Dems Face Pressure To Fight Trump
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What is the main topic of this episode?
Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Sarah McCammon. I cover politics.
I'm Barbara Sprint. I cover Congress. And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.
How are Democrats responding to their minority status?
Today on the show, Democrats find themselves in the minority after last fall's elections, and their constituents aren't happy about what they see as the party's lack of action in response to policies they disagree with from President Trump. The Democrats' leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, put it this way recently.
I'm trying to figure out what leverage we actually have. What leverage do we have? Republicans have repeatedly lectured America. They control the House, the Senate, and the presidency. It's their government.
What are Democratic voters demanding from their representatives?
Barbara, you've been reporting on this. How is that attitude going down with many Democratic voters?
I mean, it may not be going over well, but it is the reality that Democrats face. Elections do have consequences and the American public voted for a Republican trifecta in government. They control the House, the Senate and the White House. And that stark political reality is, I think, sort of like dawning on many grassroots supporters of Democrats sort of for the first time. And they're navigating this sort of next chapter as Democrats have lost a lever of power. And there certainly is tension here. I mean, Democrats say that their phones are ringing off the hook with people calling their offices. Why can't you do X, Y, Z? There was a rally recently in response to the furlough of a lot of employees of USAID employees.
A lot of Democratic lawmakers were there sort of talking how terrible this is. And they were interrupted by chants of the people in the crowd saying, like, what are you going to do about it? Do your job. And the reality is there's a huge disconnect because their job is very limited. There's very few things that they can do to thwart the will of the majority.
What messaging strategies are Democrats considering?
So certainly Democrats are up against these limitations you just described. But there are some Democrats, even some of Jeffrey's colleagues, who would like to see a different tone here. I mean, what are they saying that they are doing now?
There's definitely like debate about the messaging strategy going forward. And the tape that we heard of Leader Jeffries is from earlier this month. I think House Democrats have tried to sort of sharpen their strategy. They have a new task force out that's sort of aimed at. a new messaging strategy, particularly around the sort of legal efforts that are being fronted in various spaces. But yeah, I mean, like some Democrats say, there's not a big upside to talking about what you can't do. Others like Vermont Congresswoman Becca Ballant, who I spoke with, she's a member of the Progressive Caucus. And she told me like, you know, we should probably educate the public a little bit.
It's clear from talking to my constituents and people who interact with my office that It hasn't really totally sunk in that Republicans are in charge of the House, the Senate and the White House. So we don't get to control what bills come up on the floor.
Yeah, I mean, the minority party can sometimes, particularly in the Senate, slow things down procedurally. But it can't, like, change the math and the makeup of the structure of power that is faced right now by Democrats on Capitol Hill.
I mean, that said, the Republican majority in the House, though, is very narrow, just three seats. Domenico, we've reported before about how disunified the Republican conference tends to be. Isn't there some room here for Democrats to maneuver?
Can Democrats leverage Republican division in Congress?
Well, life in the minority stinks. I mean, no other way to really put it. I mean, it's hard to really have a lot that you can do, especially procedurally. You know, there is the Senate filibuster for legislation, you know, where they'll need 60 votes to get something passed. And Democrats can certainly stand on that, as Mitch McConnell did when he was a Republican leader.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic of this episode?
0:25–0:34
2
How are Democrats responding to their minority status?
0:34–1:05
3
What are Democratic voters demanding from their representatives?
1:05–2:09
4
What messaging strategies are Democrats considering?
2:09–3:41
5
Can Democrats leverage Republican division in Congress?
3:41–5:31
6
How are Democrats addressing the cost of living issue?
5:31–12:27