Democrats find no rest after Iowa

As the Iowa caucuses approached, the headlines grew dimmer. Last fall, the Washington Post wrote that “anxiety rises among Democrats worried about party prospects in 2020.” By year end, the New York Times noted the one thing Democrats can agree on is that they are “very nervous.”

Polling a week before Iowa revealed that while Republicans are growing more excited about the 2020 election, Democrats are “nervous wrecks.” Politico reported the morning of the caucuses that there was a “palpable feel of fear in the air” among Democrats. The New York Times sounded more like it was covering a wake rather than the starting of Americans choosing their president, declaring that the caucuses resembled less a “resistance fantasy” and more a rolling “anxiety attack” for Democrats.

The results are unlikely to allay the worries of the party or the media. The caucuses were a disaster for Democrats. While President Trump broke the record of President Obama for caucus goers with about 30,000 Iowans, Democrats could not even tabulate the vote. Results have been delayed for hours as the party officials have to check them for “quality control,” instilling confidence in the supporters of Bernie Sanders everywhere.

What about the candidates? Sanders, who looks like the new party leader these days, calls himself a socialist. He honeymooned in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, campaigned for Marxists in the 1980s, and praised the “revolution of values” of Fidel Castro. Sanders has dominance within the Democratic base and has also built great momentum going into New Hampshire. What does this mean for the Democratic National Committee, where nervous members are once again likely plotting to stifle his rise?

Through their own actions, Democrats sidelined half of their candidates. Weeks before Iowa, senators were stuck in Washington suffering through a baseless and fruitless attempt to remove their opponent from the ballot, while leaving Iowa virtually to Joe Biden. The third time in three decades for his presidential bid does not seem to be the charm. The remaining candidates offer little enthusiasm and far less divergence on the issues.

Each eagerly raises their hands to hand out “free” health care for illegal immigrants. Each vows to vastly expand the role of the government in our daily lives, financed through tax hikes that would cripple the economy. All seek to wage war on energy production at a time when the nation is finally energy independent. The greatest debate among Democrats is whether to kick more than 200 million Americans off their private health care now, with a government takeover, or a little bit later, through a public option.

The party that cannot calculate votes on time may want to rethink those plans. It is no wonder Democrats are nervous. But how is the rest of the country feeling? More than 80 percent of Americans today are satisfied with their quality of life. Consumer confidence is climbing to its highest levels in decades. In three short years, the public view of our economy, national security, and race relations have all seen major improvements.

Our message to despondent Democrats is to take it easy. The country is doing great. More Americans are employed now than ever before. The “blue collar boom” ushered in by Trump is causing income inequality to narrow. Wages for the bottom 10 percent are rising almost 6 percent a year, nearly double the increase for the top 10 percent of earners. The First Step Act is also giving countless Americans such as Alice Johnson a renewed sense of hope. We have great new trade deals for our farmers and manufacturers, as well as the historic phase one deal with China.

If you want some fun, come on out to a Trump rally, where 25 percent of recent signups have been registered Democrats. Even the media cannot deny the joyful energy that the president brings. So join the hundreds of thousands of Americans getting used to the idea of the nation thriving and winning again. Come discover a new home in the Republican Party.

Elizabeth Harrington is the national spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. You can follow her updates on Twitter @LizRNC.