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But the party also finds itself with a singular asset that might overpower any of those deep, structural woes: Donald Trump's presidency.

The first 100 days of Trump's tenure in office has infused the progressive base of the Democratic Party with an energy -- and an eagerness to fight -- that party elders have never before seen.

The women's marches and the emergence of an even broader-based, liberal version of the tea party led by new groups like Indivisible, have brought into the party new activists willing to do the grunt work of organizing locally.

That energy has manifested itself in massive turnouts even at far-flung town halls hosted by Republican members of Congress, as well as in an unprecedented non-election year fundraising surge for progressive organizations. Other new groups, including Run for Something, are helping recruit and train candidates -- some of whom will compete in places previously ignored by Democrats.

One thing is holding it all together: Trump.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee compared Trump's presidency to a mix of "comic opera and tragedy."

Ben Ray Lujan, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee -- the House Democrats' campaign arm -- said in the party's weekly address marking Trump's 100 days in office that "it seems like President Trump spends more time golfing than governing."

While Democrats have a common enemy, they still don't have a common message -- or a single leader.

With Barack Obama enjoying retirement and the Clintons off politics' main stage, Democrats no longer have a star figure to counterbalance Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, was successfully able to muster a filibuster against Trump Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, forcing Republicans to invoke the "nuclear option" taking away the filibuster for future high court picks. And House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has kept her ranks from supporting Trump.

Yet those figures help Democrats win process battles -- not identify a positive message to sell to the nation.

Still, Democrats insist they aren't worried. Some party officials and Democratic veterans pointed to the Republican rise of the tea party in 2009 and 2010, noting that its messages never really developed beyond stopping Obama and his push for health care reform.

Trump isn't likely to stop provoking liberals' ire, those Democrats said.

"There's like five assaults on progressive values a day, depending on the tweets," said Neera Tanden, the president of the Center for American Progress. "He's doing nothing to make anyone do anything but dislike him."

Democrats are now largely focused on special elections for House seats vacated by Trump's Cabinet nominees.

Those close results in normally deep-red districts have buoyed Democrats' hopes for the 2018 midterm elections -- even if party activists were disappointed not to net any wins yet.

"The current playing field -- this handful of special elections -- is on a tiny, unrepresentative patch of the country that is far more Republican than the nation as a whole," said David Nir, the political director for Daily Kos, the liberal blog that helped Ossoff raise an eye-popping $8.3 million in 2017's first quarter.

"But plenty of Republicans who sit in much more vulnerable districts will be up for re-election next year," Nir said. "If they slip by anywhere near as a big a margin as the GOP did (in Georgia and Kansas), a lot of them are going to lose. And DC Republicans can't go all in with millions in spending to save every at-risk GOP incumbent next year."

As for leaders, Perez has taken the helm of the DNC and is now in his second month attempting to rebuild the organization. Much of the behind-the-scenes work of preparing the infrastructure for the 2018 midterms and the 2020 presidential race could fall to him.

Tanden, meanwhile, has organized a May "Ideas Conference" with a star-studded lineup that looks like the first cattle call of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

But Democrats say they're not worried the party doesn't have a single standard-bearer today.

"The heroes are on the street right now," said Inslee, who led the legal battle against Trump's executive order banning travel from seven majority Muslim nations.

Inslee recalled a ferry ride to the women's march in January, where he saw an old friend who had never been politically active. She was wearing a pink hat -- and had brought 10 of her friends with her.

"It's been very successful organically without any particular strategic thought," Inslee said. "It's been a very gut-level, sincere, powerful effort to resist a departure from basic American values. And the fact that it has been organic and natural without a dime's worth of provocation is pretty amazing."

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100 days in, Democrats' biggest asset is Trump - CNN

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump tried to press Democrats on Monday to include funds for his controversial border wall with Mexico in spending legislation as lawmakers worked to avoid a looming shutdown of the federal government.

The battle offers the Republican president, whose approval ratings have slid since he took office, a chance to score his first big legislative win or to be mired in a Washington stalemate as he marks 100 days in the job on Saturday.

Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but a White House-backed bill to gut former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, failed to gather full party support and imploded last month.

If no deal is agreed on spending, parts of the federal government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Saturday. Trump is demanding that Congress include funds for the construction of the wall, which he made a key theme of his 2016 presidential campaign and which he says will stem the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the United States.

The funding bill will need 60 votes to clear the 100-member Senate, where Republicans hold 52 seats, meaning at least some Democrats will have to get behind the bill.

"The Wall is a very important tool in stopping drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth (and many others)! If ... the wall is not built, which it will be, the drug situation will NEVER be fixed the way it should be!" Trump tweeted on Monday.

Trump has said Mexico will repay the United States for the wall if Congress funds it first. But the Mexican government is adamant it will not finance a wall and Trump has not laid out a plan to compel Mexico to pay. Department of Homeland Security internal estimates have placed the total cost of a border barrier at about $21.6 billion.

Aside from inflaming relations with a major trading partner, the planned wall has angered Democrats. They showed no sign of softening their opposition on Monday and sought to place responsibility for any shutdown squarely on Trump and congressional Republicans.

"We were right on the path to getting something done, a good thing that both parties could support, and he throws a monkey wrench in," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told MSNBC in an interview. "That's not the way to govern."

Republican aides in Congress said negotiations on a bill to fund the government from April 28 to Sept. 30 were continuing, but they provided no timetable for unveiling legislation, or guarantees that such a bill could be passed.

A Democratic congressional aide close to the negotiations said there were no breakthroughs over the weekend toward a deal. A shutdown would have far-reaching consequences, ranging from the furlough of many federal workers to the closing of national parks.

One senior Republican congressional aide said that if not enough progress is made by Thursday, Congress would likely have to try to push forward a stop-gap spending bill to keep the government operating while negotiations continue. Leading Democrats have said they would support such a measure only if there was progress in the private talks.

Analysts said other key parts of Trump's agenda, including a proposal to cut corporate and individual income taxes, could be endangered if Republicans and Democrats fail to agree on a measure to fund the government, known as a continuing resolution.

"If Republicans struggle to pass a CR, we think it signals that the party will struggle to pass a budget resolution later in the year and the budget resolution is a prerequisite to passing tax reform via reconciliation rules," Brian Gardner, a policy analyst at financial firm Keefe Bruyette & Woods, said in a research note. He was referring to using a procedure that would allow Republicans to win legislation without Democratic support that normally would be needed in the Senate.

Trump said last week he plans a big announcement on Wednesday on tax reform. An administration official said it would consist of "broad principles and priorities."

OBAMACARE FUNDING

A Republican congressional aide said over the weekend that Democrats may agree to some aspects of the border wall, including new surveillance equipment and access roads, estimated to cost around $380 million.

"But Democrats want the narrative that they dealt him a loss on the wall," the aide said, adding it would be difficult to bring any of the minority party on board with new construction on the southwest border.

It is unclear whether Trump would sign a deal that did not include money for the wall.

On Sunday, he appeared to dangle the prospect of funding some elements of Obamacare in exchange for Democrats' support in the spending talks. He tweeted that the 2010 healthcare restructuring, which was Obama's signature domestic achievement and which enabled millions more Americans to secure healthcare coverage, could fail sooner than thought without an infusion.

The White House says it has offered to include $7 billion in Obamacare subsidies that allow low-income people to pay for health insurance in exchange for Democratic backing for $1.5 billion in funding to start construction of the barrier.

Last month's failure to repeal and replace Obamacare, a goal of most Republicans since the law was passed seven years ago, dealt a major blow to Trump. His national approval rating hovered around 43 percent in the latest Reuters/Ipsos polling.

(Reporting by Julia Edwards Ainsley; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu and Richard Cowan; Writing by Paul Simao; Editing by Frances Kerry)

WASHINGTON Former Fox News anchor and correspondent Heather Nauert will be the new U.S. State Department spokeswoman, the State Department said in a statement on Monday.

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump this week will sign new executive orders before he completes his first 100 days in office, including two on energy and the environment, which would make it easier for the United States to develop energy on and offshore, a White House official said on Sunday.

Original post:
Trump pushes Democrats on border wall as government shutdown looms - Reuters

In 2016, Priorities USA Action spent more than $200 million to elect Hillary Clinton and a Democratic Senate and came up short.

Its message for 2018: Democrats can, and should, shoot for the moon.

[Priorities USA positions itself as center of gravity for the left in the Trump era]

In a new survey, taken in the first week of April by Global Strategy Group and Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group, Priorities USA found that Democrats who tend to sit home in midterm elections were unusually motivated to turn out in 2018. Fifty-eight percent of drop-off voters said they were extremely motivated and enthusiastic about voting in the 2018 elections, rating their interest as nine or 10 on a 10-point scale. An additional 22 percent of the voters were somewhat motivated to turn out.

These voters are ready to turn out, said Guy Cecil, Priorities USAs chairman. I was at the DSCC in 2006 when Democrats took back the Senate; I was at the DSCC when Republicans took it back in 2014. There wasnt a circumstance where I saw eight out of 10 drop-off voters expressing interest in the election.

The polling sample included 402 Democrats who didnt vote in 2016 and 401 Democrats who voted in 2016 but tend to skip midterms. The latter group, they found, was more likely(61 percent to 56 percent) to be extremely motivated. African American voters, who Democrats have found difficult to turn out without Barack Obama on the ballot, were the least likely to be extremely motivated just 49 percent.

Although Democrats have criticized their 2016 strategy as focusing too much on Trump and too little on lunchpail economic issues, the Priorities polling found that just 8 percent of drop-off voters had a favorable view of Trump. The Republican Party was less unpopular, but still toxic, with 77 percent of the voters viewing it unfavorably.

Trump is such a hot button for these voters that when we ask them to volunteer the most important issue facing the country, the most commonly volunteered answer is Donald Trump (16 percent) rather than any specific policy issue, the pollsters wrote.

To Cecil, those numbers combined with strong Democratic turnout in Aprils special elections suggested that the party didnt need to be as conservative as in past elections about modeling the 2018 electorate. Last year, when Democrats were surprised by Trump, they saw white voters who hadnt turned out in previous elections showing up and destroying their model, leading to upset defeats for Clinton in the Midwest and Florida.

As we think about turnout numbers, a lot of time our polls start with likely voter screen and micro-target from there, Cecil said. Democrats should be taking an expansionist view for 2018. We should be looking at voters who didnt turn out in 2016. We should be looking at non-registrants who are suddenly expressing interest in this election.

Excerpt from:
Priorities USA: Democrats can expand the 2018 electorate - Washington Post

The chickens are coming home to roost for Oregons Democrats whove controlled the Legislature and governorship for decades. After pursuing new programs and increases in existing programs, we find the state facing a deficit in the range of $1.8 billion, despite record tax revenues.

Now theyre threatening to punish the Republican legislators for their own fiscal irresponsibilities by drastic cuts in schools, health care and other programs. Obamacare was embraced by Democrats by their expansion of Medicaid. While the federal government pays the majority of the costs, the state is facing an $800 million shortfall and the Democrats are now threatening to sharply curtail Medicaid, the program that they readily promoted.

The Democrats refuse to tackle the Cadillac health plans or Public Employees Retirement System because they dont want to bite the hand that feeds them. The public unions are lambasting the cut in teacher positions while failing to acknowledge that health benefits and PERS costs are the primary cause.

Eugene, a Democrat stronghold, has added programs for the so-called homeless, drawing many transients to the area. Now the city is having to take measures the dog ban, for example to eliminate undesirable people from downtown.

The current fiscal mess in Oregon lies squarely on the shoulders of the ruling Democrats. Maybe we need to start a massive movement to vote them out of office and to get government back on a solid footing, with roads, schools, police and fire protection our top priorities.

Bill Stoebig

Eugene

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Mail letters to: Mailbag, 3500 Chad Drive, Eugene, OR 97408-7348

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Blame fiscal mess on Democrats - The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD Amid a national push by unions and worker advocates for a $15 minimum wage, Illinois Democrats hope to pass an ambitious hike during the spring legislative session, despite a warning from Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner that he opposes an increase of any kind.

The proposal would lift the state's minimum wage from its current $8.25 to $15 over the next five years, a more accelerated leap than previous adjustments in Illinois. It also would constitute a larger jump than increases toward $15 approved last year in New York and California, where the rates had been $9 and $10, respectively.

But, as with previous efforts in Illinois, the measure is likely to be tied up in the state's electoral politics.

Sponsors of the legislation acknowledge Rauner's opposition but have signaled they want to force him to act on the measure ahead of next year's gubernatorial election, in which he already faces half a dozen Democratic challengers.

"We will get a really good opportunity to see where the governor stands," said Rep. Will Guzzardi, a Chicago Democrat sponsoring the wage bill in the House. "Does he side with the 2.3 million people in this state who need a raise now or does he side with the big corporations?"

In the past, Rauner has said he supported minor increases in the minimum wage. But he told the audience at a business forum on April 13 that requiring employers to raise pay is out of the question.

"That's not gonna happen," Rauner said. "Companies will just leave."

Democrats say they have considerable support for the $15-per-hour measure in the House, and expect a floor vote in May. The Senate is also considering two minimum wage bills, one similar to Guzzardi's and a less ambitious one that would raise the wage to $11 by 2021.

In 2014, Democrats placed an advisory referendum on the Illinois ballot asking voters whether they supported a minimum wage increase in an effort to motivate their base to go to the polls. The referendum secured 67 percent of the vote in the same election that Rauner won his first term in office. During the campaign, Rauner was criticized by his rival, former Gov. Pat Quinn, for statements supporting a reduction of the minimum wage.

Illinois has raised its minimum wage above the federal floor, currently $7.25 per hour, twice in recent history first in 2003 and again in 2006 to $8.25, where it's remained since 2011. That leaves Illinois with a lower rate than 20 others nationwide, but above every state it borders.

Business leaders claim increasing the rate puts Illinois at a competitive disadvantage, driving companies across state lines or forcing them to reduce staff. Labor unions and other allies of the national "Fight for $15" campaign contend raising the minimum wage boosts the economy by putting more money into pockets of low-wage workers, decreasing reliance on government assistance.

Advocates say anything less than $15 falls far short of the cost of living for millions of Illinoisans. They point to research including a 2016 report from the University of Illinois that shows at least 34 percent of Illinois workers earn less than $15 an hour, many of them while helping to support a family.

The report projects an increase to $15 would result in just a 0.78 percent employment decline while yielding an extra $2.4 billion in tax revenue.

Robert Bruno, a professor of labor relations at the university who co-authored the report, said research on previous increases indicates companies are able to recoup additional labor costs by raising prices a few cents on the dollar and benefit from enhanced worker productivity and purchasing power.

Some business organizations, including the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, oppose any increase above federal levels. Others, like the Illinois Restaurant Association, are willing to consider a more incremental adjustment something some economics experts also recommend, warning against potential job loss resulting from more substantial leaps.

Sen. Kimberly Lightford of Maywood, the Democrat sponsoring both Senate proposals, has been advocating for a higher rate since 1999 when she first proposed what became Illinois' 2003 increase. She said if the federal minimum had risen with inflation since its peak in 1968, it would be $11 today.

"I cannot sit back and allow millions of working people to receive no wage increase at all because it could not be the $15," she said.

The bills are HB198 , SB1738 and SB2.

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Illinois Democrats push ambitious minimum wage hike despite opposition from Gov. Rauner - The Southern