Stephen A's Take: I have advice for the Democrats. I hope they are listening!

Summary

Summary of "Stephen A's Take: I Have Advice for the Democrats. I Hope They Are Listening!"

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Stephen A. Smith Show
• Host/Author: Stephen A. Smith and iHeartPodcasts
• Episode: Stephen A's Take: I Have Advice for the Democrats. I Hope They Are Listening!
• Release Date: March 18, 2025

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this compelling episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen A. Smith delves deep into the current state of the Democratic Party in the United States. The discussion centers around alarming poll numbers, internal party conflicts, and strategic missteps that have led to a significant decline in the party’s favorability among American voters.

2. Alarming Decline in Democratic Favorability

The episode kicks off with Michael presenting a CNN poll that reveals a historic low in the Democratic Party's favorability:

• Key Findings:

  • Overall Favorability: Only 29%, the lowest since CNN began polling in 1992.
  • Decline Since 2021: A staggering 20-point drop following President Trump’s first term and the January 6th Capitol attack.
  • Internal Party Sentiment:
    • 57% vs. 42% of Democrats and Democratic-aligned independents believe the party should focus on opposing the Republican agenda rather than collaborating to advance Democratic legislation.
    • 52% vs. 48% feel that Democratic leadership is steering the party in the wrong direction, a stark contrast to positive sentiments eight years prior.

• Notable Quote:

  • Michael (01:08): “The Democratic Party's favorability rating stands at just 29%. That's a record low in CNN's polling dating back to 1992.”

3. Leadership and Strategic Missteps

Sherry challenges Michael’s comprehensive presentation of the poll, emphasizing that the real issue lies deeper within the party’s strategies and leadership:

• Internal Conflicts:

  • Leadership Disarray: Sherry criticizes key figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and expresses frustration with the party's inability to present a unified front.
  • Fragmentation: The Democratic Party is portrayed as fragmented, with internal factions led by individuals like Rashawn Galen and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) pulling the party in divergent directions.

• Strategic Failures:

  • Lack of Clear Vision: Sherry asserts that the party is failing to address what truly matters to the American populace, such as the economy and working-class concerns.
  • Policy Misalignment: There's a disconnect between the party’s policies and the priorities of their traditional voter base, leading to diminished trust and support.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Sherry (03:18): “The strategy's not going to work because you're still not touching on what's really, really, really the issue.”
  • Michael (06:42): “Democrats, it ain't gonna work for you. You know why? Cause you done messed up.”

4. External Perspectives and Expert Opinions

Michael introduces an analysis from a Washington Post article dated February 2nd, highlighting the urgent need for the Democratic Party to undergo significant introspection and restructuring:

• Key Points from the Article:

  • Declining Working-Class Support: The erosion of support from white, Hispanic, and Black working-class voters, especially men, has been exacerbated during the Trump era.
  • Call for Renewal: Experts like William Galston and Elaine Camarck advocate for the party to engage in vigorous debate and self-reflection to rebuild its coalition and policy agenda.

• Notable Quote:

  • Michael (13:31): “Democrats are not together. You have no cachet. And to be furious at Schumer is not paying attention to what's going on.”

5. Proposed Solutions for the Democratic Party

Sherry and Michael collaboratively outline strategic recommendations aimed at revitalizing the Democratic Party’s standing:

• Reclaiming the Working Class:

  • Economic Focus: Both emphasize the need to prioritize economic issues, such as the cost of living, employment, and putting money back into the pockets of Americans.
  • Practical Policies: Advocate for policies that directly address financial stability and economic growth rather than peripheral social issues.

• Unified Leadership:

  • Leadership Change: Sherry calls for the replacement of Chuck Schumer, citing his inability to unify the party and effectively counter Republican strategies.
  • Strengthening Internal Cohesion: Emphasize the importance of alignment among party leaders to present a cohesive strategy and message.

• Strategic Communication:

  • Positive Messaging: Shift from a negative stance of opposing Republicans to presenting Democrats as the better alternative through effective policy proposals.
  • Aligning with Voter Priorities: Focus on issues that resonate with the broader electorate, ensuring that policies reflect the real concerns of American citizens.

• Notable Quotes:

  • Michael (17:07): “You have to reclaim being for the working class.”
  • Sherry (18:02): “Refocus on proclaiming yourself as the better party for the economy.”

6. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Wrapping up the discussion, both hosts stress the urgency for the Democratic Party to implement these changes swiftly to avoid further decline:

• Dire Predictions:

  • If the party fails to unify and refocus on core economic issues, it risks severe electoral losses, potentially leading to its dissolution by 2028 or even earlier.

• Call to Action:

  • The Democratic Party must engage in deep structural and strategic changes, prioritize the economic well-being of Americans, and present a unified and compelling alternative to regain voter trust and support.

• Final Quotes:

  • Michael (18:27): “If you don't, you're dead. You're done. In case you haven't noticed, you're pretty damn close to that right now anyway.”
  • Sherry (09:33): “It's about dollars and cents. It's about money in people's pocket. It's about the cost of living.”

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Notable Exclusions:

• Advertisements from AT&T, Sam Mewis, Colleen Witt, and Young Pueblo were excluded from the summary as per the request to skip non-content sections.

Final Remarks: This episode serves as a critical examination of the Democratic Party's current struggles, offering both a sobering assessment of its challenges and a blueprint for potential recovery. Stephen A. Smith, through his guests Michael and Sherry, articulates a passionate plea for introspection and strategic realignment to restore the party's relevance and effectiveness in American politics.

Transcript

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[Sam Mewis]

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[Michael]

Want to get into politics and the headlines I've seen this weekend from Washington about the Democratic Party. There's a new CNN poll that shows the party's favorability among Americans has dropped to a record low. The poll was conducted for CNN via web and telephone on the SSRS Opinion Panel. That's a nationally representative panel of U.S. adults ages 18 or older recruited using probability based sampling techniques. To be clear, they are an independent research company, not right or left. So here's what the poll revealed. Many people in the Democratic Party are saying that leadership should do more to stand up to President Trump. It shows that Democrats and Democratic aligned independents say 57 to 42% that Democrats should mainly work to stop the Republican agenda rather than working with the GOP majority to get some Democratic ideas into legislation. The survey was taken days before 10 Democratic senators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, voted with Republicans to advance a GOP authored spending bill to avert a government shutdown. The survey also revealed that Democratic aligned adults, say 52 to 48%, that the leadership of the Democratic Party is currently taking the party in the wrong direction. There's another shift from eight years ago when views on the same metric were largely positive. And finally, the poll revealed that among the American public, overall, the Democratic Party's favorability rating stands at just 29%. That's a record low in CNN's polling dating back to 1992. And a drop of 20 points since January 2021, when Trump left his first term under the shadow of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Okay, again, the poll was conducted for CNN by an independent research company. The surveys were obtained on March 6 through the night before the spending bill occurred. First of all, that's the problem with producers and editors. That's too damn long. Too much information. Okay, yes, they say I got to read that to you or whatever, but damn it, I hope you didn't fall asleep on that, because that's not the.

[Sherry]

Subject, that's not the point. Here's the point. The strategy's not going to work. Are you listening to me, Michael? You're listening to me, Sherry. It's not going to work because you're still not touching on what's really, really, really the issue. All of that stuff that I just read, I know what y'all saying.

[Michael]

It's mumbo jumbo.

[Sherry]

It's facts. It's accurate. It's something you needed to hear. But you really don't give a shit. What you really care about is what.

[Michael]

You gonna do to reclaim the White House.

[Sherry]

What you gonna do to reclaim seats in the House and the Senate. I. I got a story to tell the Democratic Party. Are you ready for this?

[Michael]

Rather than telling us what we should vote against, maybe you should present us with options of what to vote for. Just a thought. I mean, my God. Are you okay, Michael, with me suggesting that. Are you okay with me, Sherry, suggesting.

[Sherry]

That Rashawn Galen and all of the bunch of leftists that's under my umbrella trying to act like they're independence when they're full of. I'm talking about my old damn staff. I can say it with love and affection because I don't mind. I'm a centrist. I think my man Rashawn is a centrist. The rest of these damn people working for me, I mean, what left wing party are you associated with? I mean, you gotta believe this stuff. You gotta listen to it to hear it. I'm gonna say it again. Rather than come to folks, well, what.

[Michael]

To vote against, how about telling us what we should vote for?

[Sherry]

Because you see, I'm no fan of Chuck Schumer.

[Michael]

I'm not a fan of Chuck Schumer. But he wasn't wrong here. Didn't you know that when a government shutdown takes place, whatever party supports the government shutdown is who gets blamed?

[Sherry]

It don't even matter how right you are. You can have very salient points. You don't like Trump and them cutting US Aid program, DEI programs. You don't like what they're suggesting. You don't approve of his position with the war in Ukraine. You don't approve of him schmoozing with Vladimir Putin and Russia. You're wondering, what was all of this talk about in inflation, in the economy? What have you really, really done to address it? You got a $37 trillion budget, which he contributed to, by the way, because he spent a lot of money when he was president. Number 45, it wasn't like it was just the Democrats spending. It was him, too. And you're talking about holding them accountable for all of that. Fair, Fair. You're talking about him and the immigration policy, and you're talking about targeting criminals. But we're talking about a 10 year old that I just finished asking Borders are Tom Holman about the other day that was being deported back to Mexico even though she's US citizen, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All of these things you want to point to. I'm not even saying you might not be right. What I'm saying is if you're the.

[Michael]

Democrats, it ain't gonna work for you. You know why? Cause you done messed up. And your objective should be recapturing a.

[Sherry]

Trust that you once had from folks on the left. In order to do that, you're gonna have to be aligned and unified and start preaching about what's important to the American people instead of what you think they, the American people, should find important. See the difference? Want me to try that again, Michael? Want to try that again, Sherry? I'm just saying you got to be about preaching about what's important to the American people and what they care about instead of telling them what they should care about. You know why you can't make that argument anymore? Because you had your chance. You had President Biden up in that office. You knew he wasn't the same. You knew there was shrinkage that kicked in mentally. You knew that people were talking about him being incapacitated. This is before the debate on June 27th. You knew it.

[Michael]

You knew it.

[Sherry]

You knew it. And they got you on camera chant for four more years for a dude that was approaching 82 years of age, that would have been in office until he was 86, assuming he got there. You didn't even think he was gonna make it. And God bless him, I hope he does. But what you did was say, let's just get him through the election because the rest of us is running the government anyway. The trust of the American people were compromised I'm a black man.

[Michael]

You know how many times I get tired of this not being mentioned? How racism and things pertinent to a community that makes up 13 and a half percent of our population was shoved to the wayside. And it wasn't even for the LGBTQ community as a whole. You were focusing on transgender rights more.

[Sherry]

So than you were focusing on black people.

[Michael]

You took them for granted.

[Sherry]

The Hispanics with the borders. Do you know that? I know more Hispanic folks that wanted closed borders.

[Michael]

More than one at open borders.

[Sherry]

Latinos in this country, Latinas in this country, had a problem with illegal immigrants more than some of the American citizens because they said they had to stand in line. Who the hell are they not to have to stand in line?

[Michael]

But you ignored that too.

[Sherry]

The economy, stupid. Remember what James Carville said in 1992 when Clinton was running for the presidency? It's the economy, stupid. Remember that?

[Michael]

Well, we preaching about that now.

[Sherry]

We weren't even acting like inflation was.

[Michael]

An issue until they've slapped us all in the face.

[Sherry]

Oh, there's no border crisis. Not at all. Remember Vice President Kamala Harris on the View? Is there anything about President Biden's administration that you would do differently?

[Michael]

I really can't think of anything.

[Sherry]

Really, Ladies and gentlemen.

[Michael]

That's why she can't run for president again in 2028. She has no chance. She has to run for the governor's seat of California. She can't run for the presidency. Oh, this announcement is coming this summer. Please stop wasting your time. You can announce it now. It's got to be the governors position or nothing. Because you can't run for the presidency of the United States if you. Kamala Harris. Because they're going to re air that interview.

[Sherry]

And it just shows that there was a collective deceit being pushed forward to the American public. And after all of that backdrop and after the embarrassment of the Democratic Party with Trump's speech to both houses of Congress the other day, where people holding signs and they're making videos with 22 people echoing the same verbiage, clearly tone deaf, and they got the nerve to be dancing, some of them with their non dancing ass selves on video, trying to appeal to folks knowing they were beyond their lane and trying to do that after all of that.

[Michael]

You gonna let the government shut down? You would have played right into Donald Trump's hands. Even with Elon Musk scaring the living daylights out of more than half the American population. Well, what the hell he gonna do next? What cuts is he going to suggest that Trump is going to okay how.

[Sherry]

Many programs are going to be slashed, how many bodies are going to fall, how many federal workers are going to be without a job. Even with all of that.

[Michael]

The Democrats still don't have the cachet and the leverage to shut down the government. If Schumer deserves credit for nothing, and I'll be damned if I want to give him credit for much, we got to give him credit for that.

[Sherry]

He knew better. You can't shut down the government. Him and nine other colleagues provided votes to pass a budget to fund the government through September 30. It had to happen.

[Michael]

Because you're a House divided. The GOP stood together and they pushed forth the budget and it was going to go through. And if the Democrats hadn't supported it and the government happened to shut it down, jobs would have been lost, wages would have been lost, programs would have been slashed, and the Democrats and their lack of togetherness would have been the blame. Why? Because the GOP is aligned under Trump. There's nobody aligned with the Democrats because you don't have leadership. Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries evidently is not aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Aoc Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Representative out of New York. What is she talking about? Schumer needs to be replaced. You got Representative Al Green. Won't even let anybody, won't even let Trump speak.

[Sherry]

And he has to get booted out.

[Michael]

During the speech and ultimately censured. I like Jasmine Crockett. I'm looking forward to having her on this show. I appreciate the fervor and the fight in aoc. She's welcomed on this show. But the Democrats are not together. You have no cachet. And to be furious at Schumer is not paying attention to what's going on. If we're being honest. If we're being honest, you're not paying attention to what's going on. There's an article that was written. Michael, Sherry, this is for y'all. I'm just looking at all of this right now. This is a story in the Washington Post dated February 2nd. Democrats are in trouble. And a provocative analysis offers ideas to repair the party. And in the article it's talking about the polling and how unpopular they are. This is more than a month ago. Mind you, this is more than a month ago. And I'm trying to find a graph here. And it says if Democrats are serious about addressing their problems, they face a period of vigorous debate and self reflection akin to what they experienced after losing three consecutive presidential elections in the 1980s. Remember Boat Reagan two terms and then H.W. bush as a star? Two veterans of that period, William Galston and Elaine Camarck, have offered an assessment of the state of the party to be published Sunday by the centrist group Third Way. An advanced copy was made available to the Washington Post at the time. I want to read these couple of graphs, especially to my left wing guy Michael here, okay? And Sherry, I mean Lord, here's Let me read this to y'all just to help y'all out. For those Democrats who think a rapid response war room or massive get out the vote efforts will restore the party to its previous highs, the authors provide a bracing and provocative analysis. Quote, this renewal involves more than communications, organization and mobilization, they write. It will require the party to ask itself hard questions about the reasons for its dwindling support among groups it has long taken for granted, to reflect on declining public confidence in government as a vehicle of progress, and to think anew about its policy agenda. In an era of rapid change at home and abroad, the fracturing of the Democratic coalition represents a major challenge. Though the decline in working class support for Democrats started decades ago, the Trump era has accelerated it and expanded it beyond white working class voters to working class Hispanic and black voters, particularly men. So what is this article saying? What are the experts saying? Working class voters. The numbers were dissipating within the Democratic Party from white working class voters, but now it's sifted to Hispanic and black working class voters, especially men. So you don't have working class voters the way you used to, and you don't have men the way that you used to in white Hispanics and blacks. You have no party. You're just a bunch of individual parts claiming to be Democrats. You're not a party. You're fragmented.

[Young Pueblo]

You're weak.

[Michael]

And the only way you can get yourself together is to be strong. That's one thing. But take it from me, I'm a novice at this, and even I know this. You have to reclaim being for the working class.

[Sherry]

When I say reclaim the working class, doesn't that mean money? It doesn't mean bathrooms shared by both genders. It doesn't mean that stuff. It doesn't mean pronouncing the right, the proper nouns and pronouns doesn't mean that stuff. Working class. Back to James Carville. It's the economy, stupid.

[Michael]

It's about dollars and cents. It's about money in people's pocket. It's about the cost of living. Everything starts there. What the Democrats need to do is.

[Sherry]

Refocus on proclaiming yourself as the better.

[Michael]

Party for the economy.

[Sherry]

Make sure that your policies are better when it comes to employing folks and putting money in the pockets of the American citizens better than them.

[Michael]

You pull that off without all of that other stuff on the fringes and you get back to being center left. You can reclaim one of the houses of Congress in the midterms, you'd have a chance in 2028. But if you keep being at the mercy of the extreme left, which Chuck Schumer in this case refused to do with the whole bill, oh, spending bill, the budget, making sure that the government didn't shut down. If you ignore that and go far left, it's not an election or another election you're going to lose. You're going to lose the country. The Democratic Party will cease to exist by the year 2028, if not the year 2026, unless y'all get y'all act together. We all got stuff we want and there's certain things that we can't be deprived of. I will remind you, President Obama deported more people than Donald Trump. He just didn't brag about it. There are certain things that you can want and you can get away with wanting. If you ain't sticking out your chest proclaiming that as your battle cry, sub using that to supplant other things that should be a priority. If you prioritize appropriately on behalf of the American people, you'd be surprised what else you could get away with if you made sure you handle business first. Prioritize appropriately. Show yourself to be the better party than the others by what you have to offer instead of decrying what they are offering and you might have a chance. If you don't, you're dead. You're done. In case you haven't noticed, you're pretty damn close to that right now anyway. Regardless of what you want to think about how close this election was in your mind, get your shit together.

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[Colleen Witt]

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