Democrats Are 'History' If They Don't Change, Says Former Clinton Advisor

There’s no denying that the Democratic Party has drifted too far left for mainstream Americans. Its soft-on-crime policies, embrace of radical gender ideology, reckless tax-and-spend agenda, and open-border stance have flushed the party’s brand down the toilet. Conservatives have been sounding the alarm for years, and the recent election results should have been a wake-up call for the Democrats. But when a Democratic insider calls out the party for losing its way, it should carry even more weight.

Doug Schoen, a former advisor to President Bill Clinton, is sounding the alarm over the current direction of the Democratic Party, warning that the party is facing a “systemic problem” that goes far beyond the issues of “woke” culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Appearing on Fox News Wednesday, Schoen laid out his concerns, urging the party to return to fiscal responsibility and focus on issues that matter most to everyday Americans.

Schoen highlighted the dramatic shift in the Democratic Party’s economic approach, contrasting it with the policies that defined the Clinton administration. “When Bill Clinton was president, we cut spending, we balanced the budget, we ran a surplus,” he said. “Now the Democrats have created the greatest deficit in history. And it’s ultimately what cost Kamala Harris and the Democrats control of the White House and the Congress.”

The stark fiscal reality is central to Schoen’s critique. He believes that the party’s financial mismanagement has alienated voters and cost them support, particularly among Latino and African American communities.

He doesn’t mince words: “We need a fiscally prudent Democratic Party that focuses on people’s economic concerns, does a bipartisan deal on the border and immigration, gets tough on crime, and makes it clear that we stand for traditional cultural values. Unless we do that, the party’s history is limited.”

Schoen’s warning is a call for the Democrats to reassess their policies and refocus on what voters care about — issues like crime, immigration, and the economy. The emphasis on traditional cultural values is particularly important as Democrats risk further alienating communities that do not align with their increasingly radical agenda.

Schoen also dismissed the optimism expressed by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairwoman Susan Del Benny, who suggested that the party has many opportunities ahead of the 2026 elections. “With what the head of the DCCC said, no, they don’t,” Schoen responded. “The Republicans and Trump, like it or not, are focusing on people’s concerns about issues like crime, the border deportations.” He warned that simply promising to “listen to people” won’t be enough for Democrats to regain trust.

In the same conversation, Gabriela Berrospi, founder of Latino Wall Street, shared her own perspective as a former Democrat who has become disillusioned with the party. “Latinos voted in this election with their wallets. We didn’t vote for pronouns,” she said. “We voted for our paychecks. We voted for safety. We voted Catholic values. And the Democrat Party does not represent that.”

Ouch.

Berrospi, who was once a staunch Hillary Clinton supporter, echoed Schoen’s sentiments that the party has lost touch with key voter groups, particularly Latino voters. “The Democrat Party does not represent that,” she reiterated. “So it's become something we don't recognize, we don't identify with, and they've really lost us. Like Kennedy says, the party left us.”