Since their crushing loss in 2024, Democrats have been desperately trying to figure out what went wrong—but they still can’t see the obvious. Every postmortem, every panel, every media spin session only reinforces the same point: They don’t understand their own failures. Instead of reevaluating their agenda, they cling to delusions and blame everything but themselves. That’s the real story—what Democrats don’t get about themselves.
A revealing exchange on CNN's "State of the Union" laid bare the Democratic Party's fundamental disconnect with American voters, as party representatives struggled to explain their continued embrace of deeply unpopular positions that have driven away traditional constituencies.
The discussion highlighted how Democrats remain out of touch with working families while doubling down on radical policies that Americans overwhelmingly reject, offering a stark reminder of why Donald Trump succeeded in building a broad coalition across demographic lines.
Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) inadvertently exposed her party's core problem when she claimed, "Democrats have to stop being against Donald Trump and start being for something." But conservative panelist Scott Jennings delivered a brutal reality check that cut to the heart of the Democrats' electoral woes: The problem isn’t that they aren’t “for” anything, it’s that Americans don’t like what they are for.
"They are for things, illegal aliens. You're for boys in girls' sports," Jennings stated bluntly. "And that's why you have such struggles right now in your party, because you're not for anything that's on the right side of any of the 80/20 issues that are driving this cultural divide in America."
Jennings' assessment perfectly captured why Democrats continue hemorrhaging support among normal Americans who reject the party's extremist agendas on immigration and gender ideology. Rather than moderate their positions, Democrats persist in pushing policies that 80% of Americans oppose while wondering why they keep losing elections.
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What Dingell failed to grasp is that Trump's ability to connect with voters stems from his willingness to champion positions that actually reflect American values—securing the border, protecting women's sports, and putting America first. While Democrats obsess over pronouns and sanctuary cities, Trump focuses on the kitchen-table issues that matter to working families. That’s why he won greater shares of black, Hispanic, and young voters in 2024. That’s why he saw historically high support for a Republican from unions.
In fact, Dingell's admission that Democrats "had lost the union halls eight years ago" only underscores how completely the party has abandoned its traditional base in favor of coastal elites and radical activists. Her call for Democrats to "understand what working men and women want to talk about, which is economics, job security, how much food costs" rings hollow when her party consistently prioritizes illegal immigrants over American workers.
The most revealing moment came when CNN political commentator Jamal Simmons attempted to defend the indefensible, claiming, "What Democrats are for is for an exceptional America, an exceptional place,” while bizarrely arguing that Trump "is trying to make America very regular.”
Really? These days, it’s rare to find a Democrat who isn’t trashing America—calling it inherently racist, unjust, and beyond redemption. Sure, both parties like to claim they believe in American exceptionalism, but their definitions couldn’t be more different. The version Democrats are pushing is rooted in shame and grievance, not pride or principle—and it’s a vision that most Americans simply don’t recognize, let alone support.
The fundamental issue isn't that Democrats lack a message—it's that their message explicitly rejects American values and priorities. Until the party abandons its commitment to open borders, biological men in women's sports, and anti-American globalism, it will continue losing elections to leaders like Trump, who actually represent the will of the American people.
If Democrats truly understood this reality, they might have a chance at political redemption. Instead, they routinely demonstrate that they don't even grasp what their biggest failings are, preferring to blame messaging consultants and media coverage rather than confront their own extremist positions.
