Democratic Party strategist Julian Epstein appeared Monday on Fox Business to discuss what he said are systemic failures within the party.
During an appearance on “The Evening Edit,” Epstein said Democrats have strayed from the essentials of effective governance, focusing instead on divisive rhetoric and inefficient projects. Epstein also said the party was indulging in name-calling, labeling opponents as Nazis and racists, which detracts from constructive political discourse.
“They don’t know how to build, and what the Democrats do for the most part is they do a lot of name calling. They call people Nazis and racists, but people can’t identify anything in a positive sense that Democrats are actually doing to improve people’s lives,” Epstein said. “The segue into this DOGE stuff is they’re defending these institutions in an era of intense anti-institutional sentiment.”
Epstein also touched on what he perceives as a reluctance within the Democratic ranks to confront corruption and mismanagement.
“It seems like the Democrats are scared of what might come out, whether it is fraud, waste and abuse. Whether it is the cultural revolution that some of these agencies were trying to promote through their grant giving or whether it was the cronyism. The piece that you just pointed out in the New York Post yesterday on all of the money that was supposed to go to Haiti, and most of it ended up in D.C. NGOs,” Epstein added. “There seems to be a fair amount of cronyism, and Democrats, rather than trying to fix the problem and actually make government work, seem like they’re hiding and want to keep hidden the most atrocious abuses of the system.”
Public opinion polls say that there is discontent with the Democratic Party, with their approval ratings plummeting to just 31 percent, significantly lower than President Donald Trump’s, which hover in the mid-50’s. Epstein cited concerns from major Democratic donors who say they are increasingly hesitant to fund what they see as a directionless party relying on an outdated strategy.
“It’s no wonder that Democrats’ numbers are at 31% approval, and when you get down to the congressional numbers, as you just pointed out, [they] are even lower, while Trump’s is up in the mid-50s,” Epstein said.
Host Elizabeth MacDonald discussed the significant drop in donor support within the party.
Epstein responded.
“If you look at the street protests and barricades that they did last week and the week before, they look like geriatric escapees from the Coast of Saint Elizabeth. It was like a bad Saturday Night Live Skit, and, you know, we all can relate to that person in our friend group that’s always complaining, is always negative and never has anything positive to say,” Epstein said.
Democrats are eager to revamp their party following President Trump’s November victory, yet they face a significant hurdle: a lack of funds. Donors to the Democratic Party, ranging from major bundlers to small-dollar contributors, say they are frustrated with the outcome of the last election and a lack of inspiration from recent party initiatives.
A recent poll says that Americans’ approval of congressional Democrats has dropped to a record low of 21%, while congressional Republicans have reached an all-time high in approval. The Quinnipiac University poll says that 68% of voters disapprove of the Democrats’ performance in Congress, with 11% withholding their opinion.
A Harvard CAPS / Harris poll also says that 58% of voters prefer Trump over former President Joe Biden, reflecting on the first month of Trump’s second term with a 52% approval rating. Additionally, 72% of voters support the creation of a government agency dedicated to efficiency initiatives.
Featured Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America
