The Democratic Party is unraveling in real time, and the infighting is reaching new heights. The latest battleground? The Senate’s passage of a stopgap spending bill, which has triggered a full-scale meltdown among House progressives. Leading the charge is Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who launched into a furious tirade against Senate Democrats—including Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)—for what she called a “deep sense of betrayal.”
The outrage didn’t stop at words. House progressives even floated the idea of AOC launching a primary challenge against Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) if he didn’t fall in line. It was a blatant attempt at political strong-arming—one that, unsurprisingly, failed spectacularly.
Fetterman, for his part, didn’t bother with niceties. His response? “I hope you can relay how little I care about her views on this.” Then, in classic Fetterman fashion, he twisted the knife, pointing out that AOC could afford to play political games since, shutdown or not, her paycheck would still arrive on time.
🚨DEMOCRAT CAT FIGHT 🚨
Tapper: “John Fetterman has been criticizing your party for undignified antics and a sad cavalcade of self owns.”
Rep. Crockett: “This is a guy that doesn’t seemingly want to own a suit… I don’t show up in hoodies when I go on the floor.” pic.twitter.com/gk7R7GClWo
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 16, 2025
But the circus didn’t end there. CNN’s Jake Tapper decided to wade into the mess, questioning Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) about Fetterman’s criticism of the now-infamous “Choose Your Fighter” video—a cringe-worthy attempt by House Democrats to appear relatable. Tapper, ever the serious journalist, even made a comment about how Crockett’s “punching” looked better than her colleagues’.
Crockett’s response? A catty attack on Fetterman’s wardrobe. “He’s not the one to talk about anything,” she snapped, before taking a swipe at his well-documented preference for hoodies over suits. “I don’t show up in hoodies when I’m going on the floor.”
The irony here is rich. Crockett, who insists Democrats are “real people” just trying to connect with voters, spent more time mocking Fetterman’s fashion choices than explaining why she and her colleagues thought a TikTok-style meme video was an appropriate response to a legislative fight.
To be fair, Fetterman isn’t exactly a paragon of decorum, but at least he had the sense to back the spending bill and avoid a shutdown. Meanwhile, Crockett and her allies seem more interested in performance politics than actual governance.
All of this is unfolding against the backdrop of historic Democratic unpopularity. CNN’s latest polling shows the party’s favorability rating at a dismal 29%—the lowest since tracking began in 1992. The Quinnipiac poll from February wasn’t any kinder, finding that only 21% of Americans approve of congressional Democrats. Even among their own base, nearly half of Democrats disapprove of their party’s performance in Congress.
With numbers like that, you’d think they’d focus on damage control. Instead, they’re tearing each other apart. The progressive wing is furious with Senate leadership, Schumer is under fire, and the party has no clear direction.
