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DOGEfight: Why Democrats Should Steal the GOP's Efficiency Playbook

US Capitol building with American flag.
Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash. Unsplash+ License obtained by editor.
Dan SallyDan Sally
Published: 24 Mar, 2025
1 min read

Last week, a new front opened up in the Democrats' war against themselves when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer backed a Republican-led budget deal to avoid a government shutdown, prompting outrage from House Democrats, threats of a primary challenge from AOC, and renewed questions about who actually leads the Democratic Party.

While Schumer's stated intention was to prevent the Trump administration from cutting the federal workforce and government programs even further, is there evidence that voters even care—or trust government enough to want it preserved?

In this episode, Dan and Shawn discuss how the status quo wing of the Democratic Party is at odds with voters' growing belief that the federal government is inefficient and wasteful, and how co-opting the GOP's "efficiency" narrative might be the key to rebuilding after their losses in 2024.

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