The Democratic Party is at a crossroads, and it needs to get its priorities in check, fast. As the Trump administration continues its agenda with executive orders like the one last Tuesday that expanded his power over independent regulatory agencies, it seems Democrats in the House and Senate are more concerned with admonishing their base rather than mounting any sort of opposition to fascism.
Axios reported on a closed-door meeting for House Democrats last week in which, according to anonymous sources, members of the Steering and Policy Committee complained about the volume of calls received from constituents at the behest of activist groups like MoveOn and Indivisible.
A senior House Democrat who spoke to Axios said that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) was “very frustrated” with these groups, who are concerned that the Democratic Party is failing to mount a meaningful resistance against Trump and the Republican agenda. Indivisible released an explainer detailing how the party can create roadblocks, including tactics like blanket opposition against all of Trump’s nominees, weaponizing quorum calls, and blocking unanimous consent. It rebuked Congressional Democrats’ fixation on decorum as hindering true opposition to a previously unseen “full MAGA takeover” of the federal government.
Groups like Indivisible and MoveOn are not radical or revolutionary by any means, but they are the heart of the Democratic Party’s on-the-ground operations and represent the broader demands of the base. By mobilizing supporters to call their representatives and demand stronger resistance to Trump’s agenda, they are fulfilling their exact role within the party — to give a voice to what voters are asking for. These groups are not the problem, they are the solution. The fact that Congressional Democrats are getting angry with them for demanding that elected representatives do their jobs rather than listening to them speaks volumes about the culture within the party.
In a news conference on Feb. 7, Jeffries said, “I’m trying to figure out what leverage we actually have,” referring to the fact that Republicans now control both chambers of Congress and the presidency. “It’s their government,” he continued.
I cannot imagine any Republican, much less the House leader for the party, throwing their hands up and saying there is nothing they can do. They would never say that it’s “the Democrats’ government.” Actual agenda and policies aside, the Republican Party has shown time and time again that with or without the majority, they get things done. Republicans know how to whip votes and stay unified against their enemies. Why don’t Democrats?
It isn’t that they don’t know how. It’s that they simply don’t want to. When it comes time to stop any sort of progressive momentum, establishment Democrats have shown that they do know how to band together and eliminate opponents. They were ruthless during Bernie Sanders’s runs for the presidential primaries in 2016 and 2020. So why do they not have this same energy when it comes to taking down an administration that has an openly fascist agenda? Is it because they are more aligned with its plan of deregulation and budget cuts than they would like to admit?
Democrats are more than willing to “meet in the middle” with Republicans on these policies, even if that middle only means light fascism rather than full fascism. This is because they are backed by the same corporate donors as the so-called opposition. At the end of the day, their true allegiance is to no one besides their wealthy benefactors. If that means accepting the mainstreaming of anti-science conspiracy theories, the erosion of the Department of Education, and a little bit of Nazi imagery in American politics, then so be it.
Congressional Democrats would rather fight with their base than cede even the slightest bit of ground to a more proactive agenda. They are content staying the party of lesser evils and quiet condemnation, but this position will not last much longer. According to a February poll from SurveyUSA, 60 percent of registered Democrats said Congressional Democrats aren’t doing enough to stand up to Trump. This is a staggering statistic. It proves that even the more moderate wings of Democratic voters are beginning to recognize the ineptitude of their party and demanding a change in leadership away from do-nothing representatives like Jeffries and Schumer.
The frustration with leaders like Jeffries is not just about his defeatist rhetoric or willingness to concede to Republican dominance. It’s about a broader failure of vision and courage within the Democratic Party. While Republicans wield power with ruthless efficiency, Democrats seem content to play the role of the polite opposition, even as the stakes grow higher by the day.
If Democrats want to remain relevant — and win back the trust of their base and the broader electorate — they must stop fighting their supporters and start fighting for them. That means listening to groups like Indivisible and MoveOn, embracing progressive energy and ideas, and finally mounting a real resistance to the Trump administration’s agenda. Anything less is not just a failure of leadership; it’s a betrayal of the principles the party claims to uphold.
The Zeitgeist aims to publish ideas worth discussing. The views presented are solely those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board.
