thinking is needed.
“We need to look at who has succeeded and outperformed this cycle and why,” she said. “Some of the most successful House races couldn’t have had more different profiles… What they had in common was that they were willing to go against the party brand, meet voters where they are because of their frustrations with the border and public safety issues and they were talking more about their vision for the future than about how bad Donald Trump is.”
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“I would also add one more thing – these members were mostly among the first to call on Joe Biden to step down as the candidate. They weren’t on the Democratic team telling voters not to believe what they saw with their own eyes in that first debate Smith added.
Some panelists blamed President Biden’s staying in the race too long as a factor in the party’s losses. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/photo)
The panel’s comments came after a survey by a Democratic polling firm found that some voters were disappointed by the Democratic Party, and one participant said they were “no longer friends of the working class”.
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