Christopher Arps: Democrats’ Messaging Meltdown

Democrats who insist Kamala Harris lost simply because of poor messaging are missing an opportunity to learn from their mistakes, writes Project 21 Ambassador Christopher Arps in a commentary published at RedState:

Despite [Obama senior advisor Dan] Pfeifer’s insistence that voters didn’t hear the Democrats’ message, the truth is that Americans heard it loud and clear. The administration’s handling of inflation, economic stagnation, and border security painted a stark picture of ineptitude and misplaced priorities. Voters understood this message as one of failure….

Democrats face a crossroads. They can continue dismissing voters’ concerns as “miscommunication” or confront the hard truths about their policies. The party’s obsession with identity politics, combined with its refusal to address pressing economic and security issues, alienated vital constituencies, including working-class and minority voters.

Read Chris’s commentary in full below.

In the wake of Democrats’ resounding defeat on November 5th, the finger-pointing has begun. In a Substack post, former Obama senior advisor Dan Pfeiffer delivered a tone-deaf assessment of the loss, blaming the party’s message and messengers:

[O]ur approach to communicating with voters continues to depend heavily on the legacy media. Do Democrats need to follow Trump’s lead and break up with the legacy media?

Christopher Arps

While Pfeiffer’s critique of Democratic messaging is not entirely misplaced, his commentary reeks of denial about the real reasons behind the party’s defeat and the ongoing erosion of voter trust in the Democrat Party. His remarks were especially jarring as they came just a day after the guilty verdict in the tragic murder of Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant.

This heartbreaking case epitomized the devastating consequences of the administration’s border policies—policies that became central to voters’ repudiation of the party’s leadership.

Despite Pfeifer’s insistence that voters didn’t hear the Democrats’ message, the truth is that Americans heard it loud and clear. The administration’s handling of inflation, economic stagnation, and border security painted a stark picture of ineptitude and misplaced priorities. Voters understood this message as one of failure.

The tragic death of Ms. Riley was a painful reminder of the administration’s border failures. The public knows that the current border policies have allowed a dangerous influx of illegal immigration, contributing to crime, exploitation, and instability.

Just this week, a House Judiciary Committee report revealed that sex traffickers are exploiting the Biden administration’s “parole” program, exposing significant fraud and negligence in one of the Department of Homeland Security’s critical operations. Shockingly, welfare recipients, individuals involved in criminal activity, and even other illegal immigrants have been approved as sponsors for parolees.

The administration’s inability—or unwillingness—to vet these sponsors directly threatens public safety. Rather than acknowledge these failures, Democrats like Pfeifer are deflecting and blaming state party leaders and the media.

State party leaders nationwide, including Texas Democratic Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, are being purged to shift accountability. Hinojosa’s resignation after 12 years in power is symbolic of a broader reckoning, but fixing the party’s credibility problem will take more than reshuffling leadership.

Adding insult to injury, Democratic-led cities continue to double down on unpopular sanctuary city policies. Los Angeles is moving forward with legislation to bar city workers from assisting federal immigration enforcement, effectively reinforcing its sanctuary status. For many voters, these policies symbolize the party’s refusal to confront the real-world consequences of its ideology, even as communities grapple with rising crime and instability.

Texas, one of the battlegrounds for immigration policy, has sent a resounding message. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham has even offered a 1,400-acre ranch to facilitate the deportation of violent criminals. This bold move underscores a clear divide between the two parties: one focused on action, the other mired in denial.

Democrats face a crossroads. They can continue dismissing voters’ concerns as “miscommunication” or confront the hard truths about their policies. The party’s obsession with identity politics, combined with its refusal to address pressing economic and security issues, alienated vital constituencies, including working-class and minority voters.

November 5th was not just a defeat for Kamala Harris or state party leaders but a referendum on the Democratic Party’s vision for America. If Democrats fail to learn from this loss, they risk more than another election—they risk becoming irrelevant in the eyes of the very people they claim to represent.

Project 21 Ambassador Christopher Arps is a managing partner with the public affairs and communications consulting firm Red Tail Strategies, LLC.  He’s the co-founder of Move-On-Up.org and President of Americans for Citizen Voting (ACV), a 501(c)(4) dedicated to the belief that only citizens should vote in our local, state, and national elections. He’s also the afternoon drive co-host of The Tim Jones and Chris Arps Show on NewstalkSTL 101.9 & 94.1. This commentary first appeared at RedState.