CNN panelist: ‘Bad night’ for Dems because they didn’t ‘listen’ to voters

‘I’m a loyal Democrat, but I am not happy’

Democrats are going to have a “bad night” Tuesday because they didn’t “listen” to voters, predicts Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator Hilary Rosen.

“I’m a loyal Democrat, but I am not happy. I just think that we did not listen to voters in this election, and I think we’re going to have a bad night,” she said Sunday.

“This conversation is not going to have much impact on Tuesday, but I hope it has an impact going forward, because when voters tell you over and over and over again that they care mostly about the economy, listen to them.”

Rosen said the Democrats’ main theme that “democracy is at stake,” promoted by President Biden in strident speeches, is not a winner.

“Democracy is at stake because people are fighting so much about what elections mean. I mean, voters have told us what they wanted to hear and I don’t think Democrats have delivered this cycle,” she said.

CNN political commentator Bakari Sellars agreed but insisted that some Democrats are running solid campaigns, mentioning Sens. Mark Kelly in Arizona and Raphael Warnock in Georgia, who are neck-and-neck with Republican challengers.

“In those places, what we have the unfortunate combination of strong gubernatorial candidates,” Rosen replied. “You know, like Mark Kelly – I was just in Arizona and spent time there, talked to a bunch of voters. Mark Kelly is popular, but Kari Lake is more popular.”

Rosen said the “combination of Kari Lake’s popularity and Joe Biden’s unpopularity is going to hurt Mark Kelly.”

“And so, I think we’re in trouble because of the top of the ticket,” she said.

Rosen insisted, nevertheless, that voters like Democrats’ policies on the economy better than Republican policies.

Rosen also argued that Democrats have an economic story to tell and said “people actually like our policies better on the economy.”

She made headlines during the 2012 presidential election when she said the wife of Republican nominee Mitt Romney, Ann Romney, “never worked a day in her life.”