Democrats keep themselves busy — just not with governing. They’re posting cringeworthy parodies of the president. They’re jetting to Central America to lobby for foreign gang members. They’re hurling sandwiches at cops clearing out tent cities full of human waste and cracking down on crime in the capital. They’re showing up on CNN in Ukraine T-shirts under their suit jackets and generally having a grand ol’ time.
Out in the country, though, the picture looks far less exciting. Democrats no longer know how to approach minority voters, much less how to register them when they can’t count on their loyalty. Support among young men has cratered to Depression-era lows. And the Democratic National Committee is reporting less cash on hand than at any point in the last five years.
The news is even worse with young voters.
The New York Times admitted as much on Wednesday.
For years, the left has relied on a sprawling network of nonprofits — which solicit donations from people whose identities they need not disclose — to register black, Latino and younger voters. Though the groups are technically nonpartisan, the underlying assumption has been that most new voters registering would vote Democratic.
Donald Trump blew up that assumption. He’s pulling in minority voters — especially men — at levels Republicans haven’t seen in decades. The party’s old strategy is collapsing. Its supposed devotion to “universal voter registration” suddenly looks less like a principle and more like a partisan ploy.
The Times reports: “Democrats are divided and flummoxed over what to do.”
The news is even worse with young voters. Zachary Donnini, data scientist at Decision Desk HQ and Yale Youth Poll, summed it up nicely: “At the heart of the Democratic collapse, young white men are registering as Republicans in unprecedented numbers.”
Just 29% of young white men who identify with a party now call themselves Democrats, Donnini says. He adds that Generation Z voters (28 and under) are “on track to be the most pro-GOP generation since the Great Depression.”
Think of it as the Bud Light reality. A company or party can bounce back from bad products or failed candidates with young men, but once the brand itself becomes identified as “gay,” the climb back is nearly impossible. And no political brand has worked harder than the Democrats to earn that label.
The financial picture looks just as bleak. The Democratic National Committee reports only $13.9 million on hand — one-sixth of the Republican National Committee’s $84.3 million and the lowest total the DNC has seen in five years. Republicans are outraising Democrats across the board, even if the congressional gap is smaller.
Politico summed it up: “Major Democratic donors have withheld money this year amid skepticism about the party’s direction, while the small-dollar donors who have long been a source of strength are not growing nearly enough to make up the gap.”
Meanwhile, Democrats are still digging out from the mountain of cash they spent trying to sell Vice President Kamala Harris. The tab included $900,000 for a projection on the Las Vegas Sphere and $2.5 million on digital “influencers.”
This year, the party doubled down with a $20 million outreach campaign aimed at young men. The face of that effort? Olivia Julianna, who describes herself as “a plus-size, queer Mexican woman.” Predictably, the stunt flopped.
The picture could not be bleaker for Democrats. They face collapsing support among key demographics, a party apparatus running low on cash, and leaders who refuse to abandon the very people, policies, and priorities that drove them into this hole. It’s a disastrous combination in a country where winning elections still matters.
The Daily Caller: Democrats suddenly reconsider black people
Blaze News: Democrats desperate for cash while GOP stockpiles surge
Politico: Inside the DNC’s money problems
The 51st: How a sandwich became a symbol of DC’s resistance
BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere: From ‘COVID dictator’ to ‘social media troll,’ Gavin Newsom just keeps reinventing himself
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Opinion & analysis, Politics
