New York Democrat fears 'hysterical' resistance will crowd out much-needed restructuring of the party
Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., on Monday said members of the "hysterical" and "hyperbolic" side of his party risk pushing back on the restructuring that Democrats need.
On his "Making Sense" podcast, host Sam Harris asked Torres about whether he believed the Democratic Party will begin swinging further to the left or moderate itself after losing ground with working-class voters in 2024.
Torres remarked that "it remains to be seen," though he's seen recognition that the party was likely too far left on immigration issues. In the meantime, he urged there to be a "fundamental restructuring" of the party and "return to a rational center."
He feared President Donald Trump and the "Team Resistance" Democrats would prevent that from happening.
"There's a divide between what I would say are two teams in the Democratic Party," Torres said. "There's Team Restraint and Team Resistance, right? There are those in Team Resistance who feel like we should react hysterically to everything that Donald Trump says or does, and then there are those who feel like we should pick and choose our battles and be strategic."
He continued, "But I worry that the momentum is on the side of hysterical, hyperbolic resistance, and the enormous expenditure of time and energy in resistance might crowd out the restructuring and moderation that needs to happen within the Democratic Party."
Torres has been a vocal critic of his party for "pandering" to the far left and has gone so far as to blame them for Trump's re-election in November.
"Donald Trump has no greater friend than the far left, which has managed to alienate historic numbers of Latinos, Blacks, Asians, and Jews from the Democratic Party with absurdities like 'Defund the Police' or 'From the River to the Sea' or 'Latinx,'" Torres wrote on X following the 2024 election.
Torres himself has received backlash from progressives for his support for Israel in its war against Hamas.
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