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To: Democratic members of the US House of Representatives and registered Democratic voters
Hakeem Jeffries Must Step Down as Minority Leader
Democratic leaders within the US Congress are not equipped for this moment. Their strategy has proven to be consistently ineffective to combat the narrative of Republicans, MAGA, and Donald Trump. Democratic members of Congress chose to reelect individuals to leadership positions in the wake of a colossal electoral defeat that saw Democrats lose control of the fail to retake the House, lose the Senate and the White House. The leaders who presided over a nationwide collapse of support for the Democratic Party is, in part, the consequence of these leaders and their poorly calibrated strategies.
The Democratic Party has replaced organization and voter engagement with fundraising and an onslaught of text messages. This has contributed to the erosion of support for Democratic candidates among the working class. To millions of Americans, despite the Republican Party's leader being a literal billionaire, it is the Democrats who have effectively been branded as a party of wealthy elites more concerned with virtue signally as opposed to improving the lives of working and middle-class Americans. Democratic leaders go on television and, with few exceptions, continue to present themselves as typical, run-of-the-mill politicians--they appear and sound disconnected from the reality of the challenges Americans face. But, most importantly, Democratic leaders are guilty of not being authentic. As a lifelong Democrat, it is all but impossible to believe anything Democratic leaders say on television. They sound stiff, coached, and uncomfortable. Worst yet, there is an utter absence of conviction in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Republicans and right-aligned groups have established a network to connect their voters and potential voters with others who share their values, creating a sense of community, belonging, and (at least) the impression that their voices are being heard.
Hakeem Jeffries had no business being chosen by his fellow Democrats to serve once more as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. Democratic voters and Americans more broadly deserve an opposition party that has a methodical and deliberate strategy to push back against the Republican agenda. Democrats and Americans deserve leaders who believe what they say and communicate effectively to the nation--wherever they are. Democrats and Americans deserve leaders who reflect or empathize with their experiences, their challenges, their hopes, and their fears. The current slate of Democratic leaders are unable to do this. They do not know how to communicate to the American people, especially younger Americans. They do not have an organization built to do anything other than collect money. They are not people who can be believed. As the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries should first and foremost be held to account.
Hakeem Jeffries needs to step down.
The Democratic Party has replaced organization and voter engagement with fundraising and an onslaught of text messages. This has contributed to the erosion of support for Democratic candidates among the working class. To millions of Americans, despite the Republican Party's leader being a literal billionaire, it is the Democrats who have effectively been branded as a party of wealthy elites more concerned with virtue signally as opposed to improving the lives of working and middle-class Americans. Democratic leaders go on television and, with few exceptions, continue to present themselves as typical, run-of-the-mill politicians--they appear and sound disconnected from the reality of the challenges Americans face. But, most importantly, Democratic leaders are guilty of not being authentic. As a lifelong Democrat, it is all but impossible to believe anything Democratic leaders say on television. They sound stiff, coached, and uncomfortable. Worst yet, there is an utter absence of conviction in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Republicans and right-aligned groups have established a network to connect their voters and potential voters with others who share their values, creating a sense of community, belonging, and (at least) the impression that their voices are being heard.
Hakeem Jeffries had no business being chosen by his fellow Democrats to serve once more as Minority Leader in the House of Representatives. Democratic voters and Americans more broadly deserve an opposition party that has a methodical and deliberate strategy to push back against the Republican agenda. Democrats and Americans deserve leaders who believe what they say and communicate effectively to the nation--wherever they are. Democrats and Americans deserve leaders who reflect or empathize with their experiences, their challenges, their hopes, and their fears. The current slate of Democratic leaders are unable to do this. They do not know how to communicate to the American people, especially younger Americans. They do not have an organization built to do anything other than collect money. They are not people who can be believed. As the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries should first and foremost be held to account.
Hakeem Jeffries needs to step down.
Why is this important?
Between the 2020 and 2024 elections, the Democratic Party lost 6,265,436 votes. Donald Trump and the Republicans only increased their tally by 3,079,249 votes. This wasn't an election where Donald Trump persuaded the nation in order to be re-elected...this was an election that Democrats failed to communicate, empathize, organize, and perform. Not a single person who was in a leadership position within the Party during this collapse deserves to continue leading the Party. Wholesale new leadership is required if there is any hope of genuinely opposing Donald Trump and building a Party that can win elections and not just raise vast sums of money.