{"id":1494,"date":"2026-07-27T03:06:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1494"},"modified":"2026-07-27T03:06:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T03:06:44","slug":"andy-beshear-is-whats-wrong-with-the-democratic-party-in-the-trump-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1494","title":{"rendered":"Andy Beshear Is What\u2019s Wrong With the Democratic Party in the Trump Era"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2279838735.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Andy Beshear Is What\u2019s Wrong With the Democratic Party in the Trump Era\" title=\"Andy Beshear Is What\u2019s Wrong With the Democratic Party in the Trump Era\" \/><\/div><p><\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"article-title-block_f6298c4e8d03ab8dcf92054245be9de7\" class=\"article-title \">\n<div class=\"article-title__container\">\n<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>The Kentucky governor isn\u2019t doing what Mitch McConnell would do\u2014and that\u2019s the problem.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad-block ad siderail-ad float-r-w-3 break-r-4\">\n<p>                                    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"ad-policy\" target=\"_blank\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\n<p>Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, speaks during a campaign event with Rob Sand, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Iowa, not pictured, at the River Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday, June 7, 2026.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"credits\">(KC McGinnis \/ Bloomberg)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"is-style-dropcap\">Andy Beshear\u2019s biggest political problem right now is that he isn\u2019t Mitch McConnell. Hospitalized <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/06\/14\/mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized-00961801\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on June 14<\/a>, moved to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mitchmcconnell\/posts\/1596850748472669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a rehabilitation center<\/a>\u201d per social-media post on July 12, and dead silent since that day, McConnell has left Kentucky\u2019s Democratic governor\u2014and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.census.gov\/quickfacts\/fact\/table\/KY\/PST045225\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4.6 million Kentuckians<\/a> he\u2019s supposed to represent\u2014with pretty much no information and even fewer options on what comes next.<\/p>\n<p>The Kentucky governor announced on Monday that despite his July 8 letter requesting evidence of McConnell\u2019s capability to serve, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HQNewsNow\/status\/2079279499397476464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beshear has received<\/a> \u201cnot an email, not a letter, not a call, not a video\u2026absolutely nothing.\u201d A growing chorus of Democratic voices has only <a href=\"https:\/\/kentuckylantern.com\/2026\/07\/22\/despite-calls-for-beshear-to-do-something-about-mitch-mcconnell-the-answer-isnt-so-simple\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">grown more impatient and angry<\/a> with Beshear in the interim for what they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/kentucky-democrat-andy-beshear-faces-revolt-over-mcconnell-health-standoff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">perceive as typical Democratic inaction<\/a>. Although, to be fair, there\u2019s not much the governor can do under Kentucky law and with a Republican-controlled state legislature. But were the roles reversed, you can bet that McConnell\u2014a man whose career has been about power at all costs, political rules and norms be damned\u2014would sure as hell not be waiting by the mailbox for a response.<\/p>\n<p>We can accurately predict what McConnell, and just about any member of the state\u2019s power-hungry Republican Party, would do because they\u2019ve already done it. <em>Twice<\/em>. First in 2021, when Kentucky\u2019s GOP legislature rewrote state law to strip the governor of the historically held power <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/news\/politics\/ky-general-assembly\/2021\/03\/29\/kentucky-lawmakers-nix-veto-mcconnell-backed-senate-vacancy-plan\/7055091002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">to appoint a US Senate replacement<\/a>, instead requiring that he pick from a short list handpicked by state Republicans. Then\u2013state Representative Patti Minter rightly groused at the time that \u201cit wouldn\u2019t be happening if we had a Republican governor.\u201d The Democrat would also call it a \u201cblatant power grab\u201d\u2014which I would call vintage McConnell, who even admitted the change was his idea, deeming it \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/news\/politics\/ky-general-assembly\/2021\/03\/30\/mitch-mcconnell-recommended-changes-kentuckys-senate-vacancy-rules\/7056325002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the best way to go<\/a>.\u201d As with the roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/news\/politics\/2021\/03\/29\/kentucky-bills-take-power-from-governor-give-to-gop-offices\/7002065002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">40 other bills stripping him of traditional gubernatorial powers<\/a> that session alone, Beshear\u2014not coincidentally, Kentucky\u2019s first Democratic governor since 1999\u2014vetoed the measure, but the Republican legislature just overrode his veto.<\/p>\n<p>Three years later\u2014and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kentucky.com\/news\/politics-government\/article286099811.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">less than 24 hours<\/a> after McConnell announced his retirement in 2024, no less\u2014Kentucky\u2019s GOP <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/kentucky-legislature-senate-vacancies-faf6f1f41fa42c3e0b818fc3fb3d4d4a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">changed the law again<\/a>, overriding another Beshear veto, to require a special election in the event of a US Senate vacancy, effectively sidelining Beshear from the process altogether. \u201cI had no idea that the senator was going to make his announcement yesterday,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/kentuckylantern.com\/2024\/02\/29\/if-kentucky-had-an-empty-u-s-senate-seat-voters-not-governor-should-fill-it-house-panel-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said the bill\u2019s sponsor<\/a>, Republican Steven Rudy, who calls McConnell, as if it isn\u2019t obvious, his \u201cpolitical mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Beshear\u2019s McConnell problem isn\u2019t just the law that McConnell himself rewrote. It\u2019s that McConnell taught Republicans to have little patience with the difference between \u201clegal\u201d versus \u201cnot legal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So WWMMD?<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll start by telling you what McConnell <em>wouldn\u2019t <\/em>do. He wouldn\u2019t wait patiently for \u201cproof of life\u201d from a senator who has missed at least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govtrack.us\/congress\/members\/missing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">30 roll-call votes<\/a>, and whose office has released what may be the most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/slang\/yassify\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">yassified<\/a> photo of said senator ever taken, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/mitch-mcconnell-staff-refuse-answer-154037245.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">while his staff do not respond to media queries<\/a> about his condition, and Republicans seem to run down the clock. Because after August 3, under the aforementioned Kentucky law, that Senate seat can\u2019t be filled until January. Do you really think McConnell\u2014the man who spent nine months in 2016 repeatedly lying about an obviously made-up \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/mcconnell-white-house-spar-over-supreme-court-nomination-hearings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long-standing tradition<\/a>\u201d against presidents filling US Supreme Court seats in election years just to block President Barack Obama\u2019s nominee\u2014would wait until August 4 for news? The same McConnell who, four years later, reversed course entirely, proving that the \u201ctradition\u201d was always a lie, announcing within hours of Ruth Bader Ginsburg\u2019s death, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/frontline\/article\/on-night-of-ginsburgs-death-mcconnell-pushed-trump-to-nominate-amy-coney-barrett\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">just six weeks before the 2020 election<\/a>, that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/frontline\/article\/ruth-bader-ginsburg-death-mcconnell-vote-supreme-court-vacancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump would fill her seat<\/a>, callously defying her explicit dying wish that her replacement be chosen by the next president? <em>That<\/em> Mitch McConnell?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s plenty of conjecture that McConnell would have already declared the seat vacant and triggered the special election Kentucky law requires. He would probably be doing lots of cable hits citing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/SMAN-118\/html\/SMAN-118-pg5-2.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Senate Rule VI<\/a>, which states, \u201cNo Senator shall absent himself from the service of the Senate without leave,\u201d and demanding video proof of life before standing down.<\/p>\n<p>But I suspect McConnell would go even further.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019d invoke <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.legislature.ky.gov\/Law\/Constitution\/Constitution\/ViewConstitution?rsn=173\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Section 152 of the Kentucky Constitution<\/a>\u2014the one Beshear has only gingerly raised\u2014which states, \u201cVacancies in all offices for the State at large, or for districts larger than a county, shall be filled by appointment of the Governor.\u201d Except instead of wondering aloud if that power extends to federal positions, he\u2019d state that it absolutely does. Then he\u2019d dare Kentucky Republicans to explain, especially to the Bluegrass State\u2019s residents, why laws they slapped on the books just two years ago override the Commonwealth\u2019s most sacred legal document. As an actual lawyer, he might want to start with Republican lawmaker Josh Calloway, who is not an attorney but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2026\/jul\/14\/kentucky-gop-warns-andy-beshear-defying-senate-vacancy-law-amid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently threatened<\/a> that if the governor doesn\u2019t play by Kentucky GOP rules, \u201cthere will definitely have to be something done in a legal manner.\u201d Beshear would call his bluff and tell him he\u2019ll see him in court.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cta-block_5652c96e947eb70c37dd116c25174f6e\" class=\"cta float-l-w-3\">\n<p>I think he\u2019d flex the political capital that winning two elections has gotten him by mobilizing every crony, surrogate, and remotely friendly lawyer to fan out like righteous locusts across every media channel, every social-media platform, every podunk podcast that would have them to demand answers on behalf of the American people. He\u2019d bang the drum for hearings, threaten subpoenas, and insist that anyone currently claiming McConnell is fit to serve should be willing to say, under oath, exactly what they know and whom they\u2019ve spoken to. That includes every aide, every elected official, and every pundit who claims to have had a recent \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/07\/07\/congress\/mitch-mcconnell-health-thune-barrasso-00988874\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lengthy<\/a>\u201d conversation with McConnell. If they\u2019re willing to say it on Fox News, he\u2019d argue, they better be ready to say it under oath. Basically, he would turn the mystery of McConnell\u2019s status into a daily political liability for Kentucky\u2019s GOP until someone finally blinked.<\/p>\n<p>It would be giving myself too much credit to call this speculation. I\u2019m just running McConnell\u2019s playbook, the one I\u2019ve watched him and the GOP more broadly run so many times I know their moves like the back of my hand. The same is true of the Democrats who, like Beshear, I\u2019ve also watched do what they do for a decade\u2014things like expressing concern, writing sternly worded letters, giving the bullies their lunch money before they ask. It\u2019s a whole party of people who, despite watching Republicans treat rules and norms like something for the other side, keep treating this like a good-faith fight.<\/p>\n<section aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad fullwidth-ad contained row position-relative ad-block alignfull \">\n    <!--Ad policy starts here--><br \/>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"mid-ad-policy\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n        <!--Ad policy ends here--><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"popular-block_61f2220d30496c458d53466f7faf45ef\" class=\"popular-articles\">\n<div class=\"swiper\">\n<p><h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<p>            <span class=\"swipe-msg\"><span class=\"sr-only\">\u201cswipe left below to view more authors\u201d<\/span>Swipe \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<ol class=\"popular-articles__list\">\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Look, I get that Beshear is making the cautious and, frankly, legal choice. The problem is that McConnell\u2019s legacy\u2014beyond stocking the Supreme Court with enough corrupt conservative partisans to make America a joke on the world stage\u2014is helping turn American politics into an endless power grab. Even if, and perhaps especially if, you hate the man and everything he stands for and want to do away with it, you have to ask yourself, \u201cWhat Would Mitch McConnell Do?\u201d And then, if the situation calls for it, do that.<\/p>\n<p>The ultimate irony here is that if anyone actually takes action on McConnell\u2019s absence, it\u2019s likely to be Republicans. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley <a href=\"https:\/\/mxmnews.com\/article\/db1f9f76-d950-447b-a037-cef17a0edd81?totally-in-the-dark-hawley-blasts-silence-around-mcconnell=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=260720-07202026_aarp_b_mxm_news_newsletter_housefile&amp;utm_content=ncl-k6uRjrEfdY&amp;utm_term=&amp;_nlid=k6uRjrEfdY&amp;_nhids=ncmD7cBBnH903yls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complained<\/a> that in McConnell\u2019s absence the party is \u201cdown a vote,\u201d meaning its hyperconservative projects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.democracydocket.com\/news-alerts\/maga-hardliners-launch-latest-failed-push-to-pass-save-america-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">like the SAVE Act<\/a>\u2014an antidemocratic federal voter-ID proposal\u2014have failed because \u201cwe don\u2019t have the votes for that,\u201d and that \u201cwe might want to do something about that.\u201d Representative Tim Burchett <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DbB3UNkPB3X\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said the time to talk<\/a> about incapacitation clauses is \u201cyesterday\u201d and called the situation \u201cpathetic.\u201d Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/maga-senator-ron-johnsons-makes-bombshell-claim-about-mitch-mcconnell-hospital-photo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told a reporter he thought McConnell\u2019s<\/a> \u201cproof of life photo\u201d was \u201colder\u201d than suggested. And Alabama Senator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/politics\/articles\/republican-senator-turns-missing-mitch-201936373.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tommy Tuberville said<\/a>, \u201cSomebody needs to do something. Somebody needs to come out and put a little video out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the end, it\u2019s not proof of life\u2014or the Kentucky electorate\u2014Republicans care about. It\u2019s a 52nd vote.<\/p>\n<p>I guess if there\u2019s anyone most likely to put McConnell\u2019s playbook to good use, it\u2019s the party that\u2019s already been putting it into practice.<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-end-\" class=\"article-end \">\n<div class=\"article-end__authors\">\n<div class=\"article-end__author\">\n<h5 class=\"article-end__author-name\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/kali-holloway\/\">Kali Holloway<\/a><br \/>\n                    <\/h5>\n<div class=\"article-end__author-bio\">\n<p>Kali Holloway is a columnist for <em>The Nation <\/em>and the former\u00a0director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/independentmediainstitute.org\/make-it-right-project-announcement\/\">Make It Right Project<\/a>, a national campaign to take down Confederate monuments and tell the truth about history. Her writing has appeared in <em>Salon<\/em>, <em>The Guardian<\/em>, <em>The Daily Beast<\/em>, <em>Time<\/em>, <em>AlterNet<\/em>, <em>Truthdig<\/em>, <em>The Huffington Post<\/em>, <em>The National Memo<\/em>, <em>Jezebel<\/em>, <em>Raw Story<\/em>, and numerous other outlets.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_incontent_2 --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<!-- Tag ID: thenation_registration_billboard --><\/p>\n<section class=\"collections collections--col-0\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<h2 class=\"collections__title\">More from <span class=\"not-italic\">The Nation<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"collection__row\">\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/newsletter-war-crimes-nolan-wells\/\" aria-label=\"Protecting War Criminals Is As American as Apple Pie\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2253959925.jpg\" alt=\"Protecting War Criminals Is As American as Apple Pie\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<p class=\"dek\">\nIn this week\u2019s\u00a0Elie v. 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But He Can Still Hold Israel Accountable. \"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Screenshot-2026-07-24-at-10.04.55-AM.jpg\" alt=\"Screenshot of Zohran Mamdani's video announcing he can't arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>New York City\u2019s ties with Israel go far deeper than one man, and there are concrete things Mamdani can do to break those ties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                                            <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/tariq-kenney-shawa\/\">Tariq Kenney-Shawa<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/trump-projection-human-rights-abuses\/\" aria-label=\"For Trump, Every Accusation Is a Confession\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TrumpIran.jpg\" alt=\"President Donald Trump at an April press conference about the war in Iran.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>Like authoritarian regimes elsewhere, the White House is denouncing its opponents for the very abuses it is carrying out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/content\/column\/\" class=\"collections__label\">Column<\/a><br \/>\n                                            <span class=\"collections__divider\"><br \/>\n                            \/<br \/>\n                        <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                        <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/sasha-abramsky\/\">Sasha Abramsky<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/dsa-democratic-party-zohran-mamdani-socialists-democratic-establishment\/\" aria-label=\"Here Comes the Inevitable Backlash to DSA\u2019s Rise\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-22432289601.jpg\" alt=\"Then-candidate Zohran Mamdani with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), left, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), right, during an election rally on October 26, 2025, in New York City.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>The Democratic elites are wary of the insurgency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n                                                                            <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/ross-barkan\/\">Ross Barkan<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_btf_medrec --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpContentAuthor\" value=\"Kali Holloway\"\/><br \/>\n        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpTags\" value=\"congress,democrats,government,politics,states,the-left\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"ce61cf2c882ae136b2578d12-text\/javascript\">\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '233793277040432');\n\t\tfbq('track', 'PageView');\n\t\t\t\t<\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Kentucky governor isn\u2019t doing what Mitch McConnell would do\u2014and that\u2019s the problem. Ad Policy Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky, speaks during a campaign event with Rob Sand, Democratic gubernatorial candidate for Iowa, not pictured, at the River Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday, June 7, 2026. (KC McGinnis \/ Bloomberg) Andy Beshear\u2019s biggest&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2279838735.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[1319,2926,655,1390,493,289,540,401],"class_list":["post-1494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-andy","tag-beshear","tag-democratic","tag-era","tag-party","tag-trump","tag-whats","tag-wrong"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}