The DNC Winter Meeting Was a Total Circus

Around two-thirds of the nation views the Democratic Party unfavorably, a stunning fall since the Barack Obama days, when liberalism was at the apotheosis of its power. It got a reality check in the 2010 midterms, proving that there are no permanent majorities in American politics as the shifting sands of public opinion dictate everything. And yet, the numerous ways in which Democrats were rejected by voters in 2024 have to sink into the minds of this self-righteous, detached, and ultimately snobby group who would rather scream into the void than win elections. That’s fine by me. With how things are going, Democrats might be in the wilderness for the next decade. 

Molly Ball of The Wall Street Journal ventured into National Harbor, Maryland, for the party’s winter meeting; the anecdotes did not disappoint. It painted a picture of a political organization still entranced by unhinged wokeism, identity politics, and refusal to take accountability for their disastrous policy directions. It's a red flag when you lose ground with every voter group. Yet, the Left’s approach is to blame voters, suggesting they’re wrong and this emerging illiberal philosopher-king class is right. It’s the only explanation for this circus, which we got a preview of at the DNC chair candidate forum. The serial interruptions over niche political issues were almost a skit, which is another problem: when your core ideas can quickly become punchlines, your politics are off. Ken Martin was elected the new DNC chair, while David Hogg was elected vice chair (via WSJ):

Despite a hotly contested race for the chair position that got nasty as it went down to the wire, there was little to distinguish Martin from his main competitor, Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Two middle-aged Midwestern white men with rhyming first names and similar résumés agreed on most things and mouthed similar platitudes about the importance of winning back the working class, making similar promises to increase transparency, grow grassroots power and hone the party’s messaging machine. To the extent a distinction could be drawn, Martin was regarded as the insiders’ candidate, Wikler as the relative outsider. Martin benefited from yearslong relationships with his fellow party regulars, while Wikler was endorsed by top officials including the Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. 

All of the candidates could agree that the situation facing the party is dire. The Democratic brand is in the toilet, with a recent Wall Street Journal poll showing 60% of Americans view the party unfavorably while only 36% see it favorably. Democrats lost ground with nearly every demographic group last November, including minorities, women, low-income voters and those without college degrees. “Twenty big cities, Aspen and Martha’s Vineyard—that’s what’s left of the Democratic Party,” lamented former congressional candidate Adam Frisch. “And I’m not exactly sure those 20 big cities are getting the best version of the Democratic Party.” Frisch, who lives in Aspen, ran in a red district in rural Colorado; he overperformed the top of the ticket but still fell short.

Yet as the would-be leaders bickered over party mechanics, the very pathologies that many critics argue have alienated Democrats from the American heartland were on display: a party captive to leftist activists, obsessed with divisive litmus tests, out of touch with regular people’s concerns and in thrall to a patronizing identity politics that alienates many of the very minorities it is meant to attract. Nor did anyone dare to argue that the prior administration’s failures might have contributed to voters’ sour view of Democrats, that former President Joe Biden dragged the party down or that former Vice President Kamala Harris was a mediocre candidate. The party’s departing chairman, Jaime Harrison, has been giving interviews standing by his view that Biden shouldn’t have dropped out of the presidential race; his would-be successors had nothing but praise for his tenure. The party’s leaders were vowing to turn the page, but it was clear many things have yet to change.

[…] 

The candidates had just gotten through their opening statements when the disruptions began. A young woman in a Sunrise Movement T-shirt stood up and began shouting, “I am terrified!” as she was dragged out by security. Numerous other protests followed, with shouts of “climate emergency!” and “fossil fuel money!” culminating in a group trying to unfurl a banner in front of the stage. 

Rather than rebuff the interruptions, those onstage largely celebrated them, straining to assure the activists they were actually on the same side and eagerly giving them the platform they broke the rules to demand. “These are important questions, and we want to get to them,” MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, the former Biden White House press secretary, intoned.  

[…] 

Later in the program, an audience member stood up to lament that there was only one at-large seat set aside for a transgender person, and called on the candidates to add another seat and for “making sure those appointments reflect the gender and ethnic diversity of the transgender community.” Only one candidate raised his hand to indicate he wouldn’t make such a commitment.

“I’m frustrated by the way in which we utilize identity to break ourselves apart,” explained the dissenter, Faiz Shakir, a political operative who managed Bernie Sanders’ unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign. “Listen, I worked at the ACLU. I’m supportive of diversity, equity and all the rest,” he said. “But we’re competing over the wrong thing when we should be joining together to fight together.” He raised the same objection to another questioner’s demand for the DNC to add a Muslim subgroup. 

Yeah, these people have learned nothing—and it’s insanely fun to watch. 

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