You have to hand it to the Democrats; they don't believe in half measures when it comes to describing the parade of horribles that will result any time a Republican does anything.
Oppose censorship? Fascist?! Close the border? Gestapo! Close down USAID? One hundred thousand people a month are already dying! Reduce the federal workforce? You are murdering the fine patriots who efficiently and effectively keep our country running.
UNHINGED: @SenSchumer says "WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE" if we pass the largest tax cut in history, block illegals from taxpayer-funded health care, and cut the deficit.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 4, 2025
These are NOT serious people. pic.twitter.com/AFeiDuaYjR
Still, Chuck Schumer's characterization of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" as the "We are all going to die" bill takes the cake when it comes to deploying ridiculous rhetoric to get a point across.
I'm not sure I have ever seen its like. Sure, climate change fanatics keep promising the imminent apocalypse, but usually, they set the date of death at some point in the future, knowing that everybody will forget by the time that date arrives. And with decades of propaganda to back up the climate alarmism, it has the sheen of plausibility that appeals to the credulous.
Schumer, though, is making bold claims that more obviously have the smell of political panic. Linking the apocalypse to a tax cut bill with some welfare reform attached to it--that is what the Medicaid cuts amount to--is bound to make it into the annals of absurd political posturing.
Yet that is where the Democrats are. They have so exhausted the arsenal of scary terms they can deploy that there was nowhere else to go.
Sure, they still trot out the Nazi tropes, now accusing ICE of being secret policemen spiriting away political prisoners and sending them to death camps.
It is absolutely sickening for Congressman Goldman to compare ICE law enforcement agents to the Nazi Gestapo.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 30, 2025
When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being… pic.twitter.com/bViLm1VEYQ
The result? Donald Trump's highest approval rating is on the issue of immigration. Either Americans want a Gestapo to be roaming the land, or they think the Democrats are nuts.
Nazi, fascist, baby killer, Russian stooge...none of it moves the needle at all.
So now Chuck Schumer literally goes to "We are all going to die."
Chuck Schumer demands an apology from Elon Musk on behalf of Americans.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) June 3, 2025
16% of Americans approve of Schumer’s leadership.
Speak for yourself, Chuck. pic.twitter.com/bPnJ5wNV4b
Is it any wonder that even Democrats don't like Democratic Party leaders?
I was chatting with a former colleague of mine who chaired the Political Science Department when I taught, and we were discussing the Democratic Party's prospects for recovery. We both concluded that the party was irreparable, but that doesn't mean they will be unsuccessful in Congressional elections or that they are totally shut out of national politics.
That sounds odd, I know, but hear me (us) out.
The problem they have is that the core ideology and the dominant voices in the Democratic Party are repulsive to a majority of Americans. This is the party of AOC, racialism, and critical theory. They abhor ordinary Americans and think of us as almost subhumans who need to be reeducated and ruled.
But...they are the only serious alternative to the Republicans, and when people think the Republicans are screwing up, voting for Democrats is the best way to punish them. Democrats can ride anti-Republican waves or rely on impulses to check a party that voters think is too big for its britches. They will be voting for divided government.
Democratic ideology and leaders don't have persuasive power or the ability to attract people, but when they are out of power, they may be seen as a check on Republican excess. And since recent gerrymandering almost guarantees that Democrats will remain in striking distance of majorities, they may luck into office.
In other words, Democratic prospects will rely on public opinion regarding Republicans. Democrats will have a terrible time ATTRACTING votes, but that doesn't mean they won't be able to scrape enough together if people are dissatisfied with Republicans.
The "we are all going to die" messaging isn't persuasive, but it moves Democrats who already hate Republicans. It keeps them ginned up, and as long as that is the case, the Democrats will keep the messaging going. Unaffiliated voters dislike Democrats and won't be persuaded, but they may still vote against Republicans if they are unhappy.
So we both concluded that the Democratic Party is effectively dead as an ideological force, but may still win some elections.
Go figure.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member