There was a time when the Democratic Party struck a far more populist tone. Back during the “Blue Dog” era, when Democrats were trying to convince middle Americans that they shared their values and cared about protecting their gun rights, their jobs, and their faith. Then President Obama got elected, and they forgot all about that.
But it’s worth revisiting now. Why? Because President Trump is likely going to go to Congress to get funding for his wall, and he’s going to be the subject of a lot of criticism. Which is hilarious, because a lot of the key Democrats who will be opposing him once thought a wall was a pretty terrific idea. As the Daily Caller reports:
If Trump and Republicans follow through, a number of top Democrats will find they inadvertently handed Trump the border wall they now oppose. Their only option to block the construction would be to shut down the government over the matter by blocking the spending bill, a strategy they have consistently mocked and derided Republicans for using in the past.
In addition to then Sens. Obama, Biden and Clinton, 64 House Democrats and 23 Senate Democrats voted for the wall in 2006. Many of them are still in Congress, including newly-established Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Other Democrats in the Senate who voted for the wall in 2006 are Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA), Sherrod Brown (OH — then in the House), Tom Carper (DE), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Barbara Mikulski (MD), Bill Nelson (FL), Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Ron Wyden (OR).
There are also a number of Democrat representatives still in the House who voted for the bill: Sanford Bishop (GA), Michael Capuano (MA), Jim Cooper (TN), Jim Costa (CA), Peter DeFazio (OR), Steve Israel (NY), Ron Kind (WI), Daniel Lipinski (IL), Stephen Lynch (MA), Carolyn Maloney (NY), Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ), Collin Peterson (MN), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (MD), Tim Ryan (OH), and Adam Smith (WA).
If Team Trump is smart, they’ll ask these people to explain why they no longer think securing our southern border is a priority. Their constituents should too.
