This Is the Moment Democrats Have Been Talking About for Years

by UB Center for Urban Studies · 08/01/2025

After months of hand-wringing and finger-pointing, Democrats are still learning how to navigate a political landscape dominated by Donald Trump’s Republican Party. With Democrats locked out of power in Washington, the burden has shifted to the state and local levels to prove that we can govern.

Republicans have given us an opportunity to do just that. This month, Republicans in Washington — including every Republican representative from New York — voted for a morally bankrupt piece of legislation that slashes social safety net programs, cuts taxes for the ultrawealthy and provides $75 billion in new funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. President Trump pushed these policies simultaneously for a reason: so that he can scapegoat immigrants for the economic pain his agenda will bring to everyone. The problem isn’t scarcity — it’s greed.

This is the moment Democrats have been talking about for years: a chance to prove we’re more than a party of outrage and opposition. If we can’t deliver now, when the stakes are highest, we don’t deserve the trust of the people we claim to represent. It’s time to offer Americans more than sternly worded social media posts and podcast interviews.

So far, we’re failing that test. Our leaders are falling into the same trap Democrats have routinely found themselves in since 2016. These crises need to be taken on in a way that is bold and unafraid and that delivers for the working and middle classes without fear of reprisal from concentrated wealth or corporate power.

By: Antonio Delgado

July 30, 2025

Read the full story here: The New York Times