Just what will Democrats do with control of Congress, assuming that the midterms go their way in both the House and Senate? Focus on economic issues near and dear to voters’ hearts? Rebuild infrastructure? Not exactly. Kirsten Gillibrand told an OzyFest panel this weekend that the biggest priorities on the Democratic agenda will be … socialized medicine, gun-grabbing, and abolishing ICE (via Townhall):

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said Sunday that the “first thing” Democrats should do if they flip the House and Senate is to “get rid of” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“So when we flip the House and flip the Senate, I think the first thing we should do is deal with the children who have been separated from their families at the border. I think we should get rid of ICE,” Sen. Gillibrand said at New York City’s OZY Fest 2018.

That’s not the only prescription Democrats have for what’s ailing America. Gillibrand wants to push through a whole package of gun-control laws, including one aimed at something called “large magazine clips.” It’s great to see ignorance so enthusiastically on display in public by elected officials, right? Then, after acknowledging that the federal government takeover of health insurance markets failed badly in ObamaCare, Gillibrand then advises that Democrats want the federal government to take the whole thing over with “Medicare for All.”

However, it’s the abolish-ICE sloganeering that’s going to leave the biggest mark. Democrats still apparently haven’t caught up to the fact that family separations are very unpopular (and for good reason), but that an overwhelming majority of Americans want border security enforced (in a WaPo poll, 65% want more resources allocated for enforcement) even if that means detaining families together (58/39). Among battleground voters in the same poll, voters trusted Trump more than Democrats by twenty points, 45/25. Gillibrand seems doubly intent on channeling her inner Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez despite every indication that the original is fast becoming an embarrassment to her party on the national stage.

Actually, the whole clip is an exercise in cognitive dissonance, starting with the framing of what started to be a pretty good question. The host remarks that Democrats had total control of Washington in Barack Obama’s first two years, and it seems as though the question will be, “Why didn’t you address immigration reform and gun control while you had the opportunity?” Instead, she bricks it with a lame “why won’t Republicans compromise?” softball. By the time we get to the inevitable Merrick Garland reference, you can be sure it comes completely shorn of context, such as what Democrats did to Miguel Estrada and several other Bush-era nominees first.

By the way, Democratic party leadership is actually pretty desperate to shift their messaging to the economy. Don’t tell Gillibrand, though, lest she double down on Ocasio-Cortez’ “Democratic Socialism.” Oh, wait …. too late.