Latest news with #swingstates
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A year post-Biden's exit, Democratic Party still struggles to find footing: Analysis
It has been one year since former President Joe Biden made the unprecedented decision to step aside in the 2024 presidential race. The move, a political earthquake, catapulted then-Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the ticket. Her historic candidacy was fueled by more than a billion dollars raised over the course of a 107-day sprint to Election Day. Despite that, the outcome was decisive. Every swing state went to Trump. Democrats suffered defeat up and down the ballot, leaving them with little leverage in a Republican-controlled Washington, D.C. MORE: Biden says 'I feel good' and 'optimistic' in 1st public comments about cancer treatment A year later, and with midterms elections looming, the path forward for Democrats remains murky. Ideological and generational rifts persist within the fractured big-tent party. A standard-bearer has yet to emerge to usher in a new chapter for the party. And former President Barack Obama has said that Democrats will have to "toughen up" to challenge President Donald Trump and Republicans effectively, and that members of the party need to "stop looking for the Messiah." Anti-Trump sentiment is certainly a mobilizing factor for the party, but that in itself isn't a panacea for the deep dissatisfaction Americans have with the Democratic Party. Is the winning message hammering Republicans on Medicaid cuts that won't go into effect until after the midterm elections? Can the party craft an economic message that speaks to the anxieties of the working and middle class? Time will tell. MORE: Mamdani meets with congressional Democrats who praise his campaign A handful of races in this off-year might show us where the energy and momentum are in the party. Is it with insurgent progressives like Zohran Mamdani in New York City's mayoral race? Will the moderate Democratic candidates Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, recapture disillusioned voters who abandoned the Democratic ship in the 2024 presidential election? It remains to be seen. It is remarkable that a year out since Biden's decision, the party hasn't clearly reset.
Fox News
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
ROB SCHNEIDER: Colbert gets crash course in what freedom of speech really means
Respectfully, Steven Colbert has been doing nothing but wafer-thinly disguised Democratic propaganda talking points for the last eight years plus. While I completely support Mr. Colbert's freedom of speech, his utter disdain for half of America and every swing state, greatly diminished his audience potential. I also respect Colbert's direct criticism of his employer, CBS/Paramount and his opinion that they caved to President Trump when they settled their lawsuit against the sitting president. That took guts, I will give him that. But Colbert, like ABC late night host Jimmy Kimmel, excluded conservatives completely from his show and limited (prevented) his audience from hearing opposing viewpoints. Colbert fed liberal slop to his liberal-minded Kamala supporters and cared less about challenging them intellectually by actually appealing to their higher nature or engaging in thought-provoking debate. Nah, just keep sh---ing on half the country that is no longer afraid to say women don't have penises and boys shouldn't get to beat up girls in girls' sports. So while I support Mr. Colbert's First Amendment right to free speech, that constitutionally only applies to the government not being able to silence you or seek reprisals. As for CBS/Paramount, they are a private company and they pay the bills… Or used to. So they can fire anyone they want! And Colbert, who earned an estimated $20 million salary, was reportedly losing the company $40 million per year. That's the potential price tag for using your "Free Speech." It is not free from consequence. I, too, have experienced repercussions, both financial and career-wise, for my willingness to express my thoughts and opinions in the public square. For my outspoken support of parents who's children suffered neurological disorders from a mandated drug their pediatrician assured them was completely safe but turned out not to be, I lost work. In 2023, I was fired from a movie because of my opinions on the COVID vaccine and my public statements against people being forced to take it. I'm proud of that. And I was disgusted that Colbert had dancing syringes on his talk show, cajoling his audience into taking the experimental gene therapy while he and Kimmel and even President Biden shamed and belittled the unvaccinated. Kimmel even suggested that those who refused to take the 'vaccine' should be denied treatment in the hospital. While CBS claims the firing of Colbert is purely financial, his show being the most expensive in late night and being consistently walloped in ratings by the superior Gutfeld!, the timing is suspicious. Yes, these pricey late-night relics are on their way out. More people will read this tweet than the number of 18-35-year-old demographic that is the be-all-end-all for TV advertisers, so the writing was on the wall. But pissing off his bosses at the network made their financial decision even easier and apparently speedier. All of us who make our living being paid by the conglomerate behemoths who own and run show business must decide what, how much and when to use and exercise our freedom of speech. I, for one, value my freedom of speech more than making money at the expense of watching my culture and country get sucked into the Woke totalitarian demonizing, shaming and censoring machine that Colbert and Kimmel had no problem going along with and profiting from. Now the time has come when companies like CBS/Paramount, who used to be immediately cowed by the Woke mob of illiberal lunatics, are not so scared anymore. And they shouldn't be. The freak show Woke empire of intolerance and envy in the guise of good manners has fallen from its purity-enforced grace and America's flirtation with repackaged communism is dead. Finally, it may be okay to say on any remaining late-night talk shows that women do not have penises, men don't get pregnant, and children should not be mutilated. I wish Mr. Colbert much success in whatever he does next. Show business is a tough business.
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
The GOP's Medicaid Cuts Have a Very Convenient Timeline
Opinion Mary Ellen Klas, Columnist Voters in swing states are unlikely to punish lawmakers for slashing health-care benefits next year. Why? The pain is postponed until after the election. Save When President Donald Trump signed his tax bill into law, he acknowledged it included deep spending cuts but suggested people 'won't even notice it.' 'The people are happy, they're happy,' he added.
Wall Street Journal
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Democrats in Race to Separate Themselves from Biden
Now here's political irony for you. Democrats made Joe Biden their presidential nominee in 2020 despite his flagging ability to communicate because they had no viable alternatives to compete in swing states. By trying to run Mr. Biden again in 2024 despite his cognitive challenges, they may struggle to field such candidates for years to come. Some people think the heaviest political anchor weighing on Democrats is the wacky suite of progressive social policies endorsed by many of the party's candidates. But news out of the Michigan race for an open U.S. Senate seat in 2026 suggests that the most politically toxic position of all is to be tied to whoever was running the U.S. Government prior to January 20, 2025.
Fox News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem strategist behind racy attack ads says party doesn't need liberal Rogan but does need to win the culture
Democrats don't need a liberal version of Joe Rogan to win back young male voters — but they do need to engage them on cultural battlegrounds, according to progressive strategist Joe Jacobson. "Young men, they don't give two s---- about politics," Jacobson, founder of the Progress Action Fund, told Fox News Digital. "You have to reach them where they're at." Jacobson, 31, a former policy adviser in the Obama administration, now runs a progressive PAC focused on electing Democrats in swing states. His group is part of a broader push to reclaim younger male voters, a demographic that swung significantly toward Donald Trump in the 2024 election. According to a Fox News Voter Survey last November, Trump captured 53% of young men, compared to Kamala Harris' 45%. The Progress Action Fund has gained attention for its risqué, viral ads featuring a fictional "Republican Congressman" who invades private moments in bedrooms, bathrooms and hospitals to enforce so-called conservative policies, such as stopping sex, abortion or denying care to Medicare patients. "We're trying to highlight issues we care about – whether it's trans issues or immigration – because Democrats don't really seem to have a message," Jacobson said. He argues that Democrats have a dual problem: weak messaging and unrelatable messengers. "Kamala Harris wasn't the best messenger for young men. Biden, in 2024, was old – to say the least," he said. "Young men want strong leaders who can get s--- done. It's hard to care about the fate of democracy when you've got a couple of roommates, and you're trying to find a girlfriend." Instead of chasing a high-profile influencer like Rogan, Jacobson says Democrats should amplify authentic, progressive voices, naming David Hogg and Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., as figures he believes are more relevant to young men than the party's aging leadership. Jacobson's group is working to raise $25 million to target young men ahead of the 2026 midterms through ads on gaming sites and social media. He says traditional cable news buys on "CNN or MSNBC" are great for getting out the base but don't reach young men, who are more interested in social media, gaming and sports. Trump's 2024 media strategy capitalized on digital outreach, with Trump appearing with popular podcast hosts like Rogan, Andrew Schulz, and Theo Von. His appearance on the "Joe Rogan Experience" days before the election racked up nearly 40 million views in just three days. Jacobson's message comes amid broader Democratic efforts to regain cultural relevance online. Liberal strategists are urging major donors to fund "an army of left-leaning online influencers" to rival the GOP's edge in digital influence, according to the report. The Times called it a bold – and possibly desperate – gamble, noting that platforms like Rogan's podcast weren't built overnight or by political operatives. While Jacobson emphasized the need for compelling messengers, he also says Democrats must offer bold policies on the economy and social issues. "Nobody really cares about the future of democracy if you can't afford the rent," he said. He urged his party to stop surrendering on cultural issues and start fighting back, pointing to how effective Trump's "Kamala is for they/them, Trump is for you" ad was during the 2024 campaign. His group will be releasing a new ad featuring their fictional Republican character doing bathroom checks in response to the transgender debate, and another hitting Republicans over ICE raids. Despite disappointing results for Democrats in the 2024 election, Jacobson remains hopeful: "We have to seem like we're relatable and not in the ivory tower — which I certainly think has been a problem in the past. But we can get back there because we won in 2020 with young men. Obama did well with them. We just have to get back to what made us successful."
