Democrats are spiraling into irrelevance. Good riddance
This week, a Quinnipiac University poll revealed that congressional Democrats have a minuscule 19% approval rating — an all-time low in the history of that particular poll. Earlier in the week, a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll similarly found that the party as a whole has an approval rating of 40% — considerably lower than the Republican Party's 48% approval rating found by the same poll. Nor can Democrats necessarily rely on any GOP infighting to redound, in seesaw-like fashion, to their own benefit; for all the sturm und drang generated by the 'Epstein files' affair, President Trump's approval ratings have actually increased among Republicans this month.
The issue for Democrats is that their current unpopularity is not a byproduct of the political scandals of the day or the vicissitudes of Trump's polarizing social media feeds. Rather, the problem for Democrats is structural — and it requires a rethink and a reboot from soup to nuts. As this column argued last November, it is clear that Barack Obama's winning 2008 political coalition — comprising racial and ethnic minorities, young people and highly educated white voters — has completely withered. 'Obamaism' is dead — and Democrats have to reconcile themselves to that demise. At minimum, they should stop taking advice from Obama himself; the 44th president was Kamala Harris' top 2024 campaign trail surrogate, and we saw how that worked out.
In order for the party to rise up anew, as has often happened throughout American history following a period of dominance from a partisan rival, Democrats are going to have to move beyond their intersectional obsessions and woke grievances that have so greatly alienated large swaths of the American people on issues pertaining to race, gender, immigration, and crime and public safety. And the good news, for conservative Americans who candidly wish the Democratic Party nothing but the worst, is that Democrats seem completely incapable of doing this.
Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old recent winner of New York City's much-discussed Democratic mayoral primary, is a case in point.
The Ugandan-born Shiite Muslim Mamdani is a democratic socialist, but he is better understood as a full-fledged communist. That isn't hyperbole: One merely needs to consider his proposed policies for New York City and review his broader history of extreme far-left political rhetoric. Mamdani won the primary, and is now seeking the mayor's office, on a genuinely radical platform: support for citywide 'free' bus rides, city-owned grocery stores, a full rent freeze on certain low-income units, outright seizure of private property from arbitrarily 'bad' landlords, race-based taxation (an assuredly unconstitutional proposal), a $30 minimum wage and more. A true Marxist, Mamdani has said 'abolition of private property' would be an improvement over existing inequality. And he has something of a penchant for quoting Marx's 'Communist Manifesto' too.
But Mamdani's communism is only part of his overall political persona. He also emphasizes, and trades in, exactly the sort of woke culture warring and intersectional identity politics that have defined the post-Obama Democratic Party. Mamdani is a long-standing harsh critic of Israel who had declined to distance himself from the antisemitic rallying cry 'globalize the intifada.' Most recently, he also opposed Trump's decision to have the U.S. intervene in last month's Israel-Iran war, condemning it as a 'new, dark chapter' that could 'plunge the world deeper into chaos.' (In the real world, there were zero American casualties, and the bombing run was followed promptly by a ceasefire.)
There is, to be sure, nothing good down this road for denizens of New York City. If Mamdani wins this fall, expect a massive exodus of people, businesses and capital from the Big Apple — probably to the Sun Belt. But even more relevant: There is nothing good down that road for the national Democratic Party, as a whole. In order to demonstrate that the party has learned anything from its 2024 shellacking and its current abysmal standing, it will have to sound and act less crazy on the tangible issues that affect Americans' day-to-day lives.
That isn't happening. If Mamdani's rise is representative — and it may well be, especially as other far-left firebrands like Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) continue to make outsize noise — then Democrats seem to be moving in the exact opposite direction: full-on Marxism and woke craziness. If the party continues down this path, it will experience nothing but mid- to long-term political pain. But as one of the aforementioned conservatives who wishes the Democratic Party nothing but the worst, I'm not too upset about that.
Josh Hammer's latest book is 'Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.' This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Miami Herald
a minute ago
- Miami Herald
Why tariffs may not be a big deal after all
Key Points: Tariffs initially caused market anxiety and a 19% S&P 500 decline from February to April.A feared spike in inflation from tariffs hasn't materialized yet. Companies have largely managed tariffs by negotiating lower prices, absorbing costs, or modest price increases, keeping overall inflation mostly in have rebounded as the tariff impact proved less severe than expected. Better-than-forecast outcomes and ongoing trade deals have lifted the S&P 500 to an all-time estimated tariff duties are not being collected because of enforcement complexity. This, along with over 50% of imports not being subject to tariffs, has lessened the drag on the economy. It wasn't that long ago that President Donald's Trump's tariff strategy kicked up a hornet's next of debate. Those favoring tariffs, which are taxes on imports, argue that they are the best way to kick-start U.S. manufacturing. Opponents believe tariffs are inflationary, sparking higher prices that can derail the U.S. economy, risking recession. The truth may wind up landing somewhere in the middle. Tariffs can slow an economy, particularly if they increase quickly and significantly, like what President Trump originally proposed this spring. However, billionaire fund manager Ken Fisher, founder of Fisher Investments, points out that in the U.S., tariffs' impact may be more muted than expected. Image source:Legendary fund manager Paul Tudor Jones equated the originally proposed tariffs as the biggest new tax since the 1960s. In February, President Trump enacted 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. He also implemented a 25% tariff on autos, a 10% tariff on all imports, and after much wrangling, a 30% tariff on China. Related: Billionaire fund manager explains why so many missed the stock market rally The end result of those tariffs is that the average effective tariff rate currently is 20.2%, the highest since 1911, according to the Yale Budget Lab. JPMorgan Chase calculates the effective tariff rate was 2.3% in 2024, and is about 17% currently. Either way, a big bump in import taxes led many to worry that U.S. companies would be forced to pass along higher-than-normal price increases, causing inflation to spike and household and business spending to fall. That concern contributed heavily to the S&P 500's 19% tumble from all-time highs in February to the low in April. While risk remains that companies will see revenue growth and earnings slow because of the impact of tariffs, so far, inflation remains manageable. The Consumer Price Index for June showed headline inflation of 2.7%, up from 2.4% in May, but below the 3% inflation rate registered in January. It appears as of now that companies are successfully navigating the tariff hit, mostly through a combination of negotiating lower prices with exporters, absorbing some of the costs, and more modest price increases. More Tariffs: Luxury carmakers have a more aggressive tariff battle planTop 6 cars, SUVs, & trucks that may avoid tariffs, Consumer Reports saysAmazon's quiet pricing twist on tariffs stuns shoppersLevi's shares plan to beat tariffs, keep holiday prices down Of course, some industries - such as autos, appliances, apparel, and furniture - are hit harder by tariffs. Still, overall, inflation has yet to reach levels suggesting a major retrenchment in spending that could further weaken the economy. The better-than-hoped outcome, coupled with optimism that ongoing trade deals, such as the one recently reached with Japan, which lowered tariffs to 15% from 25%, would result in lower tariffs than initially feared, has helped the stock market recover all of its losses since February. The S&P 500 closed on July 26 at an all-time high. Ken Fisher founded Fisher Investments, a money manager with $332 billion in assets under management, in 1979. Over his 45-plus year career, Fisher has seen a lot of good and bad economies and markets. Related: Another automaker is forced to shift strategy due to tariffs He's not a fan of tariffs, saying previously that they historically hurt the country imposing them more than the country they've been imposed upon. Still, he also points out that the widespread threat associated with a tariff-driven economic recession may not be as big as some make it out to be. "Tariff terror abounds, but 'tariffied' investors miss what markets don't," wrote Fisher on X. "While universal tariffs are foolish and a real economic negative, their real world bite is often muted." Fisher had previously forecast that enforcing tariffs would be incredibly difficult, and that we'd see significant difficulty in collecting them. He also opined that high tariffs would likely cause the black-market import business to soar. He appears to be right. "Through June, roughly 39% of estimated tariffs duties were actually collected - far less than many feared - owing to tariff enforcement's complexity," said Fisher. "Markets move on the gap between reality and expectations, and it's always bullish when reality settles in better than overly dour expectations." Fisher also pointed out that over 50% of imports aren't subject to tariffs. This isn't to say that the U.S. economy would be better off without tariffs in terms of growth, but only that the drag on the economy may not be as bad as originally feared. According to Yale Budget Lab, current tariffs are reducing U.S. GDP this year by about 0.8%. In short, the stock market priced in a worst-case outcome from tariffs, providing plenty of room for positive surprises. Anything less than terrible can be viewed as a win that may lift analysts expectations for revenue and profit growth - the lifeblood of stock market returns. Related: Legendary fund manager has blunt message on 'Big Beautiful Bill' The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.


New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
Deranged easyJet flier yells, ‘I've got a bomb!' and threatens Trump before hero passengers tackle him
A deranged passenger Sunday forced an emergency landing at Scotland's Glasgow Airport after yelling he had a bomb on board and wanted to 'send a message' to President Trump, who is visiting there. Harrowing footage aboard easyJet Flt. 609 showed the moment the suspect, who has only been identified as a 41-year-old man, began shouting, 'Allahu Akbar!' and making threats at Trump, who was just an hour away at his Turnberry golf course. 'I'm going to bomb the plane! Death to America! Death to Trump!' the man yelled before he was quickly tackled to the ground by fellow passengers. 4 A man shouting, 'Death to America!' and claiming to have a bomb on board an easyJet flight causes an emergency landing Sunday. X/Inteltower 4 Other passengers quickly pin him down and berate him for threatening their lives. X/Inteltower The incident happened around 8 a.m., just an hour after the plane took off from London's Luton Airport, with the suspect shouting his threats after coming out of the bathroom, a witness told The Sun. 'At that point, one guy managed to grab him from behind and pull him down, then everyone jumped on top of him,' the passenger said. 'He was fighting a bit on the floor, but at this point, he knew he'd f—ked up.' The men holding the suspect in place could be seen then interrogating him, with several passengers slamming him as an 'idiot' for threatening innocent people in a stunt directed toward Trump. 4 One of the men who held down the suspect called him an 'idiot' for the stunt, which was allegedly aimed at President Trump. X/Inteltower The hero passengers were able to keep the man in place until the jet landed and police and airport officials confirmed there were no explosives on board as they took the suspect into custody. As authorities walked the suspect down the aisle, he could be heard asking about his missing phone and wallet, prompting a passenger to yell, 'F–k off!' with the plane bursting into laughter. Scotland police said the case remains under investigation, with officials noting that the man appeared to act alone with no greater threat to the public. 4 Trump was playing golf at his Turnberry resort about an hour away from Glasgow Airport. REUTERS EasyJet confirmed that a suspect had been arrested by police after the emergency landing. 'Flight EZY609 from Luton to Glasgow this morning was met by police on arrival in Glasgow, where they boarded the aircraft and removed a passenger due to their behavior onboard,' the company said in a statement. 'The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always easyJet's highest priority,' the company added.


New York Post
a minute ago
- New York Post
How the Hunter Biden cover-up continues to this day
In the same week that Hunter Biden burst back onto the public stage to play the victim and lash out at Democrats, we also heard from his one time protector turned reluctant nemesis, Special Counsel David Weiss, with similarly self serving and disingenuous testimony to Congress. Weiss, the former US Attorney in the Bidens' home state of Delaware who presided over the troubled five year investigation into the former First Son, told the House Judiciary Committee that there just wasn't enough evidence to justify charging Hunter under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). His investigators 'couldn't put together a sufficient case,' he said in June testimony released last week. Advertisement That's pretty rich, considering that those very IRS investigators complained bitterly about the obstruction and slow walking they faced on Weiss' watch every time they pursued an investigative trail that led to Joe Biden and the lucrative foreign lobbying Hunter did in his father's name. That's why IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and Special Agent Joseph Ziegler blew up their successful careers and became whistleblowers. Hunter's business model during his father's vice presidency and beyond revolved around foreign lobbying — including for the corrupt Ukrainian energy company Burisma that was paying him a million dollars a year, Chinese government-linked firms BHR and CEFC, and an oligarch client in Romania. Advertisement In fact, the very first email this newspaper published from Hunter's infamous laptop was from a Burisma executive, thanking him for arranging a meeting with his father the previous night. It wasn't just any old meeting, either. Hunter had invited VP Biden to a private dinner at Georgetown restaurant Cafe Milano in April 2015 to meet his partners from Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan, as his former 'best friend in business' Devon Archer told Congress. In their upcoming tell-all book, 'The Whistleblowers v the Big Guy,' Shapley and Ziegler point out that, along with that Burisma bombshell, emails and communications they recovered from the laptop showed that Hunter's relationship with DC lobbying shop Blue Star Strategies was tied to his position on the Burisma board and that the firm had been hired 'to influence U.S. government officials on Burisma's behalf.' Advertisement 'These connections raised red flags about potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act FARA and any comprehensive warrant would naturally include references to individuals who may have been involved, even tangentially.' And so, when their team drafted a search warrant related to potential FARA violation, Weiss' top U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf ordered them to remove all references to 'Political Figure 1,' the DOJ pseudonym for Joe Biden. 'Please focus on FARA evidence only. There should be nothing about Political Figure 1 in here,' Wolf wrote in an August 2020 email, according to their whistleblower testimony to Congress. Advertisement Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! Whenever their investigations might lead to Joe Biden they found subpoenas were denied, interviews were canceled or not allowed, and Hunter's lawyers were tipped off before search warrants could be executed. Prosecutors cited bad 'optics' or questioned whether the 'juice was worth the squeeze' For instance, Shapley testified that Wolf refused to approve a search warrant for a guest house Hunter had been staying in on Joe's palatial Delaware estate as part of FARA-related evidence collection. When they discovered incriminating WhatsApp messages Hunter wrote to a business partner at Chinese energy company CEFC on July 30, 2017, citing his father, the investigators were blocked from using phone location data to confirm that Joe really was in the room. 'I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,' Hunter wrote, demanding $10 million. 'I am very concerned that the Chairman has either changed his mind and broken our deal without telling me or that he is unaware of the promises and assurances that have been made have not been kept.' Advertisement Hunter also threatened that his father would retaliate if the Chinese did not do as he commanded: 'I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction.' Here was Hunter explicitly claiming his father was involved in his business negotiations. Apart from the fact that Joe claimed that he knew nothing about his son's overseas business dealings, Shapley and Ziegler decided there were serious tax implications to the conversation, but they were blocked from pursuing them. They weren't even allowed to find out if Hunter had sent the message from Joe's house. 'The message was clear,' Shapley and Ziegler write in 'The Whistleblowers v. the Big Guy.' 'Although we were investigating Joe Biden's son — who, it seemed, had often involved his father in his shady overseas business dealings — none of our materials were supposed to mention Joe Biden. Advertisement 'Even when we needed material that might be in one of Joe Biden's homes or storage units, we couldn't mention him. The document might leak to the press, and that would make the Biden campaign look bad. 'And in the summer of 2020, there was nothing that the leadership of the FBI wanted less than to make Joe Biden look bad. Doing so might help elect Donald Trump for a second time.' How different was the way the FBI handled Donald Trump compared to Joe Biden. Whether it was the fake Steele Dossier the FBI treated as if it were legitimate evidence, or the raid on Mar a Lago, there was no concern about the 'optics' of investigating a sitting president or presidential candidate when it was Trump. Advertisement As for FARA, the once little-used law against lobbying the US on behalf of foreign interests has been selectively used to target Trump allies and Democrat enemies. For example, Paul Manafort, former chairman of Trump's 2016 campaign, was charged with FARA. So, too, was Gal Luft, the original Hunter Biden whistleblower, who told FBI and DOJ officials in a March 2019 secret meeting in Brussels that Hunter and his uncle Jim Biden were on the payroll of the Chinese. His accurate information was buried and then, one week before Republicans took back the House in 2022, Luft was charged with FARA and other violations. He is currently languishing in jail in Cyprus while Hunter escaped scot free. Advertisement In the last days of his presidency, Joe issued a uniquely tailored pardon for his son, stretching back 11 years and covering Hunter's conviction on gun charges and guilty plea on felony tax evasion charges that Weiss was forced to press after the sweetheart plea deal he'd stitched together with Hunter's lawyers fell apart in the wake of Shapley and Ziegler's revelations. In the end, Weiss forced the IRS to remove Shapley and Ziegler from the investigation as soon as he suspected Shapley had blown the whistle. The Office of Special Counsel last year determined that the IRS had illegally retaliated against the pair by removing them from the investigation after they made protected disclosures to Congress about DOJ interference in the probe. All the obstruction and interference and slow walking past statutes of limitation happened under the benign leadership of David Weiss. So spare us his mealy mouthed justifications for squibbing what should have been the most consequential political corruption investigation in history.