They are alienating voters.
CNN host Fareed Zakaria delivered a sharp critique of the Democratic Party during a monologue on his show GPS over the weekend, attributing the party’s recent losses to a series of missteps in policy and messaging. Zakaria argued that Democrats failed to grasp key public concerns, leading them to become increasingly out of touch with voters on issues like immigration, legal challenges against Donald Trump, and identity politics.
Zakaria began by noting that while many attributed the recent election results to the broader post-COVID, inflation-driven global trend against incumbents, the situation could have played out differently for Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite economic improvements such as lower inflation and stronger employment, Harris still faced significant challenges, and Zakaria believed the Democrats missed their opportunity to shift the narrative after the January 6th Capitol riots, when Trump’s approval ratings plummeted. “But they blew it,” he said.
The first mistake Zakaria highlighted was the Biden administration’s failure to address the immigration crisis. He pointed to the border system’s collapse, which allowed millions of people to exploit asylum laws intended for a smaller number of individuals. Zakaria argued that rather than acknowledging public frustration, liberals dismissed critics as heartless and racist, missing a major shift in American opinion. He noted that in 2020, only 28% of Americans wanted to reduce immigration, but by 2023, that number had risen to 55%. Zakaria suggested that if Democrats had acknowledged this change, Harris could have taken a more decisive stance on border security.
Zakaria also criticized Democrats for their aggressive legal tactics against Trump, particularly the case pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He claimed that while some legal challenges against Trump were valid, the overwhelming number of cases gave the impression that the legal system was being weaponized against him, which only strengthened Trump’s political base. “Lawfare turned Trump from being a loser into a victor,” he said, emphasizing that the legal onslaught had backfired politically.
Finally, Zakaria discussed the Democrats’ obsession with identity politics, which he argued alienated many mainstream voters. He pointed to the term “Latinx,” which was poorly received by the Latino community, as an example of how the left’s focus on ethnic and gender identity overshadowed more pressing issues. This focus, Zakaria said, led to Democrats failing to recognize the shifting political leanings of working-class Latinos who were drawn to Trump’s social conservatism and tough immigration stance. He warned that identity politics had become “deeply illiberal,” dividing people by race or gender rather than focusing on character.
Zakaria also took aim at the left’s embrace of university “speech codes” and cancel culture, which he argued restricted free speech—one of the core tenets of liberal values. He concluded by cautioning that while Democrats may reflect on these mistakes in hindsight, their failure to act on these issues at the time had serious political consequences.
