Meet the Man Who Murdered the Democratic Party

A pair of earthshattering, history-altering, Chris Christie-sized stories broke this week, but they’ve (mostly) skated beneath the political periphery. That’s because you can’t grasp the sheer enormity of the consequences until you connect them together. 

On their own, they’re inconsequential, back-of-the-page news stories — scarcely soliciting a shoulder shrug from political wonks. But together, as a one-two punch, it will change American politics forever.

And it will murder the modern Democratic Party. There’s been a slow-moving coup… but nobody’s noticed!

It’s tied to the larger political realignment nationally: Under the MAGA banner, the GOP has evolved into the party of the working man. The Bush-era days of country club conservatives has come and gone (assuming the club isn’t Mar-a-Lago, of course). We’ve gone from Wall Street to Main Street.

But the Democratic Party is realigning, too.

Liberals are frothing in furious rage — and not only at Republicans. A record number have lost faith in the Democratic Party. Its favorability has never been this dismal. Liberals are begging — pleading — for new leaders and a new direction. Even in New York, 53% of Democrats want to fire the Democrats’ Senate leader… who is FROM New York. (Sorry, Chuck Schumer.) This isn’t normal behavior.

There’s never been a better time for an outsider to seize control.

Our first big story is the Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) whistlestop tour with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). (In honor of Bernie Sanders, I hereby dub it the B.S. tour.) Although they’ve been generating headlines for the size of their enormous crowds — even in ruby-red districts — that’s not the most meaningful part.

There’s a consensus forming amongst their supporters: They want to go to war.

Liberals are demanding to be represented by a fighter. Among Democratic voters, an overwhelming majority — 72% — want someone “more aggressive” to battle Trump. Less than a third (28%) sought a “moderate” approach.

The liberal base will choose the most aggressive, fiery liberal candidate. Moderates need not apply.

AOC’s electoral strength has reached the point where she could snuff out Sen. Schumer’s career if she wanted to. According to a recent poll, in a potential primary battle, she has a 19-point lead over the top Democrat in the state! 

Again, this isn’t normal behavior.

On tariffs, 77% want the Dems to attack Trump ASAP; only 23% chose “see how tariffs play out.” Nearly 80% say DOGE has already gone too far. They’re also deeply pessimistic about the economy, with 67% saying the stock market has already gone in the wrong direction, and 60% believe the economy will be even worse in 2026.

For foreign affairs, they’ve gone from kippahs to keffiyehs: They loathe Israel and favor the Palestinians — and the younger they are, the more radicalized they are. Liberal analysts have even claimed that Kamala Harris’s support for Israel dissuaded Democrats from voting and thus cost her the election.

Make no mistake, the next leader of the Democratic Party will be loudly, brazenly, and unapologetically anti-Israel. 

While she’s shoveling fresh mounds of [stuff] on her B.S. tour, AOC is also building her liberal bona fides cross-country, staking an ownership position in Bernie Sanders’ political machine. The Vermont senator is 83 years old; he won’t be running for president again. Which means some lucky guy (or gal) will inherit his national database of socialist donors, grassroots activists, ambassadors, helpers, influencers, volunteers, and assistants.

Guess who?

In a fractured, Balkanized, divided Democratic Party, this kind of coast-to-coast organizational advantage is enormous. It gives their preferred candidate the inside track for the party’s nomination.

But what about the party itself? It’s not an innocent bystander. Surely, it wouldn’t let itself be hijacked by the Bernie Bros! Wouldn’t the Democratic Party do what it did in 2016 and 2020 when B.S. got too feisty, and put their fingers on the scales? 

Nope.

That’s the second blockbuster story of the week. David Hogg, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, announced he’ll be spending $20 million… to target incumbent DEMOCRATS:

David Hogg, a controversial Democratic National Committee vice chair, is pledging to upend Democratic primaries by funding candidates who will challenge “ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats.

The move puts Hogg, the now 25-year-old who first gained national stature as an outspoken survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, on a collision course with his own party and some Democratic House members.

(For the third time: This isn’t normal behavior!)

Wilting under the stress of MAGA, the Democrats are forming a circular firing squad. As Politico noted:

It’s an unprecedented, and controversial, move from a national officer within the Democratic Party that will enrage some insiders. Democratic Party committees, like the DNC, have traditionally not opposed incumbents in their own party, focusing instead on attacking Republicans, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is explicitly set up to protect incumbent members by providing resources, fundraising and strategy.

Hogg’s decision comes at a time when the Democratic Party is grappling with how to confront President Donald Trump — and with what kind of Democrats can be their most effective messengers against the administration. Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have faced intense pressure from base voters to ramp up their opposition to Trump’s administration.

David Hogg is greasing the wheels for a very specific outcome: The elevation of younger, fiery, liberal leadership. 

He’s not coy about it either:

[Hogg] acknowledged “there are going to be people who are very, very upset about this” but argued Democrats “are in a crisis right now,” citing a recent CNN poll that found the party’s approval rating at 29 percent, a record low for the party.

“Our base is craving dramatic change,” Hogg said. “We need to show our base we’re here to fight for them. We need to show there are younger faces stepping up.” [emphasis added]

Can’t imagine who he has in mind, eh?

Keep a close eye on the trajectory of these two stories. They haven’t met in the middle yet, but when they do, the old Democratic Party will be dead — and AOC will be its next leader.

David Hogg wouldn’t have it any other way.