It seems as though my beat today is "Democrats that Republicans pray will never go away." In case you missed it a few weeks ago, Congressional Democrats unveiled their new slogan to widespread ridicule. It's a real stinker, and everyone knows it. Except for -- bless her heart (cough) -- Nancy Pelosi. In an interview with a local reporter, Pelosi was asked if she could defend the uninspiring formulation against criticisms even from within her own party. She blanched at the challenge, insisting that it's gotten a "very positive response," and demanding that the journalist "name names" of critics. Be careful what you wish for, Nance:
"Well, let me with all due respect to your characterization offer a counter-view. We've gotten a very positive response, but the month of August this break was the test drive. We sent our members on the road and said, ‘See how people respond to this.'"...Moore kept on the subject, saying there are Democrats and supporters of the party who say the slogan does not capture the imagination. Pelosi threw up her hands. "Do you want to name names? Do you want to name names?" Pelosi asked. "Harold Ford, Bill Maher … [Joe] Manchin in [West Virginia]," Moore said. Pelosi said Democrats were "on board," and she said "commentators" that Moore referred to were "not in the fight."
While it's enjoyable to watch her flounder and struggle to prop up this dreadful slogan, keep in mind that in spite of Pelosi's polarizing, toxic unpopularity and her party's poor public image, Democrats currently hold a substantial lead on the generic Congressional ballot ahead of the 2018 midterms. That's a long time from now, but it's still a warning sign for the GOP. Pelosi also made a point that might hit a little closer to home for many Republican voters:
"We have beaten them in appropriations...We've won every fight. The president's numbers are in the high 30s, which is for a new president remarkable to be so low. He is making his own case. The American people see for themselves that he does not share their values and that he does not—some who may have voted for him are now rethinking and others are just digging in their heels."
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I can think of at least one major fight on Capitol Hill that Democrats lost during Trump's tenure, and she's completely ignoring her team's four consecutive losses in special Congressional races in recent months, two of which were competitive. Nevertheless, it does feel like Democrats often have the upper hand in legislative fights, even when they're nominally in the minority. This dynamic is often aided by GOP infighting and the media's systemic propensity to run cover for Democrats, whom they detest far less than Republicans. As things stand at the moment, we have one major party seemingly incapable of winning elections, with the other party incapable of parlaying electoral success into effective governance (some significant exceptions apply at the state level). I'll leave you with the man who challenged Pelosi for her leadership position -- falling well short of garnering the support he needed to supplant her -- talking about tugging the Democratic Party away from class warfare and income redistribution. Let's see how this goes over with the dominant Bernie/Warren wing:
See? Moderate Democrats do still exist. Except this guy supports, er...single payer healthcare -- an unprecedented spending explosion that would necessitate breathtaking tax increases across the board to even begin to pay for that substandard, government-run scheme.
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