CNN’s Ron Brownstein dropped a bombshell Monday on “All Things Considered,” telling host Audie Cornish the Democratic Party’s image hasn’t been this frail since the 1980s under Reagan and George H.W. Bush. “If you talk to Democrats, you know, they recognize they are in a hole,” he said, pointing to a party battered by Trump’s resurgence.
Trump’s Tuesday night speech to Congress—82 percent approved, per CBS—left Democrats reeling. Brownstein noted their lack of applause even for a 13-year-old cancer survivor honored by the Secret Service, a moment that showcased GOP unity while Rep. Al Green was ejected for shouting. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.
Brownstein tied this to a looming budget fight. With a government funding deadline Friday, Republicans aim to offset tax cuts—think Trump’s 15 percent manufacturer rate—with Medicaid trims, a move Democrats decry. “This is the first time since that 1995-96 budget when Republicans are explicitly putting two things together,” he said, recalling Gingrich’s era.
He sees a chance for Democrats to hit back. Linking GOP tax cuts for the rich to healthcare slashes could resonate, Brownstein argued, especially after Trump’s tariff and deportation wins. But he admitted their current state—directionless and weak—mirrors the Reagan-Bush years when conservatives ruled.
Trump’s momentum is undeniable. From slashing illegal crossings to 300 daily from Biden’s 10,000 to pushing economic reforms, he’s delivering what 97 percent of Republicans cheered last week. Democrats, Brownstein said, lack “leadership, ideas, policies,” leaving them irrelevant unless they regroup fast.
The 1980s parallel stings. Reagan crushed Mondale; Bush rode that wave. Now, Trump’s 60 percent Democrat approval on his speech, per CBS, shows even their base is wavering. Brownstein’s warning: without a pivot, they’re stuck in a hole they dug themselves.
Conservatives see this as blood in the water. Posts on X blast Democrats as “self-inflicted losers,” echoing Brownstein’s grim take. Trump’s not just winning—he’s exposing a party too fractured to fight back, a shadow of its past under Reagan’s shadow.
Republicans aren’t letting up. With House control and Trump’s mandate, they’re poised to ram through his agenda—tax cuts, border security, efficiency. Brownstein’s analysis isn’t a prediction; it’s a snapshot of now: Democrats are down, and Trump’s crew aims to keep them there.
