Retiring Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) shared a sobering take on his political party’s current situation, saying he’s “furious” about the Democrats’ inability to defeat President Donald Trump.
Bennet also warns that he fears the worst is yet to come for the Democrats.
The senator, who is leaving national politics to run for governor of reliably Democrat Colorado, told CNN that the party’s brand is damaged nationally.
“I don’t think nationally the Democratic brand helps very much anywhere,” Bennet told “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper.
“If it did, we wouldn’t have lost to Donald Trump twice.
“I know a lot of supporters of mine and friends of mine are furious at Donald Trump,” Bennet added.
“I am… Furious at people they think aren‘t standing up enough to Donald Trump. I am.
“But I’m also furious that the Democratic Party that has lost twice to Trump.”
Many Democrats have blamed their present woes on former President Joe Biden and his disastrous re-election plans.
However, others argue that Biden is becoming a convenient scapegoat for a political party that is unwilling to engage in necessary self-scrutiny.
It comes as Tapper’s controversial new book, “Original Sin,” has led to fresh criticism of Biden’s presidency and the effort to conceal his cognitive decline.
Yet, many argue that Tapper participated in that effort himself.
Nevertheless, Tapper grilled Bennet about the Democratic Party’s “record-low” popularity and whether it would hurt his campaign for governor.
Even as he slammed Trump, Bennet faulted Democrats for failing to provide voters with an alternative.
He continued by claiming Democrats are not doing enough to stop Trump and his alleged plans to “blow up Washington, D.C.”
“I think they’re sick of a Democratic Party who hasn’t been able to show how we’re going to address an economy where the middle class continues to shrink and where, over the last 20 years, we’ve actually lost ground in terms of, you know, the achievement of our kids in school,” he said.
“We need to address those things.”
WATCH:
The Democrats’ “woke” drift has been cited as a significant factor in their wipeout last November.
However, months later, the party is still paralyzed by divisions on how to rebuild.
Since the election, the Democrats have been drifting without a clear leader or any definitive messaging.
While some, like Bennet, clearly want to distance themselves from the progressives in the party, others are continuing to cling to the damaging “woke” brand.
Democrats remain as lost as ever, with reports that the party is spending millions of dollars to study men.
The bizarre initiative, entitled “Speaking with American Men: A Strategic Plan,” aims to “study the syntax, language, and content that gains attention and virality” in male spaces.
Meanwhile, a desperate effort to paint Trump as a nascent authoritarian is falling flat.
According to the most recent polling averages from RealClearPolitics, Trump is only a couple of points underwater.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s net approval is more than 20 points in the negative.
If the Democrats don’t find their direction soon, Republicans could have a chance at holding the House and Senate after next year’s midterms.
