Latest news with #bigTent
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrats need to embrace inclusion over ideological conformity in order to win again
If Democrats want to win back Congress and the White House, we must reclaim what made our party a national force in the first place: our commitment to being a big tent. For much of modern history, the Democratic Party has thrived by welcoming Americans from a wide range of backgrounds and beliefs. We didn't require agreement on every issue to work together for a common cause—especially on topics like abortion or gun safety, where regional and cultural differences shaped the views of our candidates and voters alike. That flexibility helped us build durable coalitions capable of winning elections from city halls to Congress. But in recent years, we've moved toward a more rigid and absolutist posture—one that suggests a Democrat must align 100% with every plank of the party platform to earn the label. This "all or nothing" mentality has not only narrowed our reach; it's jeopardized our ability to build the legislative majorities we need to govern. Take, for example, pro-life Democrats. While they may diverge from national party orthodoxy on reproductive rights, many of these leaders stand with us on issues like affordable healthcare, economic justice, and workers' rights. In a divided electorate, supporting candidates like these can be the difference between holding a legislative chamber—or handing it over to Republicans who oppose our values wholesale. The same logic applies to gun safety. In rural districts where hunting and gun ownership are embedded in the culture, we shouldn't expect every Democrat to support the same proposals as those from urban centers. We can still advocate for commonsense reforms—background checks, red flag laws, and safe storage—without insisting on litmus tests that alienate potential allies. As Governor Gretchen Whitmer has said, we need to meet people where they are. That doesn't mean compromising on our values—it means recognizing that no coalition succeeds without some ideological flexibility. Most parliamentary democracies around the world understand this. Majorities are built through negotiation and compromise between parties that may agree on only a few key issues. That's how they keep government functional and extreme ideologies in check. We should do the same. Because what matters most is not ideological purity—it's the power to govern. It's the ability to pass legislation, confirm judges, invest in communities, and protect our democracy from those who seek to undermine it. If we want to win again—truly win—we must embrace the complexity of our electorate. We must build a Democratic Party that prizes inclusion over ideological conformity. Only then will we have the strength to meet this moment and the future beyond it.
CBS News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego says Democrats "did this to ourselves"
Levittown, Pennsylvania — At a town hall Saturday in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona encouraged the Democratic party to return to its roots as the "big tent" party. "What happened the last election is that we got so pure, and we kept so pure that we started kicking people out of the tent," Gallego said. "It ends up there aren't enough people in the tent to win elections." Gallego cited podcast host Joe Rogan as an example of someone "kicked out" of the tent because his message did not completely align with the party's. "I'm sure you guys heard like, 'Oh, well, the Democrats need to have their own Joe Rogan,'" Gallego said. "We had Joe Rogan. We canceled Joe Rogan years ago. Democrats don't want to admit this. We did, and then it was, became questionable whether we should go on Joe Rogan or not. We did this to ourselves." The first-term Democratic senator from Arizona touted his own success in a battleground state as an example of how Democratic candidates can win moving forward. Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake in the Arizona Senate race last year by two points. "I represent a state that has 330,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats," Gallego said. "You have to get a lot of votes, and that means we're going to have to have alliances with people that we may not agree with 100% of the time, right?" This success has fueled speculation that Gallego is considering running for president in 2028. He's one of a handful of Democrats making stops across the country, talking to voters, similar to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "Of course, I've thought of it, but I'm also, you know, about to… have my third kid coming June 12, and I don't want to get divorced, and I just became a US senator," Gallego told CBS News. "I love my job, and I need to make sure I do both jobs well. That's not what I'm thinking about right now. When asked if he thinks it will take a moderate like him to win Pennsylvania in 2028, Gallego said it will take someone who is able to empathize with voters on issues impacting them. "I think it's going to take someone that really understands what's going on. People were hurting in the last election. I think the Democrats messed up by not really focusing on that," Gallego said. "This person is gonna be able to communicate that like, yeah, things are bad. The economy hurts. You're hurting, and I'm here to help you out." Gallego spoke in Bucks County, a key battleground area north of Philadelphia that President Trump flipped by a few hundred votes in 2024. Distrust and anger toward the Democratic party were palpable at the town hall when one participant asked Gallego how Democrats should change their messaging moving forward. "People don't vote for a party, right? It's us that run as Democrats. We need to be the face of the party, and we need to be out there," Gallego said. "The problem is that we are too effing safe all the time."
