All’s Quiet on the Democratic Front

Is anyone truly surprised that a 34-time convicted felon and convicted sexual assaulter is in the Epstein files? Not particularly. Reports have shown Americans think Trump knew about Epstein’s alleged crimes. The recent increase in pressure and urgency to release the Epstein files is both critical and necessary, but not because there are supposed connections with Trump. The importance behind the Epstein files getting released is the fact that the victims deserve justice for what happened, and the politicians and powerful figures behind the crimes ought to be held accountable.

Yet Democrats have been trying to hail this as a large win, getting the Epstein files out. But what else have Democrats even done? Not even what they have done. Where have they been? The second Trump term has been marked by a Constitutional crisis. Left and right crimes against rights are being convicted, and yet looking front, back, and center, no strong Democratic presence seems to be found.

An Economist/YouGov poll found 57% of Americans view the Democratic Party unfavorably. The Pew Research Center published polls showing that 74% of Democrats believe their elected officials are doing only a fair or poor job at pushing hard against Trump’s policies when they disagree. Yet 83% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say it is extremely or very important that Democratic elected officials push back against Trump’s policies when they disagree.

Trump has not made it difficult for Democratic officials to find policies to lambast. Consider the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Arguably, Democrats were not talking enough about how much it would add 3.8 trillion to the debt. They did not particularly open divisions in the Republican Party to vote against the bill. Regarding immigration, Democrats have grown quiet even when the crackdown on minority communities, including legal residents, has become more aggressive. There is no unified voice against these immigration policies. In 2017, when Trump imposed a travel ban from several Muslim-majority countries, Democratic advocates and lawmakers protested. Now, there is not a single strong counterresponse.

Healthcare? ACA subsidies are set to expire, and Americans who rely on them will have to switch to plans with lower monthly premiums, high deductibles, or no coverage at all, which have serious and damaging impacts on everyone. Premium tax credits are set to expire despite pushes from Democratic lawmakers and a small number of Republicans who tried to extend them for three years, but votes to preserve the credits failed to 60 minimum threshold. No plan has succeeded. And Democrats again are failing to use this failure to drive momentum and unity in their own party.

Even as voters reject Trump’s tariffs, inflation, and foreign policy, they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle every major issue except healthcare. Since 2020 til 2024, Democrats have lost ground to Republicans in every one of the 30 states that track voter registration, with a net swing of 4.5 million votes to Republicans. But Democrats seem to only be calling for intensifying “resistance” to Trump and hoping next year’s midterms will help them gain ground in both houses of Congress.

If, of course, Democrats manage to have major midterm wins, they still have to face their hemorrhaging of voters. If not, they can not effectively compete nationally or build large and lasting majorities. They have to show the country and voters that they have changed. Yet as much as Americans can look to blame Democrats for not doing enough, and to a large extent they aren’t, this also goes to reflect the deeply divisive nature of the American political system.

With only two parties, the second one has a strong majority in the House and Senate, so there is literally extremely little the opposing party can do. Regarding the shutdown, sure, Democrats could have dragged it down. But to gain what? Did they really believe Republicans would have made concessions? Why would they? They have all the playing cards, and they know it.

Polls have found rising third-party interest in both Republicans and Democrats. A majority of those polled said parties have become too extreme and have not been meeting voters where they are. Recent wins in gubernatorial campaigns such as Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, and Mikie Sherill in New Jersey show the Democratic Party making some gains – but not the “old” democratic party. The star of this show was New York’s Zohran

Mamdani, a self-described “Democratic Socialist,” certainly seems to be breathing a breath of fresh air into the party. In the US political system, having a successful third party with a solid chance of winning is unlikely…yet politicians who begin to show higher levels of plurality within their own parties could offer more hope and alternatives to voters. Or at least try to counteract the Trump administration.

Even with new figures rising, the political arena is bleak. Democrats truly do not seem to know what they are doing against Trump. This is beyond simple politics. People have been illegally deported and detained. Court orders are being ignored. Taxpayers’ money is going to building a new ballroom, rather than healthcare.

Vice President Harris said it best: “Both parties have failed to hold the public’s trust,” “Government is viewed as fundamentally unable to meet the needs of its people. In these and so many other ways, the people feel that the very institutions that were designed to support them have failed them. They are not wrong.”

Democrats have no clear vision for what comes before midterms, during them, and after. There is no desire for an endless Trump regime (except from Trump himself). Polls find his disapproval rating at 54%. The attacks in the Caribbean have alarmed lawmakers on the right and the left. The Epstein files are sure to reveal deeper political ties between politicians and crimes, healthcare is sure to continue to be in the crossfire, but all of it will mean nothing if Democrats can not act.

Democrats are being handed dynamite after dynamite of political ammunition, but until they learn to use it and unite, things will remain quiet on the Democratic front.