Dem Rep. Jake Auchincloss: For The First Time In 20 Years, Democrats Don’t Have A Standard-Bearer – And That’s A Good Thing
Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Jake Auchincloss told FNC’s Laura Ingraham Thursday night that he is glad the Democratic Party is operating without a leader now, “it means we are free to debate big ideas without being in an ideological straitjacket.”
LAURA INGRAHAM: Who is the leader of your party, as it stands now? REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS: For the first time in 20 years, the Democratic Party doesn’t have a standard-bearer. And you may think that’s a bad thing. I disagree. I think that’s a good thing. It means we are free to debate big ideas without being in an ideological straitjacket. For example, David Hogg, who you just had up there, is putting $ 20 million down for primaries. A bigger, better idea than just more primaries would be to get rid of the primary system altogether. It pulls politicians to the flanks, your party and mine, and we should do what Alaska and Louisiana have done – both red states – and allow every voter and every candidate to participate in every taxpayer-funded election, and that way you empower the median voter. That’s a big idea that Democrats should be focused on. … LAURA INGRAHAM: Do you think the Democrats, again, as of tonight, are answering the concerns of the middle class that have begun to turn away from the Democrat standard-bearers? Conflicting Perspectives on Trade and the Middle Class REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS: Democrats have an opportunity to answer those concerns. Right now in a Fox News poll, only a third of voters think that Donald Trump is doing a good job on tariffs and inflation. Democrats have a chance to say we are now the party of free enterprise. Free trade with free people to build a strong middle class, particularly with housing and healthcare. Here’s how we are going to do it. Peel the bark after healthcare. Build 7 million units of housing. We are going to deliver a decent education to every kid in this country. LAURA INGRAHAM: You had four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and for part of that time,e you had a Democrat Congress. Like, you had all that time. Biden said it was going to be a new era for America. So what happened? REP. JAKE AUCHINCLOSS: We accomplished a lot in that first term. We got infrastructure. We got CHIPs and Sciences for semiconductor manufacturing, we got gun safety legislation that the Trump administration is now rolling back. We now though have to do more.
