Democrats lined the steps of the Capitol Wednesday morning, rallying against the Republican healthcare bill and behind Joe Biden. More than a cameo, the retired vice president stood in as the de-facto face of a party wandering in the political wilderness.
The problem is so acute that before Biden dropped in to fill the leadership vacuum, Nancy Pelosi couldn’t say who was piloting the party. In a painful exchange last night on CNN, the minority leader all but admitted Democrats don’t have anyone at the helm.
Looking desperately for a mooring, Pelosi floundered when asked to detail the party’s power structure. After vainly pointing to President Obama and Hillary Clinton as figureheads, the best Pelosi could offer was that “we have leaders for all different aspects of it.” And while that might very well be true, it doesn’t seem like they’re all pulling in the same direction.
At Democratic National Committee headquarters, Chairman Tom Perez and his co-chair, Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, seem to be coexisting rather than cooperating. In the presidential bullpen, the Democratic bench seems barren at the moment. And in Congress, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer are doing just a bit better.
With complete control of the government, Republicans should be able to steamroll leaderless Democrats. But rather than making the most of this opportunity, Trump’s party has wasted the better half of his first 100 days on ill-conceived executive orders and inadequate healthcare bills. For now, the majority’s ineptitude has covered for the minority’s disarray.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
