Still, other Democrats have been eager to participate in the early talks. Some of them have used the forums to voice concerns about the party’s messaging on immigration, food costs and the Israel-Gaza conflict. Others expressed deep frustrations with the party’s focus on culture-war issues, like transgender rights, which Republican campaign operatives used to hammer vulnerable Democrats up and down the ballot.
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), who spoke up during the Democrats’ first caucus meeting last week, said the jubilant tone of the gathering belied the fact that they’d just lost control of the House for the second Congress in a row.
“It feels like a pep rally in there. Nobody’s holding anybody responsible,” he said afterwards. “I mean, I was one of the ones with a grievance, because I think we need to improve our messaging. I got clobbered on all the transgender messaging in my district, and it was very painful.”
Gonzalez’s advice for party leaders was simple: Don’t pressure vulnerable lawmakers to take tough votes that will hurt their chances of reelection.
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Article URL : https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4996873-democratic-frontliners-advise-economic-focus/