‘Discomfort’ among Democrats over ‘heckling’: Sarah Bedford
The Washington Examiner report by Sarah Bedford analyzes Democratic discomfort over fellow lawmakers’ heckling of president Trump during his State of the Union address. It notes Trump’s sharp remarks about Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib and describes tensions within the Democratic ranks, including leadership concerns and calls from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to calm down to avoid fitting Trump’s narrative of irrationality.Bedford suggests voters want stronger, more decisive leadership rather than obstruction, and that the party’s strategy is unsettled as a possible Department of Homeland Security shutdown looms. While Republicans have used the moment in ads to capitalize on the scene, Democratic strategists view any national impact as limited, likely affecting only certain districts. The piece cites a CNN poll indicating that nearly two-thirds of State of the Union viewers approved of Trump’s speech.
‘Discomfort’ among Democrats over members ‘heckling’ Trump’s State of the Union: Sarah Bedford
Washington Examiner investigations editor Sarah Bedford said there is frustration within the Democratic Party over the “unhinged way” some members protested Tuesday’s State of the Union.
President Donald Trump called out Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Wednesday for their heckling during his speech, suggesting they “should either be institutionalized or deported.” Following this annual speech, Bedford said there is “discomfort” within Democratic circles over how some members appeared as Trump spoke at the Capitol.
“That’s not something the Democratic congressional leadership wanted to see from their members, there was a sort of admonition from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries [D-NY] for just everyone to cool it, don’t make us look dumb, and it feeds into the narrative that Donald Trump has about congressional Democrats when he stood there at the podium and called them crazy and said they’re impossible to work with and they’re irrational,” Bedford said on the Hugh Hewitt Show, guest-hosted by Kurt Schlichter.
“Then in some ways, a few of them sort of proved Donald Trump right by screaming at him and refusing to stand for the notion that the government should support American citizens over illegal immigrants,” Bedford said. “They sort of played right into Donald Trump’s trap, so optically, it wasn’t a very good night for Democrats.”
Bedford asked if former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) would have allowed this “nonsense” to take place in her party. She added that Democrats “don’t have a leader in Congress or really anywhere,” which is building frustration within the party’s voter base.
Bedford said Democrats are reading the frustration that the voter base wants the party to be “more obstructionist” to Trump’s agenda, which is playing a role in the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown. However, this isn’t “necessarily” what these voters want.
“They just want to see some sort of strong leadership in Washington; they don’t really have that right now,” Bedford said.
NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF STATE OF THE UNION VIEWERS APPROVE OF TRUMP SPEECH: CNN POLL
American Sovereignty launched an ad campaign on Thursday highlighting a portion of the State of the Union, showing Democrats sitting when Trump asks lawmakers to stand if they believe “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.” The ad campaign comes as the Republican Party faces an uphill battle to keep control of the House of Representatives this November.
Democratic strategists, however, are dismissing the possibility of the State of the Union hurting the party’s chances in the midterm elections. Democratic strategist Jon Reinish argued any impact would likely be limited to individual districts rather than creating a broad national shift.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
