Latest news with #pro-Democratic
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in nonelection years, study finds
Democrats aren't engaged enough online in nonelection years, and Republicans' digital advantage gave the right a leg up in 2024, new research shows. A report from Tech for Campaigns, a pro-Democratic nonprofit focused on commercial digital marketing and data techniques, found that Democrats continue to treat digital communication as 'a campaign-season sprint,' while Republicans have embraced year-round, off-year investment in the online space. 'The Right, especially [President] Trump, recognized that persuasion is no longer about last-minute convincing, but about shaping beliefs continuously—building trust, shifting opinions, and staying visible through frequent engagement,' the report reads. For example, left-wing advocacy groups and media companies dropped spending on Meta, which owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, by 75 percent in off years between 2020 and 2025, according to the research. Their right-wing counterparts, on the other hand, decreased that spending by just 3 percent. 'For presidential and major federal and statewide races … the persuasion groundwork is now laid years in advance through partisan media ecosystems. The Trump campaign didn't need the same massive persuasion push in 2024 as the Democrats. The work was already done,' the researchers said. The report comes as Democrats grapple with the party's brand in the wake of 2024 losses. A number of Democrats seen as potential White House hopefuls, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, have recently stepped into the podcast space, where right-wing voices dominate. As of December, right-wing podcasts had nearly three times the audience of left-leaning programs, according to Tech for Campaigns. But trying to duplicate Republican tactics isn't necessarily a ticket to success for Democrats, the report argued, noting that successful influencers on the right have largely emerged organically, rather than appearing as a 'top-down creation.' Former Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, which faced a short runway after former President Biden's historic exit from the race, did lean heavily into social media and made concerted efforts to reach young voters in the digital space. She also spent $400 million more than Trump on the race, according to the research, but she spent a smaller share of her funds on mobilization efforts, focusing instead on fundraising and voter persuasion. 'Some will argue the Harris campaign's heavy focus on persuasion was necessary given her late entry. This misses the crucial point: persuasion shouldn't begin a few months before Election Day,' Tech for Campaigns said. 'It requires continuous engagement throughout the four-year cycle with candidates, left-wing groups and other advocates building the brand and the relationship with voters.' Politico first reported on the new advertising report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
14-05-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Map Shows Where Medicaid Cuts Could Close Hospitals
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. As congressional Republicans consider deep cuts to the Medicaid program, hundreds of rural hospitals already facing severe financial strain may be pushed to closure. With more than 300 rural hospitals identified as being at "immediate risk" of shutting down, reductions in Medicaid funding threaten to upend health care delivery in some of the nation's most vulnerable communities, according to the pro-Democratic organization Center for American Progress. Why It Matters More than 60 million Americans live in rural areas, according to the 2020 census, where hospitals serve as essential lifelines, not just for emergency and primary care, but also for obstetrics, mental health services and long-term treatment. Medicaid provides critical financial support for these institutions, often serving as the backbone of care in areas with thin profit margins and high rates of public insurance enrollment. Nearly one-third of the nation's rural hospitals are already in danger of closing due to sustained financial losses and low cash reserves, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, meaning Medicaid cuts would likely see these facilities shut down. What To Know The Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform has identified over 300 rural hospitals at "immediate risk" of closure, as shown in the map above. The states that could see the highest number of closures include Kansas, Oklahoma and Alabama, all of which voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Across all the states that expanded Medicaid enrollment, 190 rural inpatient hospitals are at "immediate risk of closure" already, meaning Medicaid cuts would likely see these facilities shut down as House Republicans seem poised to target the states that expanded Medicaid enrollment under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. Almost one in three inpatient rural hospitals in Oklahoma and New York could close, and around one in four in Pennsylvania and Virginia. Residents of rural areas are also more likely than those in urban communities to rely on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for their health insurance, according to the pro-Democratic organization Center for American Progress. Per the CAP, almost 40 percent of children in the small towns and rural areas of Virginia were covered by Medicaid and CHIP in 2023, while around 20 percent of adults younger than 65 were. The ACA expanded Medicaid eligibility to cover low-income adults up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which has been a lifeline for many rural institutions. However, the new budget resolution passed by Republicans has instructed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to slash $880 billion in spending over the next decade, with Medicaid making up 93 percent of the committee's budget. Proposed changes include lowering the federal match rate for expansion enrollees and imposing work requirements. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has spoken out about her concern that a number of rural hospitals in New York could close, where significant proportions of constituents rely on Medicaid coverage. What People Are Saying Craig Wilson, interim president and CEO for the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), a nonpartisan, independent health policy center based in Little Rock, Arkansas, told Newsweek: "There are already existing inflationary pressures on hospitals generally, but in a state where the healthcare providers in many of our rural counties and the residents they serve are heavily dependent on this safety net program, it would be difficult to absorb." He added: "Regardless of what the policy decisions are in Congress, there is a clear signal from the federal government that their goal is to shift more of the financial responsibility for the Medicaid program to the states. If states want to maintain the integrity of their Medicaid program and broader healthcare system and rural communities want to maintain access to services locally, they should recognize this shift and organize to respond." A notification on the website of New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says: "Next week, the House Energy & Commerce Committee will vote on a bill that cuts Medicaid. Republicans are setting out to cut $880 billion in healthcare from families across the United States." It adds: "If you are represented by a Republican, please call them now and leave a voicemail, or call first thing on Monday to get through to their office. Public pressure can work here. Many members are in close seats, and hearing from their constituents can make a difference." Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, the GOP chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said: "Savings like these allow us to use this bill to renew the Trump tax cuts and keep Republicans' promise to hardworking middle-class families." House Speaker Mike Johnson said: "Medicaid is intended, remember, as a safety net for young pregnant mothers and the elderly and disabled and vulnerable populations, not for young able-bodied men without dependents. Those are the kinds of people we're taking off the program." Eileen M. Sullivan-Marx, a professor at the New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, told Newsweek: "I had a rural primary care practice in eastern New Hampshire as a nurse practitioner in the 1980s. I saw first hand how local communities benefited from having rural hospitals. Not only were the rural hospitals part of the local economy and supportive to local nursing homes but they also provided a sound structure to local community governance and volunteer community services that we often see with business groups in communities. For example, charity fund raising and support of school activities go hand in hand with rural hospitals. Those employees and leaders at local rural hospitals are the same persons who hold communities together to support not only health but also community economic growth. Just think of Friday Night Football games, usually a medical professional (in New Hampshire it had to be a physician at the time) to cover the football and other impact high school games in case of injuries. The loss of the people who make us rural hospitals would have an effect an the entire community." What Happens Next The bill that would push forward cuts to the Medicaid program needs to win over nearly every Republican on the floor of the narrowly divided House. If it passes, it will then be considered in the Senate.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Schumer's damage-control efforts fall flat with liberal base
Chuck Schumer is in damage-control mode. It isn't going great. The Senate minority leader and his aides in recent days have been talking privately with liberal groups in an apparent effort to ease tensions after sparking a civil war in the Democratic Party over a stopgap funding bill, according to five people familiar with the conversations. They were granted anonymity to describe them in a frank manner, and some of the discussions were confirmed by Schumer himself on Monday to POLITICO. The outreach by Schumer and his team included officials at Indivisible. The pro-Democratic organization called for him to step down from his leadership position on Saturday over what it saw as his unwillingness to resist President Donald Trump. Schumer enraged Democrats across the party on Friday by voting for a GOP bill to prevent a government shutdown. Schumer spoke with Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, the people said, and he and his staff have been in communication with the group's local leaders in New York, as well. The minority leader is in a perilous position in the party, drawing furious backlash from Democrats after his vote last week. While maneuvering privately to repair relationships, he postponed scheduled book tour events this week, with a spokesperson citing 'security concerns.' The events would have taken him to heavily Democratic cities, including Baltimore and Washington, and activists had made plans to protest them. Schumer's team tried to persuade the New York leaders at Indivisible not to immediately sign onto a statewide letter that called for Schumer to quit his position as minority leader, said one of the people familiar with the discussions. Schumer spoke to the New York Indivisible officials on Sunday. They called for him to step down as minority leader anyway on Monday. 'The goal was to get Sen. Schumer in front of Indivisible group leaders before they made any decisions on anything,' said a second person familiar with the meeting. A third person described the conversations between Schumer and Indivisible as 'tense and unproductive.' A fourth person said Schumer's team has reached out to other liberal groups in the wake of his vote to head off a shutdown, but did not provide further details. 'I have had a long relationship with many groups, including Indivisible, and wanted an opportunity to explain my position," Schumer told POLITICO. "Many disagree and I respect that, but I look forward to continuing to work together with them against the evils of the Trump administration.' Levin declined to comment on his discussion with Schumer in a brief interview, but doubled down on his call for the minority leader to step aside. 'Schumer's fate as a leader in the Democratic caucus is not in Schumer's hands,' he said. 'It's in the hands of fellow elected Democrats. It's in the hands of outside groups with constituencies, and most of all, it's in the hands of grassroots constituents who can choose to organize in this moment and demand better leadership or choose to accept the failed leadership that we've received.' Angry Democrats are hardly waiting for Schumer to come to them to voice their displeasure. Britt Jacovich, a spokesperson for the progressive organization MoveOn, said it had been in touch with Schumer's office, relaying 'our members' concerns about the lack of strategy and message around the Republican funding bill vote and the desire from our members for Democrats to use every bit of their power to fight back against Trump and [Elon Musk's] destruction of our government.' Charlotte Clymer, a Democratic operative associated with the moderate wing of the party who launched a petition to boycott donations to Senate Democrats until they force Schumer out as minority leader, said her petition is now up to 25,000 signatures. She said of Schumer's postponing book tour events that he 'doesn't want to face the music over his caving to Trump and Elon Musk.' Schumer has argued that backing the stopgap bill was the best of two bad options because a government shutdown would have given more power to Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk. In addition to his outreach to liberal groups, Schumer has done a number of interviews with news outlets in recent days, including CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post. Both moderate and progressive Democrats have expressed frustration with what they cast as their party leadership's lack of a clear strategy to take on Trump. Many thought that the potential shutdown was one of the only points of leverage they had since they have been shut out of power in Congress. Some House Democrats, even in battleground districts, are floating supporting a primary challenge to Schumer. Still, few Democrats currently think Schumer's leadership post is at risk, and he does not face reelection until 2028. Emily Ngo contributed to this report.
