Hakeem Jeffries is not the leader Democrats are looking for.
It’s not that I have anything against Jeffries. I know he was reselected less than two months ago. He seems to be decent, intelligent and diplomatic. But as the new Congress opens today, the party might want to reconsider.
These are not the times for a statesman. Democrats need a charismatic rebel leader, someone with the communication skills of a social-media-savvy Martin Luther King and the tactical flexibility of Bugs Bunny.
Jeffries is simply too nice. He wants to fix problems and make things better for the American people. “We are prepared to work hard to find bipartisan common ground with our Republican colleagues and the incoming administration on any issue, whenever and wherever possible,” he says. All very laudable, I’m sure, but painfully misguided.
Take the farm subsidy bill that Democrats waived through as part of the package to keep the government open just before Christmas. It reflects well on Democrats that they feel farmers’ pain and are keen to help them out. But the hard truth is that Democrats lending votes to Republicans to pass a farm subsidy bill is political stupidity.
Look at the electoral map. Some rural counties voted for Donald Trump and Republicans by 4-1 margins. Now that Democrats have passed the bill, Republicans are going to go back to all those farm states that elected them and thump their chests about all the great things they did for farmers, rather than explain why the House Republican majority decided to turn their backs on them.
In short, if Republicans want to do favors for farmers, Democrats should make them find Republican votes to do them with. If Republican incompetence means that farm bills don’t get passed, perhaps rural America will start to value competence over “owning the libs.”
There are lots of issues like this, where Democrats need to let Republicans either govern or fail even though the pain will be felt by Republican voters and Democratic voters alike. This isn’t mean-spirited. It’s tough love. Saving Republicans from their own incoherence and incompetence just prolongs the agony.
By “working hard to find bipartisan common ground,” Jeffries is just enabling bad behavior. Helping Republicans govern only shields Republican voters from the consequences of their choices. It’s also utterly thankless. Approximately zero voters elected Republicans because they wanted more bipartisanship. Instead, many voters opted for magical thinking. Tariffs, tax cuts, lower prices and a balanced budget, what’s not to like?
Democrats, instead, should be rolling the dice on reality. Trump’s plans, such as they are, aren’t going to work out. He’s already backing away from some of his most categorical promises. The Democrats have no responsibility to govern for the next two years. Instead, Democrats need to let Republicans fail and make sure that the GOP owns every failure.
Of course, I can’t really say who should replace Jeffries, but there are a few House Democrats who have at least some of the right stuff.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) is too closely identified with the progressive wing for the current climate, but she has excellent communications skills. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) is only just starting his second term but made a name for himself from his seat on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. Where Jeffries always sounds like a practiced politician, Moskowitz is not at all diplomatic. Instead, he’s entertaining and a master at holding his Republican colleagues accountable when they say and do ridiculous things. He even goes on FOX. Jamie Raskin (Md.) is another excellent communicator with very good tactical instincts.
But whoever is acting as leader, House Democrats need a whole new playbook for the 119th Congress. If Democrats meant what they said about Donald Trump being a threat to American democracy, then they need to start acting like it. Giving authoritarianism a helping hand in exchange for a little extra funding for health care or whatever is not in the cards.
Democrats have one goal for the next two years: ensuring that MAGA Republicans lose control of the House and Senate in 2026. If that means standing aside while Republican infighting shuts down the government, then that’s on Republicans, not Democrats. If Republicans can’t muster the votes to pass farm subsidies or even disaster relief, that’s unfortunate, but that’s also the consequences of awarding MAGA Republicans control of both houses of Congress and the presidency.
When people get tired of the circus, perhaps they'll stop electing clowns.
Chris Truax is an appellate attorney who served as Southern California chair for John McCain’s primary campaign in 2008.
