Latest news with #D-ME
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jared Golden: Democratic Party 'As Weak As I've Ever Seen'
Representative Jared Golden (D-ME) during a bipartisan press conference on the supplemental funding Defending Borders, Defending Democracies Act, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Credit - Graeme Sloa—Sipa/AP This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME's politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. Jared Golden knows a thing or two about how swing voters think of the Democratic Party. First elected to represent Maine's 2nd congressional district in 2018, Golden has managed to keep his seat ever since in a red-leaning district that President Donald Trump carried by nearly 10 points in November. Golden predicted Trump's victory, and the self-described "progressive conservative" has since tried to spread a message of tough love for his fellow Democrats. In an interview with TIME, Golden discussed how the party should speak to swing voters, how to rebuild trust, and how to reposition the working class at the core of the Democratic coalition. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Can you give us your brief take on what went wrong for the Democrats, and why? President Biden ran as someone who was going to kind of bring the norm back, right? And by the time he took office, it was like a swapped narrative, where it was not a return to normalcy, but instead a mandate for revolutionary change, and he was going to be the next FDR. I think it was a misreading of the mandate that's been given to the party from voters. What's the tough-love message you have for your party? I think the party is as weak as I've ever seen it. A lot of people are talking about our need to win back the working class, and there seems to be a growing consensus that it's not as it was described in 2017, as a white working-class problem, but rather as a working-class problem. And while we're searching for answers about how to re-engage with working-class people, perhaps we shouldn't start by attacking something that President Trump is putting forward that is broadly popular with the working class, which is tariffs. I'm not saying that there aren't trade-offs involved potentially. But I think that for working-class people that live in communities that have been on the losing side of globalization and free trade, that is a stand-in for letting them know: we hear you. We see the effect of 20, 30, 40 years of policy, and we're committed and open-minded to trying things to fix it. As one of the only Democrats left representing an Obama-Trump district, what do you wish your party understood about your voters? My district went Obama in '08, Obama in '12, and Trump in every consecutive Presidential election [since]. My perspective is that there are still a lot of swing voters, even though the national narrative is that there are none. I don't think that either party is loved by a lot of these voters. And so anyone that suggests that the pathway forward is to just kind of turn our back on voters like those that I represent is wrong. They're very much up for grabs, but not if we are out there saying we're not interested. I've worked really hard to establish trust with people. And I think as a result I have some leeway, for people to say, 'I don't agree with Jared on this one particular issue, but I trust him in general.' Early on in my time here in Congress, people were telling me, you'll never get Trump supporters to support you. You can try, but it will never bear fruit. I kind of rejected the premise that you just have to play to your base. If you had a magic wand, and you could remake your party in a way that would appeal to the swing voters who elected you, what would that party be? There's a lot of things about the Democratic Party that are very good and that play very strongly with the American electorate. The Democratic Party is the party of the New Deal, and we should stay committed to that. That's a way of saying Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. I think part of the problem of the moment is that the New Deal contract with the American people has been eroding. And instead of focusing on piecing it back together and strengthening it, we are often trying to talk about new things. So, let's double down on our past commitments to the American people: we're gonna make sure you have a secure retirement. We're gonna make sure that you have affordable healthcare. I am very pro-union, and I think that is key to my success, and key to the well-being of the country as a counterbalance to economic forces. But I've started taking a slightly different tone than in the past. I will say we should tax the rich to reduce the deficit. The state of our budget and our debt is bad for the country and bad for working families. I'm just acknowledging that. It seems like a lot of people in the Democratic Party want to brush that aside. What should be the core that the party rebuilds itself around? We need big reform, not tinkering around the edges. I think we should get serious about class. Use that as our starting place, and then ask ourselves, which class do we want to represent? My thesis would be the working class. They live everywhere. We have to go compete everywhere, and we have to find new candidates. I think we should think really long and hard about who we're recruiting and why. We have to ask ourselves hard questions about what we are putting forward that is not popular, and be willing to back off of those things. We should ask, what's the Republican Party putting forward that is? And maybe we should make those things ours. What does "progressive conservative" actually mean? I personally reject the whole left-right debate. I reject words like centrist or moderate. I don't think those terms really mean much to voters. I think about things very much along class lines. And I think the party has obviously been judged on being very focused on identity politics, and I think that cuts up the working class rather than unifying it. Think about abortion. I think there's a lot of people who really think that choice is the right starting place, but that doesn't mean that they are going to be for no limits. The war in Ukraine: I think that people are comfortable understanding that Russia has been an antagonist of American interests, that they have tried to attack and undermine American society and democracy, view them as a national security threat, and still be skeptical of American foreign policy. Essentially, you can see Russia as a threat and still question whether or not we should be risking getting drawn into a war. I'm only describing what I think a lot of people are thinking. At its core, it's about nuance and attention to details. Getting it right, unshackling yourself from a loyalty to ideology. And instead loyalty to place in representation, not just of the people that voted for you, but everyone that you represent. I'm just rejecting the idea that I have to be one or the other. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the D.C. Brief newsletter. Write to Charlotte Alter at
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Common Ground: Bipartisan Efforts to Locate Government Waste
Many federal agencies in Washington D.C. serve communities across the country — but how can government officials in D.C. know what the main issues and concerns are for Americans in these places when they work thousands of miles away from them? Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Congressman Jared Golden (D-ME) discuss how their bipartisan bill, the Strategic Withdrawal of Agencies for Meaningful Placement (SWAMP) Act, is dedicated to relocating federal jobs out of Washington D.C. and closer to the communities they serve — allowing Americans to feel more connected to federal agencies. They also discuss the need to cut unnecessary spending on Capitol Hill, and how many lawmakers are willing to work across the aisle to find where this should be done. Follow Bret on X: @BretBaier Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democratic lawmaker warns party against going 'DEFCON 5' on everything Trump does
Rep. Jared Golden, D-ME, warned members of the Democratic Party against going "DEFCON 5" on everything President Donald Trump does in an interview on Friday, explaining it would lose them credibility. "I don't think that it's been very effective, the Dem response, so far. In fact, I'm frustrated by it. If you make everything DEFCON 5, then eventually nothing is DEFCON 5. You know what I mean? And on questions of overreach of constitutional authority, it's not always so cut and dry," Golden said. Golden has criticized his party and Democratic leadership over the last few years, including President Biden, over the border crisis and for the party's messaging around authoritarianism and fascism. The Democratic lawmaker also predicted Trump would win the election in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News, revealing that he would be okay with it. "And I think if you rush right out and just say, like, 'This is, like, dictatorial or illegal,' you might end up being wrong, and that undermines your credibility," Golden told the Washington Post. Democartic Lawmaker 'Dissapointed' With Biden's Handling Of Debt Negociations: 'We're In A Weaker Position' The Washington Post asked Golden if Democrats should be more "discerning with their outrage." Read On The Fox News App Golden provided an example of his response to the president's comments on the Gaza Strip last week. "I'm not going to react instantaneously to everything the president says. I'm going to be paying attention to what the president does. And when it comes to the conflict between Israel and Gaza, what I'm interested in seeing him doing is bringing home the hostages, particularly the remaining American hostages," he responded. Golden reiterated that he would review Trump's actions, not his words, and see if they undermine American interests. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And CultureGolden also seemed hopeful about working with Trump's administration on some policy aspects. "On issues having to do with securing our border, with energy — I'm really in the camp of all-of-the-above energy approach for American energy independence and security and defense — there's a lot of room to work together," he told the Post. "And on the tax side, it's a little more difficult for me to see space to be proactively involved, and that's because of my skepticism that they will generate a tax policy that is both good for growth, good for the American people — particularly middle-class people — and doesn't do great damage to our ever-increasing budget deficit and national debt. But, I mean, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised," he added. Golden noted he voted against two major bills in the Biden administration, the American Rescue Plan and the Build Back Better article source: Democratic lawmaker warns party against going 'DEFCON 5' on everything Trump does
Fox News
09-02-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democratic lawmaker warns party against going 'DEFCON 5' on everything Trump does
Rep. Jared Golden, D-ME, warned members of the Democratic Party against going "DEFCON 5" on everything President Donald Trump does in an interview on Friday, explaining it would lose them credibility. "I don't think that it's been very effective, the Dem response, so far. In fact, I'm frustrated by it. If you make everything DEFCON 5, then eventually nothing is DEFCON 5. You know what I mean? And on questions of overreach of constitutional authority, it's not always so cut and dry," Golden said. Golden has criticized his party and Democratic leadership over the last few years, including President Biden, over the border crisis and for the party's messaging around authoritarianism and fascism. The Democratic lawmaker also predicted Trump would win the election in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News, revealing that he would be okay with it. "And I think if you rush right out and just say, like, 'This is, like, dictatorial or illegal,' you might end up being wrong, and that undermines your credibility," Golden told the Washington Post. The Washington Post asked Golden if Democrats should be more "discerning with their outrage." Golden provided an example of his response to the president's comments on the Gaza Strip last week. "I'm not going to react instantaneously to everything the president says. I'm going to be paying attention to what the president does. And when it comes to the conflict between Israel and Gaza, what I'm interested in seeing him doing is bringing home the hostages, particularly the remaining American hostages," he responded. Golden reiterated that he would review Trump's actions, not his words, and see if they undermine American interests. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTUREGolden also seemed hopeful about working with Trump's administration on some policy aspects. "On issues having to do with securing our border, with energy — I'm really in the camp of all-of-the-above energy approach for American energy independence and security and defense — there's a lot of room to work together," he told the Post. "And on the tax side, it's a little more difficult for me to see space to be proactively involved, and that's because of my skepticism that they will generate a tax policy that is both good for growth, good for the American people — particularly middle-class people — and doesn't do great damage to our ever-increasing budget deficit and national debt. But, I mean, I'd love to be pleasantly surprised," he added. Golden noted he voted against two major bills in the Biden administration, the American Rescue Plan and the Build Back Better bill.
