An Oklahoma caller to C-SPAN who identified himself as a lifelong Democrat and 2024 voter for former Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday that he is disgusted with his party and plans to leave it. According to RealClearPolling, Democratic Party favorability has dropped to 34.7 percent, reflecting growing discontent among its base. Speaking on Washington Journal, the caller criticized Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, saying both should retire. “I’ve been a Democrat all my life. I’m 78 — and my folks were too — but this party has changed so damn much,” he said. “It makes me sick. I’m going to move out of it. It’s terrible. Schumer, he needs to be in a home. Take Pelosi with him.” He added that he voted for Harris out of loyalty, not enthusiasm.
Earlier in the week, a Pennsylvania Democrat expressed similar frustration, saying she would no longer support Democratic candidates because of the party’s handling of the ongoing government shutdown. “I have a problem with my party, and I’m not going to change my party,” she said. “I just won’t vote for a Democrat.” In an August Washington Journal segment, three other Democratic callers voiced dissatisfaction with party leadership, complaining about weak policies, an obsession with attacking former President Donald Trump, and a growing shift toward the far left. One caller said, “I’m registered Democrat, but I hate my party. I haven’t voted for a Democrat in years. Democrats have had terrible policies.” Another criticized the rise of progressives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, calling them “socialists and Marxists.”
Meanwhile, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien joined Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Thursday to call for an immediate end to the government shutdown. O’Brien urged Congress to pass a clean funding bill, warning that “working people should not be caught in the middle of a political fight.” He said the shutdown’s impact reaches far beyond politics, hurting aviation workers and families missing paychecks. “We have to think about the families who can’t pay their bills,” O’Brien said.
