Band-Aid that has been slapped on the Democrats. They re-elected Rep. Steny Hoyer


of Maryland as the majority leader, and Rep. James E. Clyburn of South Carolina as the whip — a leadership team that has not changed in over a decade. This is remarkable, given the number of freshman who ran against Pelosi on the campaign trail. The only small surprise was Rep.


Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who was elected as caucus chair, beating out Rep. Barbara Lee of California for the fourth-ranking leadership position. If an internecine war breaks out


between the party’s pragmatists and the left, it risks not only failing to get anything done, but losing the faith from the electorate that sent them to Washington to enact real change. The loudest narrative emanating


from the midterm election cycle was resistance to President Trump, and this strategy hurt Democrats in the Senate, where Republicans were able to increase their majority from 51 to 53, and flipped well-entrenched Demo- crats like Bill Nelson in Florida and Claire McCaskill in Missouri. Democrats made no real prog-


ress in Red states that are becoming increasingly alienated from the leftist rhetoric that is arising from the main- stream media. Moderate Democrats must counter the narrative that the party is moving as far left as socialism. We are a center-right nation, and moderates and independents in states like Missouri, Florida, and Indiana, who have traditionally been a critical demographic for Democrats in Repub- lican states, indicated with their votes that the Democrats have simply gone too far left. More than a year ago, Indiana Sen.


Joe Donnelly had an over 50 percent approval rating, according to a Morn- ing Consult poll, with only 25 percent disapproving. Yet on election day, he lost by six points.


It is critical for Democrats to show they have a proactive governing agenda that appeals to the broadest set of voters, not just the loudest voices in the party.


Bill Nelson, an 18-year incumbent,


was narrowly but definitively defeated by former Florida Gov. Rick Scott. While he enjoyed endorsements all the way up to former President Barack Obama, Nelson, like most Democrats on the national stage, was unable to effectively communicate his common sense policies to voters. Nelson, one of the most effective moderate Democratic senators on a number of successful bipartisan coalitions, was overshadowed by the national narrative of radical Demo- crats. It was only in the House elections,


where Democratic candidates were able to escape the national stories and focus on local politics and common sense reforms that they were able to prevail and help flip 40 Republicans. To be clear, it was not an anti-


Trump resistance that won the Demo- crats the House. Democrats took back the House


because of well-articulated moderate policy platforms, with a crucial focus on local issues. Whether it was fighting for cover-


ing pre-existing conditions in health- care, common sense gun reform, or arguing against Republican support of local tax deductions being capped, it was tangible policies that hard-work- ing Americans see and feel every day that won the election for Democrats. In many swing districts, rebuking


Trump would have hurt Democrats more than help them. Additionally, there was a broad-swathed genera- tional shift that saw decades-long Democratic incumbents losing in pri- maries and a record number of women entering the new Congress. Having regained power in Wash-


ington, Democrats must now lead a unified body. While moderation won the con-


gressional election, progressivism without conciliation and legislative compromise could cost the Democrats control of the House and the presi- dency in 2020. Indeed, the Democrats’ biggest


enemy could be like Pogo’s lament: We have met the enemy and he is us. A resistence mantra that, while


truly powerful with many voters in the Democratic base, is not what the majority of voters want to see from their new government and it will halt progress on getting anything done. Further, it is critical for Democrats


to show they have a proactive govern- ing agenda that appeals to the broad- est set of voters, not just the loudest voices in the party. The next two years in Congress will


be instrumental for framing the 2020 presidential election. Democrats must internalize the policy positions that put them in power, and not succumb to the loudest and most extreme voices in their ranks. The post-election excitement has


dwindled and now the party will be put to the test. Perhaps, just as the Tea Party has


largely faded from the American polit- ical scene, the new left and its outspo- ken members will be just another fad in our political thought as our country grapples to come back to the center.


Douglas E. Schoen is a Democratic pollster, strategist, and best-selling author. His latest book is Putin’s Master Plan: To Destroy Europe, Divide NATO, and Restore Russian Power and Global Influence.


JANUARY 2019 | NEWSMAX 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92