Let’s face it. The Democrats are underdogs in their fight to get President Trump to make a deal and end the government shutdown. 

As the bell rings to start this fight, the Democrats are weighed down by the hard truth that at any point over the last ten months, former Vice President Kamala Harris would likely have lost the presidency to Trump a second time. Even this spring, at the start of Trump’s reckless use of tariffs, an Emerson University poll found Trump leading Harris by a narrow 48 percent to 47 percent advantage. 

Democrats remain dumbfounded that any voters are sticking by Trump. But they are in a fury over their party’s failure to take the fight to him.  

According to a Quinnipiac survey released last week, 54 percent of all voters have an unfavorable view of the Democrats. That was lower than the 51 percent who disapprove of the GOP. “This is the lowest favorability rating for the Democratic Party since the Quinnipiac University Poll began asking this question in 2008,” it read. 

The big reason for the low approval of Democrats is their own voters’ unhappiness.  

“Democrats now express more disapproval of their party’s congressional leadership [59 percent disapproval] than at any time in several decades…,” according to a September Pew survey. 

Why? 

Since Trump took office, Democratic voters feel their party is on the sidelines, or to use boxing lingo, “taking a dive,” instead of standing up to a president acting so erratically that 79 percent of voters told Quinnipiac the country is in crisis.  

Trump is unpopular. He has a 40 percent approval rating, according to Pew. His handling of his top issue, immigration, is viewed negatively by 55 percent of voters; his handling of the economy by 56 percent and his approach to gun violence is underwater with 54 percent of voters, according to Quinnipiac. 

This is a president who bullies comedians. Americans disapprove of his sending troops into American cities. And now he can’t keep the government open even with a GOP majority in the House and Senate.  

Why can’t the Democrats turn around this mess? 

The heart of the problem is that even as they rightly focus their budget fight on skyrocketing health care costs, they don’t have a clear agenda for the nation’s future. There is nothing to compete with Trump’s constant social media tirades against immigrants, university presidents and cities. 

Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois have challenged his actions in their home states. But in Congress, the biggest stage for national television and social media, the best fighter to emerge is outside the party leadership. 

She is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She floated a test balloon last month by hinting at a run for higher office in 2028 — either a primary challenge against the top Senate Democrat, Charles Schumer in New York or a presidential bid. 

Striking a defiant tone that resonates with the base, the 35-year-old progressive firebrand recently told MSNBC: 

“This [fight] is about people being able to insure their children. … I’m not going to tolerate four million uninsured Americans… kids are dying because they don’t have access to insurance. … What we’re not going to do is allow millions of people in this country to go without insulin and chemotherapy.” 

That’s what the base wants: a social media savvy fighter with attitude who believes in championing policies that address real need. 

Here is another social media influencer voicing her disappointment with her party.  

“I thought I was the only one who was shocked that Democrats weren’t fighting back tooth and nail, raising hell… against a fascist regime. Much to my surprise, I was shocked to see [President Trump] echoing the same sentiment.” 

Left-leaning podcaster Jennifer Welch, speaking on the “I’ve Had It” podcast, was referring to Trump’s openly political lecture to the nation’s military leaders last week. As he ranted, Trump said he sees no resistance from Democrats. 

“There’s been no fight. There’s been no fight [from the left],” the president said. 

And the podcaster agreed with Trump. 

“He’s exactly right. I thought he would be met with fury on the left. I thought it would be resistance across the board. I thought that every U.S. senator would vote no on this clown car of Cabinet members he’s proposed. I thought Hakeem Jeffries and others would not take the bait to honor an unrepentant racist who demeaned Black people… [by voting for] the resolution to honor Charlie Kirk.”

Failure to fight is not a good look for a political party heading into winnable gubernatorial contests next month in Virginia and New Jersey. The Democrats need to stir passion among voters going into next year’s midterms and the 2028 presidential contest. 

In a March column, I warned that allowing Trump to extend federal funding without concessions to Democrats would spark an angry backlash from inside their party. I quoted the Roman poet Virgil, who said, “If I cannot move heaven, I will raise hell.” 

My dad, a boxing trainer, taught me that in the ring, you’d better have fire in the belly because there can only be one winner. 

Well, that’s my message for congressional Democrats as the government shutdown enters its second week. 

The party’s base wants to see your fire. 

Let’s get ready to rumble. 

Juan Williams is senior political analyst for Fox News Channel and a prize-winning civil rights historian. He is the author of the new book “New Prize for these Eyes: the Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement.”

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