Desperate people say desperate things. And with three weeks to go before the midterms, DNC Chairman Ken Martin is saying plenty.
On Monday, MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander laid out the problem. Polls show 53% of Americans view Democrats unfavorably, with just 41% viewing them favorably. How do you overcome that?
Martin, the Democratic National Committee chairman, insisted his candidates aren't running on impeachment.
"What they're talking about is affordability," he said.
Then he led with health care. Bold choice.
He warned of "premiums doubling and tripling across the country" and assured viewers Democrats are "fighting for health care."
Fighting for it? Democrats wrote the enhanced Obamacare subsidies. They also wrote the expiration date. Then last fall, they shut down the government for 43 days to meet their own deadline, and walked away with nothing.
That's not a strong suit. That's a confession.
Next, Martin promised to fix a system that rewards the wealthy "at the expense of the working class."
The working class has heard this one before. They're the same voters Democrats traded in for faculty lounges, climate lectures and higher taxes. They noticed. That's why so many of them left.
Then came the grand finale. Alexander asked whether the Democratic Socialists of America are an ally or a liability.
Martin didn't flinch. "I've always taken a big tent approach," he said, explaining that most Americans sit "right in the middle, or a little center left, or a little center right."
Let's follow the logic. Most Americans are in the middle. Therefore, make room for the socialists.
Brilliant.
Middle America, whether it leans left or right, isn't asking for socialism. It's asking for groceries it can afford, a paycheck that stretches and a government that doesn't treat its money like a slush fund.
Martin had a national audience and a clean shot at a reset. He used it to defend a failed playbook, recycle a working-class pitch his party stopped believing years ago, and leave the door wide open for the DSA.
Democrats aren't unpopular because of bad branding. They're unpopular because voters have been paying attention.
Sources: Mediaite; MS NOW; Pew Research Center