February 17, 2025 • 8 mins
Mike Kelly joins the WOR Morning Show to talk about the current state of the Democrats. Mike discusses how they have changed in recent years and why they are at their weakest.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now we want to get right to Mike Kelly,
an award winning columnists for North Jersey dot Com and
The Record. Good morning Mike, Happy President's Day.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning Larry, and Happy President's Day to you too. Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Listen, I something you wrote what really struck me, and
I wanted to find out what you meant by it.
You said that the meandering resistance from the Democrats is
bothering you, and you asked the question, how did the
party get so wimpy? You think they're wimpy right now?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I do, Larry. You know, this is a party that
was supposedly standing for something, whether you agree with them
or not. They were certainly outspoken during the last i'd
say eight years, particularly when it comes to Donald Trump
and the Republicans. And then all of a sudden, Donald
(00:55):
Trump gets elected, takes office, and it's like the Democrats
turned off the power or something. You know, It's like
it's like all the all the lights went out, and
and you know a lot of people have written that
they just don't know how to respond or they've been
caught by surprise. I'm sorry, Uh, this is these are
(01:15):
people who are professional politicians. They they should know what's
going on, and and I'm just shocked that there hasn't
been even a whimper of discussion on any great degree
about what is going on.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, I think a couple things are going on their, Mike,
and you can tell me if you agree with this.
First of all, I think everything they believed in and
push for the last four years was rejected in the election,
so they're not sure what their baseline is and who
they are anymore. And number two, they've tried several things.
I mean, they've gotten alfin rallies to go up against
(01:53):
Elon Musk. That didn't work. They came out against the
immigration uh and going around the country saying they're gonna
pull people out of schools, and that messaging didn't work.
I just think that they're trying to find their way
after this last election. And my guess is, Mike, is
they're probably going to figure it out once the big
(02:14):
budget bill comes into Congress, once that happens. But right now,
Donald Trump, according to the polls, just seems to have
his way.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yes, I think the problem with the Democrats, and this
is where they're wimpy, Larry, is that they are incapable
of really looking at several of their let me name
two issues. Okay, the whole DEI slash woke issue. The Democrats,
in my opinion, and I've written about this, overextended themselves.
(02:45):
This business of focusing more on transgender bathrooms in schools
rather than the fact that kids can't read and do
math anymore is something I think it's just one of
the great mistakes of Democratic policy over the last five
ten years or so. And then the other issue is
I don't think the Democrats truly understand that a lot
of Americans moderates as well as conservatives and even liberals
(03:09):
as well, do not approve of what is happening with
our immigration system. That if you're going to be a country,
you've got to have some security at the borders. Now
what kind of security you know? We could and I
could go back and forth on how intense to make
it are not intense, and what to do about some
of the eleven to twelve million undocumented immigrants in our country,
(03:32):
But the bottom line here is I think Americans want
some kind of organized solution to this that points forward,
and the Democrats have not given it to Americans over
the last I would say ten years, maybe even longer.
And I think those two issues there really show how
wimpy the Democrats are. See, here's my problem. If when
(03:55):
you lose that badly, you really need to look at
in the mirror and figure out what that I do wrong.
And the Democrats have not done that.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, they have come out with nothing about what they
believe in that just attacked Donald Trump. By the way,
I watched all the Sunday morning shows and I realize
that they've done all my well me, they've done away
with it, and they've they all said the same thing.
Every Democrat that was on the show said the same
thing that Donald Trump promised he was going to bring
inflation down, and look it's gone up again. He hasn't
(04:26):
done it. He's been in office for a month.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
He's been you know, you got to give him. I
think you listen, let's be honest here. If after six
months inflation is still rising, I think the American public
is going to get picked off. Sure, but let's give
it six months, okay. And the same is true with Ukraine.
If if Ukraine looks like Afghanistan twenty twenty one, that's
(04:52):
not going to be good news for Trump. So but
I think these things roll out over time. In the meantime,
if I I was running the Democratic Party, I'd say, guys,
we need to look at our need to look in
the mirror, and we need to have some very very
frank conversations with the progressive wing that has really been
setting an agenda that very few people have been afraid
(05:15):
to step up to.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I think they need a leader, and nobody's really stepped
up and been the person that everybody looks to to
take on Donald Trump. Right now, they seem to be
rudderless and leaderless. It's going to change. I know it'll change,
but and I do think it's going to be once
they get to Congress with the budget.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I have my doubts there, I really do. I think
this party is in trouble.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, you could be right. They might be in trouble
for a long time, although everybody always says that and
it turns out not to be true. So we will
see if it's true. If it's true this time, your
column today on North Jersey dot com, and if people
want to read it, they can go to North Jersey
dot com was eye opening. I have not been paying
that much attention to this case. It is the case
(06:00):
of the assassination attempt on Salmon Rushdie. And I'm going
to now because you start your column with it's not
often that I read something that frightens me to my bones.
Explain well.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Last summerfall, I read Salmon Rushti's memoir Knife, in which
he goes into the attempt to kill him in the
summer of twenty twenty two when he's out there just
giving a simple lecture to the Chautauqua Institution, which is
I described it as a retreat for people who like
(06:38):
to talk about global politics and for you know, for
those who forget. Salmon Rushti is a one of the
most acclaimed novelist you know, in our culture. And many
years ago he wrote a book that the Ayatola Humani
of Iran deemed to be blast from this and said
(07:00):
that this man must be killed. So there's been threats
against his life for decades and finally one of them
got one guy got close enough and stabbed him over
ten times as he was on stage, and one of
those staff wounds took out his eye, right eye. And
(07:22):
when I read this stuff, I go, wait a second,
why isn't our country and quite frankly, Western civilization standing
up to this because all the singular thread that runs
from this attempted murder is the policies of Iran and
some of the theology that's come out of that that
(07:43):
has prompted all kinds of terrorism that ranges from Hamas
to this latest event to I linked it to the
taking of the American hostages at the US embassy in
Tehran in nineteen seventy nine.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, it's an excellent column and courage everyone to read it.
Mike Kelly on North Jersey dot Com to read his
column about Solomon Rushdie. Thanks so much, Mike, Michael, I
appreciate your time. Mike is an award winning columnist for
North Jersey dot Com and for The Bergen Record.
And now we want to get right to Mike Kelly,
an award winning columnists for North Jersey dot Com and
The Record. Good morning Mike, Happy President's Day.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Good morning Larry, and Happy President's Day to you too. Hey.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Listen, I something you wrote what really struck me, and
I wanted to find out what you meant by it.
You said that the meandering resistance from the Democrats is
bothering you, and you asked the question, how did the
party get so wimpy? You think they're wimpy right now?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
I do, Larry. You know, this is a party that
was supposedly standing for something, whether you agree with them
or not. They were certainly outspoken during the last i'd
say eight years, particularly when it comes to Donald Trump
and the Republicans. And then all of a sudden, Donald
(00:55):
Trump gets elected, takes office, and it's like the Democrats
turned off the power or something. You know, It's like
it's like all the all the lights went out, and
and you know a lot of people have written that
they just don't know how to respond or they've been
caught by surprise. I'm sorry, Uh, this is these are
(01:15):
people who are professional politicians. They they should know what's
going on, and and I'm just shocked that there hasn't
been even a whimper of discussion on any great degree
about what is going on.
Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah, I think a couple things are going on their, Mike,
and you can tell me if you agree with this.
First of all, I think everything they believed in and
push for the last four years was rejected in the election,
so they're not sure what their baseline is and who
they are anymore. And number two, they've tried several things.
I mean, they've gotten alfin rallies to go up against
(01:53):
Elon Musk. That didn't work. They came out against the
immigration uh and going around the country saying they're gonna
pull people out of schools, and that messaging didn't work.
I just think that they're trying to find their way
after this last election. And my guess is, Mike, is
they're probably going to figure it out once the big
(02:14):
budget bill comes into Congress, once that happens. But right now,
Donald Trump, according to the polls, just seems to have
his way.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yes, I think the problem with the Democrats, and this
is where they're wimpy, Larry, is that they are incapable
of really looking at several of their let me name
two issues. Okay, the whole DEI slash woke issue. The Democrats,
in my opinion, and I've written about this, overextended themselves.
(02:45):
This business of focusing more on transgender bathrooms in schools
rather than the fact that kids can't read and do
math anymore is something I think it's just one of
the great mistakes of Democratic policy over the last five
ten years or so. And then the other issue is
I don't think the Democrats truly understand that a lot
of Americans moderates as well as conservatives and even liberals
(03:09):
as well, do not approve of what is happening with
our immigration system. That if you're going to be a country,
you've got to have some security at the borders. Now
what kind of security you know? We could and I
could go back and forth on how intense to make
it are not intense, and what to do about some
of the eleven to twelve million undocumented immigrants in our country,
(03:32):
But the bottom line here is I think Americans want
some kind of organized solution to this that points forward,
and the Democrats have not given it to Americans over
the last I would say ten years, maybe even longer.
And I think those two issues there really show how
wimpy the Democrats are. See, here's my problem. If when
(03:55):
you lose that badly, you really need to look at
in the mirror and figure out what that I do wrong.
And the Democrats have not done that.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Yeah, they have come out with nothing about what they
believe in that just attacked Donald Trump. By the way,
I watched all the Sunday morning shows and I realize
that they've done all my well me, they've done away
with it, and they've they all said the same thing.
Every Democrat that was on the show said the same
thing that Donald Trump promised he was going to bring
inflation down, and look it's gone up again. He hasn't
(04:26):
done it. He's been in office for a month.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
He's been you know, you got to give him. I
think you listen, let's be honest here. If after six
months inflation is still rising, I think the American public
is going to get picked off. Sure, but let's give
it six months, okay. And the same is true with Ukraine.
If if Ukraine looks like Afghanistan twenty twenty one, that's
(04:52):
not going to be good news for Trump. So but
I think these things roll out over time. In the meantime,
if I I was running the Democratic Party, I'd say, guys,
we need to look at our need to look in
the mirror, and we need to have some very very
frank conversations with the progressive wing that has really been
setting an agenda that very few people have been afraid
(05:15):
to step up to.
Speaker 1 (05:16):
I think they need a leader, and nobody's really stepped
up and been the person that everybody looks to to
take on Donald Trump. Right now, they seem to be
rudderless and leaderless. It's going to change. I know it'll change,
but and I do think it's going to be once
they get to Congress with the budget.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
I have my doubts there, I really do. I think
this party is in trouble.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Yeah, you could be right. They might be in trouble
for a long time, although everybody always says that and
it turns out not to be true. So we will
see if it's true. If it's true this time, your
column today on North Jersey dot com, and if people
want to read it, they can go to North Jersey
dot com was eye opening. I have not been paying
that much attention to this case. It is the case
(06:00):
of the assassination attempt on Salmon Rushdie. And I'm going
to now because you start your column with it's not
often that I read something that frightens me to my bones.
Explain well.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Last summerfall, I read Salmon Rushti's memoir Knife, in which
he goes into the attempt to kill him in the
summer of twenty twenty two when he's out there just
giving a simple lecture to the Chautauqua Institution, which is
I described it as a retreat for people who like
(06:38):
to talk about global politics and for you know, for
those who forget. Salmon Rushti is a one of the
most acclaimed novelist you know, in our culture. And many
years ago he wrote a book that the Ayatola Humani
of Iran deemed to be blast from this and said
(07:00):
that this man must be killed. So there's been threats
against his life for decades and finally one of them
got one guy got close enough and stabbed him over
ten times as he was on stage, and one of
those staff wounds took out his eye, right eye. And
(07:22):
when I read this stuff, I go, wait a second,
why isn't our country and quite frankly, Western civilization standing
up to this because all the singular thread that runs
from this attempted murder is the policies of Iran and
some of the theology that's come out of that that
(07:43):
has prompted all kinds of terrorism that ranges from Hamas
to this latest event to I linked it to the
taking of the American hostages at the US embassy in
Tehran in nineteen seventy nine.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, it's an excellent column and courage everyone to read it.
Mike Kelly on North Jersey dot Com to read his
column about Solomon Rushdie. Thanks so much, Mike, Michael, I
appreciate your time. Mike is an award winning columnist for
North Jersey dot Com and for The Bergen Record.
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