Republican and Democratic Party pins are displayed at a venue as guests watch a television broadcast of U.S. elections.

Chan Long Hei/AP

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Chan Long Hei/AP

Republican and Democratic Party pins are displayed at a venue as guests watch a television broadcast of U.S. elections.

Chan Long Hei/AP

Since Donald Trump won the presidency last week, Democrats have been pointing fingers, laying blame and second-guessing themselves.

Crucial Blue Wall states went red. Democrats have no obvious leader. And many of the voter groups the party relied on shifted to the right last week.

All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro talked with three political strategists who have different ideas on the future of the party:

• Paula Begala, who worked on the Bill Clinton campaign and in the administration as a White House advisor.
• Adrianne Shropshire, the executive director and founder of the political action committee BlackPAC.
• Waleed Shahid, a senior advisor to the Uncommitted Movement.

From the economy to foreign policy, the three of them have different perspectives on how Democrats can regroup.

They’re all looking ahead and asking: Where does the party go from here?

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Appealing to middle class voters

The economy was one issue at the top of voters’ minds this election cycle.

And to Begala, Democrats’ loss last week is a clear call to action. “Democrats have got to rebuild their connection to the working class,” he says. “It is the most heartbreaking result of this election…that the Democrats lost the middle class”

Shropshire warns it may not be that simple, and the party shouldn’t lean too much on the economy. Democrats lost some parts of the working class, she says, but other parts remained supportive of the party. “There is some party building that actually needs to take place,” she says. “I think the Democratic Party actually doesn’t understand its base.”

She points to abortion rights as an example. Trump — whose Supreme Court appointments led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade — won several states that also passed abortion protection measures. “That’s not economic anxiety,” Shropshire argues.

Shahid says Democrats need to strike a compromise on multiple issues if they want to win back middle class voters. He says they need to deliver economic gains for workers while not shying away from other topics like rights for transgender people.

“Americans learned about a new pronoun a few years ago and no one is talking to them about they/them pronouns except the Republicans,” he says.

“We need to do the same thing that we did in the struggle for gay rights, which is fight these battles and persuade not just in election season, but in the years before election season. And I think we lost to the oldest playbook in human history, which is divide and conquer.”

How the party moves forward

The last time Democrats were deep in the political wilderness, Bill Clinton won the presidency by focusing on the economy and appealing to center voters. Will the same tactic work for Democrats this time around?

To Begala, it all comes down to the middle class, and distancing Democrats from the extremes of the political spectrum. “[Voters] think the Democrats are the more extremist party. And that makes my head want to explode.”

Shropshire doesn’t think the old playbook will work for Democrats again. “We’re in a fundamentally different world than we were then,” she says.

“We have to address the issues that are fundamentally dividing Americans. And that is not just the economy…We are incapable, unable or unwilling to address the sort of central issues that have created our inability to get to a more perfect union. And that is absolutely racism.”

To Shahid, Democrats will need to tackle a much wider range of issues than just the economy to regain control of the government.

“We do need to be able to speak to Americans to the mood that they’re in. And the mood that they’re in today is one of change, one of wanting to understand the cultural changes that are happening in the country around race and gender and sexuality. And also their pocketbooks, their pocketbooks are empty. Things cost too much. And so we need to do all of the things.”

This episode was produced by Alejandra Marquez Janse and Connor Donevan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.

The University of Rochester is investigating the origin of hundreds of “wanted” posters that appeared across its campus over the weekend, which accused some members of the university community of contributing to an “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.

Charges made on the posters include allegations of misuse of power, intimidation and racism. The incident comes as the war in Gaza rages on and Americans, notably across college campuses, have been split on the United States’ continued support of Israel throughout the bloody conflict.

“This act is disturbing, divisive and intimidating and runs counter to our values as a university,” university President Sarah Mangelsdorf said in a statement.

“Furthermore, several of those depicted appear to have been targeted because they are members of our Jewish community,” Mangelsdorf said. “We view this as antisemitism, which will not be tolerated at our University. This isn’t who we are. This goes against everything we stand for and we have an obligation to reject it.”

The university said it was working to remove the posters but the process was extensive because of the strong adhesive used. The school’s department of public safety said it was investigating the incident as vandalism.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in southern Israel last year, in which more than 1,200 people were killed, Israel’s military response has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. More than half the dead in Gaza are women and children.

Israel says it targets Hamas militants who hide among civilians.

The resulting humanitarian crisis in Gaza has sparked international outrage, but despite Israel resisting calls to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza this week, the United States said it will not reduce its military support for Israel.

The University of Rochester’s Hillel chapter, which represents Jewish students, condemned the posters, but said the flyers did not appear to target students nor was there any known threat to students.

“These deeply disturbing posters, which disproportionately singled out Jewish faculty and staff, spread harmful antisemitic ideas about the Jewish people and about Israel,” a statement from the group said. “They further the spread of antisemitic hate on our campus, in an attempt to sow fear.”

As has been the case with the conflict itself, responses across the university have been split about the posters’ appearance.

In a statement issued to NBC Rochester affiliate WHEC-TV, the university’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter said it was “hasty” for the school to immediately assume the posters were born of antisemitism.

“These posters highlighted Jewish and non-Jewish administrators and professors and explicitly condemned their support for the Israeli military and government,” the group said.

The University of Rochester has ties to $7.8 million in Israel-related investments through its long term investment pool, the school’s Ethical Investment Advisory Committee reported in February.

Protesters across college campuses have called for their schools to divest from Israel, saying financial entanglements make the schools complicit in the conflict.

“Antisemitism is bigotry or hatred against Jewish people on the basis of their identity and we unequivocally oppose it, and work to dismantle it along with all forms of oppression,” Jewish Voice for Peace said. “It is not, however, antisemitic to criticize the Israeli government and military that is committing war crimes.”

Entering the Senate chamber during votes, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, reacted to the news that President-elect Trump will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be attorney general.

“Obviously the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes,” Collins said. “But this is why the Senate’s advise and consent process is so important.”

“I’m sure that there will be many, many questions raised at Mr. Gaetz’s hearing, if in fact the nomination goes forward,” she added.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa, did not indicate her thoughts on the nominee but said “he’ll have his work cut out for him.”

Another rank and file Republican in the House of Representatives, put it even more bluntly: “It’s an obvious throwaway nomination that has no chance in the Senate.”

Gaetz is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, tied to sex trafficking and drug allegations. He has denied those allegations and noted that the related FBI investigation that began in 2020 was closed without charges. The ethics probe is ongoing.

Fellow Trump ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., indicated he is leaning toward supporting whoever Trump chooses for any of these roles in his administration, though admitted his “surprise” at the choice.

“Confirmation hearings will be important. [Gaetz] will have some tough questions to answer,” Graham predicted.

“I’m inclined to support presidential cabinet picks. I’ve done it for both sides,” he continued.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is also up for a Trump Cabinet position, declined to say how he might vote on the nomination, saying “I’ve known Matt a long time,” and that he expects Gaetz would be confirmed.

“Presidents deserve great deference, as president [he has] a mandate and he has a right to surround himself with people he trusts, especially in a position that important” Rubio added.

Rubio went on to comment on former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, saying her impending nomination to be director of national intelligence is a sign of the “big tent” Trump created.

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Tulsi Gabbard, who has criticized American engagements abroad, to serve as director of national intelligence.

The former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii has shifted her political allegiance in recent years, going from a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 to a stalwart Trump supporter and conservative media personality.

If confirmed for the role, Gabbard would oversee all 18 of the nation’s intelligence agencies.

In a statement Wednesday, Trump highlighted Gabbard’s background as a former Democrat, saying, “she has broad support” from both political parties. Her political turn means she’s not likely to gain support from Democrats.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength,” he said.” “Tulsi will make us all proud!”

Gabbard was the first Hindu elected to the House of Representatives in 2012. She’s also a combat veteran and a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve.

As Director of National Intelligence, Gabbard would play a leading role in helping shape Trump’s international playbook. She comes to the job having already been critical of President Biden’s response to the ongoing conflicts around the world.

“This administration has us facing multiple wars on multiple fronts in regions around the world and closer to the brink of nuclear war than we ever have been before,” she said while stumping for Trump at a campaign rally, adding it was one of “the main reasons” she was backing Trump this year.

“I am confident that his first task will be to do the work to walk us back from the brink of war,” she added.

She has criticized Biden’s support of Ukraine in its war against Russia. And as a member of the House, Gabbard was a vocal critic of the Obama administration’s intervention in the war in Syria. She drew backlash in 2017 for visiting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been accused of myriad human rights abuses throughout the war.

Gabbard isn’t the only Democrat-turned-Republican now in Trump’s orbit. He’s gotten support from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who ran as an independent in the presidential race before ultimately dropping out and endorsing Trump.

Kennedy, who comes from a family with deep ties to the Democratic party, has told NPR he is being considered for a role in Trump’s administration, focused on health policy.

But Trump’s pick of Gabbard comes as part of a slew of recent staff picks – several of whom will join the administration having previously held elected office.

But the President-elect has also made several non-traditional picks, including tapping Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as secretary of defense and businessmen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new government entity focused on monitoring government spending.