Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The ‘Bernie Bros’ Could Spoil Democrats’ Midterms
The Wall Street Journal ^ | July 23, 2026 1:00 pm ET | Rahm Emanuel

Posted on 07/23/2026 1:27:51 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Republicans will make even moderate opponents answer for the radical views of DSA candidates.

I have no objection to the Democrats’ nominating an oysterman for a Senate seat. When I led our party’s effort to recapture the House in 2006, we made a point of recruiting candidates with “authentic” broad-based appeal. But that strategy, which flipped 31 seats during my tenure, and claimed 21 more in 2008, was predicated on a substantive premise: We needed to allay voters’ worries that Democrats were weak on national defense and culturally out of touch, vulnerabilities born from previous elections. If we could do that, the door would open for us to make the campaign about the GOP’s corruption, which ranged from “The House That Tom DeLay Built” to Iraq war contracts.

Today, the “Bernie bros” and their fellow travelers in the Democratic Socialists of America seem intent on repudiating the proven success of that strategy. When the DSA attempts to turn safe Democratic states and districts a darker shade of blue, Democratic candidates in swing districts are put at a distinct disadvantage. In New York’s 13th Congressional District, a young socialist, Darializa Avila Chevalier, ousted Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She did it by winning over the district’s newly arrived urban professionals while losing the black and Hispanic voters she claimed to champion. Those marginalized communities, like most voters around the country, don’t have the same tastes as the gentrifying parts of Harlem and upper Manhattan.

What happens in the 13th District doesn’t stay in the 13th District. The midterm election this year should be about the Trump administration’s corruption, which makes Mr. DeLay look like a choirboy. But in the name of “authenticity,” the DSA and others are saddling the Democratic Party with nominees whose wildly unpopular positions...

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: chicago; demagogicparty; dsa; espamibusmultis; gettingitgoodandhard; illinois; libtards; newyorkcity; rahmemanuel; wallstreetjournal; wallstreeturinal; wsj; wsjspam; zohranmamdani
Rahmbo is concerned.
1 posted on 07/23/2026 1:27:51 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Rahm will have to honk down on a male appendage pacifier to calm down.


2 posted on 07/23/2026 1:34:29 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
"We needed to allay voters’ worries that Democrats were weak on national defense and culturally out of touch..."

Problem is Emanuel...

YOU ARE!


3 posted on 07/23/2026 1:56:53 PM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: sauropod

.


4 posted on 07/23/2026 2:13:43 PM PDT by sauropod (Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you. John MacArthur Ne supra crepidam)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Here in GA Democrat Ossoff is doing a skilled job of ambiguity on divisive issues while championing peach pie. (not apple pie in GA). Ossoff’s only negative (so far) would be if he is tied to Bottoms, the candidate for governor. Her main negative is that she is incompetent, which in her case, out-weighs extremism.

She served one term as Atlanta mayor and failed so badly that it was obvious a 2d term was out of the question. The fact that her successor in Atlanta is very competent does not help Bottoms at all.

Note: GA governor race has zero to do with ideology, only competence.


5 posted on 07/23/2026 2:45:32 PM PDT by spintreebob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Bonemaker

“allay voters’ worries”

Most of the Demoncrat party is about feelings and not facts.


6 posted on 07/23/2026 2:47:33 PM PDT by spintreebob
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Last night Brit Hume seemed worried that the R’s lose big-time in the midterms.


7 posted on 07/23/2026 2:53:08 PM PDT by devane617 (Discipline Is Reliable, Motivation Is Fleeting..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: spintreebob

Mark my words: Bottoms will win. The entire state of GA is saddled with each metro area being black. No way do I see a Jackson win.


8 posted on 07/23/2026 2:54:48 PM PDT by devane617 (Discipline Is Reliable, Motivation Is Fleeting..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
Most likely—220 in the House and 53 in the Senate.

But the wild card is the war in Iran.

If the Trump Administration is incompetent then yes, we'll lose Congress.

9 posted on 07/23/2026 2:56:11 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum
We needed to allay voters’ worries bullshit voters into believing that Democrats were not weak on national defense and culturally out of touch,
10 posted on 07/23/2026 3:13:30 PM PDT by HIDEK6 (God bless Donald Trump )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

Rahm (“You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that [is] it’s an opportunity to do things that you think you could not before.”) is hoping the Dims will turn to him in 2028 after their party is seriously fragmented.

Maybe he sees himself as the knight in shining armor that will rescue the Dimsel in distress.


11 posted on 07/23/2026 3:35:06 PM PDT by VanShuyten ("...that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: VanShuyten

I think you mean “damsel”-not “dimsel”. In either case Rahm’s armor is rusted and ill-constructed-he can’t rescue anyone...


12 posted on 07/23/2026 3:41:29 PM PDT by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: devane617

He’s old and thinks old. And he is a hard TDS hater.


13 posted on 07/23/2026 3:43:42 PM PDT by Fledermaus (United States of America : Born July 4, 1776. Died June 30, 2026.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: E. Pluribus Unum

It doesn’t matter who the Dems run, it won’t change the result. Voters don’t pay close attention.


14 posted on 07/23/2026 3:44:48 PM PDT by TTFX
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson