Latest news with #ChuckRocha
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
High court ruling on reverse discrimination a no-brainer: Chuck Rocha
(NewsNation) — The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected legal precedent that people in a majority group have a higher standard for proving discrimination. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha agrees with the high court decision. 'Discrimination doesn't say, 'Oh, you have to be black,' or, 'You have to be a woman,' or, 'You have to be gay.' … Discrimination means you're treating me different,' he says on 'CUOMO.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Where's the due process? Trump deportation agenda escalates
Chuck Rocha and Mark McKinnon discuss the latest developments in the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown, including a Justice Department plan to reportedly use FBI, drug and firearm agents to support deportations. Plus, a judge moves to allow the president to use a wartime power to deport Venezuelan migrants.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Biden's media blitz met with Democratic disdain, wishes he would 'go away'
President Joe Biden's media blitz was met with criticism last week as the former president returned to the spotlight to speak out about the 2024 election, his decision to exit the race and the allegations about his mental fitness in several books about the election. "It's time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle," Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha told Politico. "Every time he appears on a show or says something, it's just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again." Biden spoke to the BBC on Wednesday and with ABC's "The View" on Thursday, where he was also joined by his wife, former First Lady Jill Biden. The former president notably said it wouldn't have mattered if he exited the race sooner, and revealed he wasn't surprised former Vice President Kamala Harris lost. "For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you're constantly reminded about the old brand that won't go away," Rocha added. He told the outlet that the only good thing about Biden's interview on "The View" was quickly overshadowed by the selection of a new pope. A former Biden official told The Hill that Biden wasn't helping the Democratic brand after his interview tour. "Elections are about the future. Every time Joe Biden emerges, we fight an old war," Democratic strategist and former Biden administration official Anthony Cole told the outlet. "Every interview he does provides a contrast to Trump that's just not helpful for the Democratic brand, which needs trusted messengers and fighters who can reach independents and moderates and inspire the base. Joe Biden ain't that." He acknowledged that Biden taking responsibility for Trump's win was a good thing, but also said it might not matter at this point. "Honestly, what good does that do now? Many Democrats — from elected leaders to the party faithful — are just ready to turn the page. I just don't think he understands how wide and deep this sentiment is," Cole said. The co-hosts of "Pod Save America," who all worked for former President Barack Obama, also bashed Biden's media tour. Host Jon Favreau asked his co-hosts how they thought Biden did during "The View" interview and they laughed. Host Dan Pfeiffer said Biden "survived" the interview and most of it was "hard to follow," as Jill Biden had to step in for Biden at one point. "What's the audience for this? The American people are pretty decided on the question of was Joe Biden too old, and they were decided long before the debate. And I don't know that one interview or two interviews or a thousand interviews is going to, nothing's going to change that perspective," he said. Favreau pushed back on the Democratic strategists who have praised Biden for speaking out. "The answer is he shouldn't have run for a second term. And when he did run for a second term, he should have stepped down much earlier after the debate… I think that every Democratic politician, particularly those who want to lead the party and want to run in 2028 have to just rip the f------ band-aid off," Favreau said. Pfeiffer went on to argue that Biden's media tour was all about him defending himself rather than speaking out against a sitting president. "The one thing that I found very frustrating is Biden can't, like we know him, this is the pride in him, but I find it very aggravating, and frankly infuriating, when he says that he thinks he would have won," Pfeiffer added. "It's politically insane, right? It's detached from reality. But even if you truly believe that, to verbalize that in such a direct way repeatedly is, to me, so disrespectful to Kamala Harris, who he put in an impossible position." Biden's claim that he would have won similarly annoyed MSNBC's Antonia Hylton, Ayman Mohyeldin, and Catherine Rampell on Saturday. Hylton wondered, "Who is this for?" "He's not speaking to what a lot of people have been asking for, which is some clear story of opposition, who we are, what are we delivering in opposition to Trump in this current moment? None of that really was present there. It kind of seemed all about me and my legacy to a lot of people, including voters, the fellow reporters, politicians I've spoken to in recent days," Hylton continued. Mohyeldin specifically called out Biden for choosing to go on "The View," a highly friendly venue for the former president. "No disrespect whatsoever to 'The View.' But if Joe Biden wants to have a conversation about his legacy and his policies, he should have done a hard hitting interview with somebody," he said. "That's where somebody can actually hold his feet to the fire and ask him questions about the decisions he made. And there's a reason why they wanted to go on 'The View.' And to your point, why now?" After Biden's BBC interview, but before the interview on "The View", Alyssa Farah Griffin, a CNN political commentator and co-host on the ABC talk show, said Democrats didn't want to see Biden out there right now. Former CNN host Chris Cilizza said after the BBC interview that Biden was still in denial about the election. Politico first reported last week that the former president hired veteran strategist Chris Meagher, a former Biden deputy press secretary and Defense Department spokesperson, to help fend off attacks on his legacy. A Democratic operative told the outlet that Biden was trying to convince himself and the country that he wasn't responsible for Trump's return to the White House. "There are a lot of young and dynamic leaders in the Democratic Party who are focused on the path forward, and it's better we focus on them, instead of an old man trying to convince himself and America he isn't responsible for Donald Trump's reelection," the operative said, remaining anonymous. Biden did acknowledge some responsibility for Trump's win during his appearance on "The View." "I don't think he's reading the room at the moment," Third Way's Matt Bennett told Politico of Biden's media blitz. "I think the party, ultimately, will come around to the view that he did a good job as president, that he passed a lot of big things." "But the horrible devastation we're witnessing [with the Trump administration] which is undoing a lot of the good that he did and the anger and despair that Democrats feel, makes this an inauspicious moment for him to re-enter the debate," he continued. Biden's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Some fans of the president have defended his return to the spotlight, including Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, who served as a senior advisor to Biden, as well as allies in the Democratic Party such as Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., and former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison. "I think this is an incredible inflection point as a nation, as a world and people like Joe Biden add value to the conversation — when [he's focused] on being constructive," Etienne told Politico. "Seeing Joe Biden reminds me that our president can be a good, decent and honest leader. Reminds me that we have had presidents with slight majorities that have legislated to protect the environment, stabilized and grown the economy, created new jobs, reduced the cost of health care, invested in our infrastructure and respected our nation's history. I will always be grateful to President Biden for his commitment to saving America in one of our darkest times," Harrison told ABC News.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'It's time for Joe Biden to go away': Democrats are triggered by Biden's return to the spotlight
Joe Biden's return to the spotlight this week is igniting anger among Democrats who wish the former president would ride off into retirement and stay there. In a wide-ranging interview on 'The View' with former First Lady Jill Biden on Thursday, Biden owned up to his role in Donald Trump's return to power even as he defended his decision to stay in the race as long as he did last year. But if he was expecting a warm reception, he's not getting it. Many in his party are desperate to turn the page on Biden's presidency, craving new leaders and fresh faces as Democrats look to find a way out of the political wilderness. 'It's time for Joe Biden to go away with all due respect and let the next generation of Democrats take the mantle,' said Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha. 'Every time he appears on a show or says something, it's just another week or a month that we have to defend him and remind everybody that we got beat by Donald Trump, again.' 'For those of us trying to rebuild the brand, it does no good when you're constantly reminded about the old brand that won't go away,' Rocha said, adding that the only good thing about the interview is that it was quickly overtaken by news of the selection of a new pope. Biden's reemergence comes as the Democratic Party works to move beyond its current predicament — shut out of power in Washington and embroiled in a fierce debate about the party's direction and strategy against Trump. However unwelcome for many Democrats, Biden is an unavoidable subject. The former president's allies are bracing for the potential release of audio of Biden's interview with Robert Hur, the special counsel who investigated Biden's handling of classified documents and raised questions about his mental acuity. That's in addition to an upcoming book by two high-profile journalists that promises to shed light on Biden's decision to run for reelection 'despite evidence of his serious decline' mentally, according to promotional copy for Original Sin, set for release on May 20. For many Democrats, both events are dredging up past problems— not just around Biden's age, but also inflation and the party's handling of cultural issues. "Every interview that Biden does drags us backwards and reminds people of the older generation of Democrats that got us into this mess — when attention is our scarcest resource, we need to prioritize hearing from the next generation of leaders who could excite and rebuild the party," said Amanda Litman, co-founder of Run For Something, a progressive group that helps young people run for office. Some Democrats saw value in Biden's reemergence, even if they said he needed to be more thoughtful about how to present his message. 'I think this is an incredible inflection point as a nation, as a world and people like Joe Biden add value to the conversation — when [he's focused] on being constructive,' said Democratic strategist Ashley Etienne, who served as a senior advisor to Biden, as well as to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 'I do believe we've got to reconcile what actually happened, be honest about it, confront it and move past it. I think central to that … would be an autopsy from the party,' Ettiene added. 'Absent that, then you got all these books that are going to fill in the gaps and the holes and it's going to keep perpetuating the problem and deepening the wound.' A Biden adviser granted anonymity to speak freely said he had no immediate public events in the coming weeks. At least some Democrats would welcome hearing more from him. Noting that Biden is the only person to ever beat Trump, Erica Loewe, who served as special assistant to Biden during his presidency, said that as the party tries to rebuild following its November losses, 'there's no reason why Joe Biden should not be a part of this conversation." "There's no question that Democrats as a whole have a messaging problem,' she said, 'but that can't solely be blamed on Joe Biden." Biden said in his interview that he's working on his own book and offered his own assessment of Kamala Harris' loss to Trump, saying Republicans took 'the sexist route' But he acknowledged his contribution to Trump's victory, saying, 'Look, I was in charge and he won, so I take responsibility.' Some Democrats appreciated his willingness to say that publicly. 'I think people have wanted to hear him acknowledge some sense of responsibility,' said longtime Democratic strategist Karen Finney, who worked on HIllary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. She also said many Democrats were more upset that Biden, who had cast himself as a transitional figure, ran for reelection anyway. That, she said, 'goes back to his initial promise, where he said that he would only serve for one term.' Relitigating the most painful parts of the Biden presidency has been especially frustrating for Democrats who see the party finally showing signs of life. Democrats got their preferred candidate elected statewide in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race in April, and Trump's handling of the economy — which had once been a strength — is quickly becoming a liability. And though Democrats' chances of retaking the Senate are slim as they face a deeply unfavorable map, the picture is looking brighter for them than it once did, with popular Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia passing on a Senate bid against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff and former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu forgoing a run for an open Senate seat in New Hampshire. For some Democrats, Biden's return only pulled attention away from that string of good news for the party. 'Most Democrats … are tired of the distractions,' said Georgia-based Democratic strategist Andrew Heaton. 'The last thing we want is anything that's going to feed it to the naysayers who are going to point to see: 'once again, it was a big cover up in the party.'' Heaton likened Democrats' current situation to a wildfire. At some point, he said, it will be important to understand how it started. But for now, he said, 'Digging into the machinations of the Biden reelect is not something that I think a lot of folks are focused on right now.' He said, 'Like, can we just move on?' Adam Wren, Elena Schneider and Liz Crampton contributed to this report.
Washington Post
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Latino Democrats launch super PAC to tackle party's problem with key group
A pair of influential Latino Democrats are teaming up to launch a new super PAC to mobilize Latino voters in support of Democratic candidates after the party suffered major slippage with the key voting bloc in recent election cycles. Former congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-California) and Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist who served as an adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vermont) presidential bids and Sen. Ruben Gallego's (D-Arizona) Senate campaign, are starting Campeones PAC — which means champion in Spanish — in response to their party's challenges with Latino voters.
