Why Democrats Are Losing Ground: Failing Policy, Fueling Division, and Silencing Jewish Voices

The Democratic Party once stood for pragmatic governance, principled coalition-building, and evidence-driven discourse. Today, it increasingly leans on emotional sloganeering, ideological purity tests, and performative outrage — undermining its own agenda and fracturing the national dialogue.

As a newly moderate-centrist who left the Democratic Party, and as a Jewish, Israeli-American and LGBT activist committed to democracy and societal cohesion, I watch with growing concern as my former political home drifts further from practical leadership and intellectual honesty.

Rather than condemning the hijacking of progressive causes by radical ideologies, Democratic leaders remain silent — or worse, complicit — by embracing coalitions that tolerate or promote anti-Jewish rhetoric.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other members of “The Squad” have not just vocally supported Palestinian causes, but often echoed rhetoric that delegitimizes Israel and veers into antisemitism.

For example, Ocasio-Cortez stated she agreed “10,000%” with the claim that the Abraham Accords “directly led” to the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. She and her allies have also objected to Democratic leadership decisions that exclude pro-Hamas and extremist pro-Palestinian speakers from party events, demanding more space for anti-Israel narratives.

A distorted political framework now prevails, reducing complex geopolitical realities into binary moral narratives and blaming Jews and Israelis without nuance. This approach not only sabotages democratic discourse — it puts lives at risk.

According to FBI data, American Jews — only 2.4% of the population — are victims of more than half of all religion-based hate crimes. Yet leading Democrats frequently delay or dilute their condemnation of such hate unless it fits partisan or ideological interests. This inconsistency alienates Jewish communities and erodes trust.

The targeting of Jews within progressive movements has escalated dangerously. In June 2024, multiple Gay Pride events across the US disinvited Jewish and Israeli LGBTQ+ groups, citing vague “community safety” concerns.

That trend worsened in 2025: Jews, Israelis, Zionists, and those vocally supporting Israel were again disinvited or excluded from Pride, and many others decided not to participate out of fear due to warnings from the FBI and recent anti-Jewish terror attacks in the US. Many Jewish attendees feared even showing up. I have witnessed this firsthand as an activist, and have documented it in multiple publications, including:

• “LGBTQ Activists Must Not Support Islamist Terror” (Middle East Forum)  
• “Antisemitism in North America: Unmasking Hate in the Guise of Activism” (Algemeiner) 
• “The Hypocrisy of the Dyke March” (JNS) 
• “I am a Jewish Progressive. Will I vote blue?” (The Hill)  

At the 2024 Pride March in Washington, D.C., I and members of my group were physically assaulted in an anti-Jewish hate crime.

In 2025, during the World Pride March in D.C., we were verbally taunted and harassed merely for showing up as proud Jewish Zionists. These weren’t isolated incidents — they reflect a broader problem ignored by Democratic leadership.

Meanwhile, Democratic rhetoric surrounding immigration and law enforcement further exposes the party’s incoherence. President Biden’s administration continued deportations in significant numbers — ICE removed nearly 142,000 individuals in FY 2023. And this isn’t new. Hillary Clinton herself said during her 2016 campaign, “If they’ve committed a crime, deport them.”

So why are today’s Democrats staging protests against policies they once endorsed? Why conflate ICE with ethnic persecution while ignoring actual authoritarianism abroad? Because opposition to Trump has become their organizing principle. Facts no longer matter. Policy consistency has vanished.

This reflexive posture damages their own agenda. When Republicans uphold or improve upon policies Democrats previously advocated, Democrats refuse to engage — not because the policy is wrong, but because Trump is involved. It’s a form of partisan absolutism that undermines national cohesion and forfeits opportunities for pragmatic progress.

A striking example of this inconsistency can be seen in the Democrats’ shifting stance on Iran. In June 2025, the US launched coordinated strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — crippling Tehran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities.

For more than a decade, prominent Democratic leaders — including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris — have asserted that Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, and that military force should remain on the table.

Then-Senator Hillary Clinton said in 2008 that the US could “totally obliterate” Iran if it developed or dared to use nuclear weapons against Israel or any other state. Vice President Kamala Harris reiterated in October 2024 that she “will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon” and would “take whatever action is necessary” to defend American interests and allies. Yet now, when the Trump administration has finally taken the very action Democrats previously promised, many of those same voices condemn it. Why are Democrats now vilifying the fulfillment of a policy they long championed? Is the issue the policy itself — or simply the president who enacted it?

A Jewish Electorate Institute poll in 2024 showed increasing concern among Jewish voters that Democrats are not adequately addressing antisemitism. The result? A shift. More Jewish voters — and socially liberal, but politically centrist individuals like myself — are rethinking their alignment. While no party is perfect, the Republican Party increasingly speaks with clarity against antisemitism, supports Israel unapologetically, and acts in accordance with legal norms.

If the Democrats wish to regain moral and political traction, they must:

1. Stop importing foreign conflicts into domestic protests. Palestinian flags belong in debates about the Middle East, not in ICE demonstrations or Pride parades.
2. Publicly and consistently condemn antisemitism — even when it comes from within their own coalitions.
3. Refocus on fact-based policymaking, not reactionary theatrics.
4. Recognize overlapping policy goals and cooperate across party lines when appropriate.
5. Welcome Jewish, Israeli, and Zionist voices, rather than scapegoating or excluding them from progressive spaces.

Unity requires courage. Democrats must choose between being a party of democratic pluralism — or one of ideological gatekeeping and double standards.

Yuval David is an Emmy and Multi-Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker, Journalist, and Jewish LGBTQ+ activist and advisor. A creative and compelling storyteller, on stage and screen, news and across social media, Yuval shares the narrative of Jewish activism and enduring hope. Follow him on Instagram, YouTube, and X.

The post Why Democrats Are Losing Ground: Failing Policy, Fueling Division, and Silencing Jewish Voices first appeared on Algemeiner.com.