Democrats ready for midterm blame game

Three weeks out from a midterm election that is beginning to look more and more like a big victory for Republicans, Democrats are starting to play the blame game. Former President Obama stepped into the spotlight over the weekend by warning fellow Democrats and progressives not to be a “buzzkill” by constantly scolding people for being politically incorrect. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is eyeing a potential run for president in 2024, says the party is spending too much time talking about abortion rights and not enough talking about economic inequality and that it didn’t go big enough in passing legislation to help Americans struggling to afford health care, prescription drugs and other basic needs. Meanwhile, younger House Democrats who are scrambling to keep their seats in Congress, including Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Mich.), argue the party leadership has fallen out of touch with many voters and have called for “a new generation” and “new blood” in charge of the party.

And many Democratic lawmakers have pointed to President Biden’s low approval rating as a drag on their own prospects. It all comes as recent polling has shown a Republican resurgence in key Senate and House races and left Democrats worrying they peaked too soon. Obama and Sanders both expressed a concern that’s becoming more and more widespread across the party: Did Democrats err in focusing on cultural fights and issues like abortion while ceding the stage to Republicans on inflation? “When we’re talking about putting together … durable majorities, we have to be able to speak to everybody about their common interests,” Obama said in an interview with “Pod Save America.” “Where we get into trouble sometimes is when we try to suggest that some groups are more — because they historically have been victimized more, that somehow they have a status that’s different than other people. “And that we’re going around scolding folks if they don’t use exactly the right phrase, or that identity politics becomes the principal lens through which we view our various political challenges,” he said. “Sometimes Democrats are [a buzzkill],” Obama observed. Obama’s first major interview of the midterm campaign season immediately generated media buzz at a time when party strategists are trying to put Republicans on the defensive instead of reflecting on the divisions of their own party.