Last week, Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez and Sen. Bernie Sanders went on a cross country unity tour in an effort to fire up the resistance against President Trump.
“Our job is to radically transform the Democratic Party into a 50-state party,” Sanders told a crowd in Portland, Maine.
Does the party need a radical transformation, and if so, what’s the best way to go about it? Boston Public Radio asked three rising stars of the party: Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama, and Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut.
All three are members of the New Democrats Coalition — a group of moderate members of the party. They believe, in order to win back seats, the Democrats need to soothe the economic anxiety of all Americans.
Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama said that even in her blue district, economic anxiety pushed many rural voters into casting votes for Donald Trump.
"He spoke to the fact that so many displaced rural community folks, black and white, felt very frustrated and felt left behind," she said. "The challenge for us, as New Dems, is how do we get back this majority?"
Moulton said Trump articulated a clear economic message — even if it's one he doesn't personally find viable.
"Trump's plan is entirely backwards looking," Moulton said. "He's saying: 'go back into the coal mines.' He's saying these jobs are getting taken by immigrants, when they're actually being automated out of existence."
Moulton believes Democrats need to look to the jobs of the future — in sectors like health care and green energy — and focus on providing Americans with the education to make those jobs attainable.
"[Trump's] plan won't succeed, it's not realistic," Moulton continued. "But the problem right now is Democrats don't have a real plan for the future — and that's what we need to work on."
To hear more from Moulton, Sewell and Himes, click on the audio player above.
