Democrats Fail To Learn 2016’s Lessons: Americans do not believe their leaders understand their concerns, according to an April 20th Washington Post/ABC News poll. When asked if President Donald Trump “is in touch with the concerns of most people in the United States, or is he out of touch?” 38% of Americans said the president is “in touch,” while 58% said they think he is “out of touch.” Thirty-two percent said they think the Republican Party understands their concerns, while 62% said the GOP is out of touch.
Democrats are in worse shape. Only 25% think the Democratic Party understand their concerns, and a whopping 67% say they consider Democrats to be out of touch. The results by age demographic should be especially worrisome for a party looking to rebound from its 2016 loss. Sixty-five percent of those 50 years and older and 67% of those between 18 and 49 years old say Democrats are out of touch. For Republicans, those numbers are 55% and 69%, respectively, giving the GOP the advantage with older voters who are more likely to turn out in the 2018 Midterms.
Democrats continue repeating one of Hillary Clinton’s most costly mistakes by ignoring the real-life concerns of the Americans and instead focusing on faux outrage against Donald Trump. While both parties should must work to change their negative numbers, Democrats are at special risk of declining further decline if they keep neglecting issues important to voters.
