The Republican National Committee put out a video over the the weekend calling out Democrats for a lack of message after the State of the Union, a criticism that Republicans are sure to continue highlighting ahead of the upcoming midterms.
The video features clips from President Trump’s address last week during parts that were meant to be unifying, such as veterans issues and a lower unemployment rate among blacks. In the video, Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are seen sitting expressionless in their seats with no expression during these parts, while Republicans stand and clap.
The title of the video — “Democrats: What do you stand for?” — is a play on words, but also points out a central problem Democrats have continued to face in the aftermath of the 2016 election: trying to build a message. While some Democrats such as Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio have tried to take the party back to its working-class roots, others have said the party just needs to show opposition to Mr. Trump and Republicans.
Five responses to the State of the Union from Democrats showed the lack of unity among the party. The main address, given by Rep. Joseph Kennedy III of Massachusetts, tried to bring the varying visions for the party together. Speaking at a vocational school in his home state, Mr. Kennedy talked about DACA recipients — those brought to the U.S. illegally as children — and praised protesters of the border wall, but emphasized the importance of pushing policies for working-class families.
In addition to Mr. Kennedy, there was an address in Spanish delivered by Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzman, as well as one from Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Rep. Maxine Waters of California, an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump who was among the first to call for impeachment, also gave a response on Wednesday, as well as former Rep. Donna Edwards of Maryland.
When asked about why there were so many other responses in addition to his, Mr. Kennedy said on CNN Wednesday that he thought it was a sign of how many viewpoints the party encompasses, rather than a show of division.
Recent polling shows Democrats will likely need more than an anti-Trump message to be successful in the midterm races. Democrats steadily led the generic congressional ballot test by double-digit margins throughout much of last year, but Republicans have made up for the deficit in recent weeks with a Monmouth University poll showing them only two points behind.
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