Earlier this year, public approval for the Democratic Party hit historic lows. It’s rebounded somewhat, but polls still show a party in need of a new message. That message can’t be just to oppose President Trump and Republicans in Congress. Democrats need to articulate a forward-looking agenda that has promise to deliver tangible results.
Fortunately for Democrats, there’s an opening. A recent CNN poll found that 58% of Americans believe government should take a more active role in solving national problems, the highest in over 30 years. But voters don’t want more red tape. They want solutions that actually work. Worth noting, President Trump’s unprecedented use of the levers of government to push his agenda likely explains part of the uptick in confidence in government intervention.
Democrats must resist the temptation to default to anti-business rhetoric and reflexive opposition to corporate mergers. While calling out unfair corporate behavior is appropriate, opposing business simply to create new anti-corporate talking points will further turn off voters, harming workers and consumers in the process.
Take the JetBlue–Spirit Airlines merger. A left-leaning group, the American Economic Liberties Project (AELP), led the charge to block it, claiming it would reduce competition and raise fares. But what actually happened? Spirit, unable to stay afloat without the deal, filed for bankruptcy. That’s not a win for consumers. It’s a gift to the four major carriers American, Delta, Southwest, and United — that already dominate the skies, and a loss for consumers, many of which relied on Spirit for its low fares.
Democratic officials on the ground understood this. Mayors from Broward County, Orange County, and Tallahassee supported the merger. So did Sean Shaw, a former Florida state legislator and the Democrats’ 2018 nominee for attorney general, who pointed out that the merger would have brought 2,000 new jobs to Florida and protected collective bargaining rights.
Even labor unions backed it. The Association of Flight Attendants, no stranger to merger battles, called this deal “the anti-merger merger” because it promised better conditions for workers and passengers alike. But AELP celebrated when the merger was scuttled, dismissing concerns about Spirit’s viability as “myths.” Tell that to the consumers now facing fewer flight options and higher fares.
This isn’t an isolated example. AELP also opposed the merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern—two major railroads—warning it would hurt workers and spike rail traffic in local communities. But many Democrats in the heartland saw things differently. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri supported the deal, saying in a co-signed letter that it would reduce supply chain bottlenecks and spur private investment in rail infrastructure while creating American jobs. That's the kind of outcome Democrats should welcome, not fight.
Even in health care, a sector where consolidation often justifies additional scrutiny, AELP’s absolutist stance misses the mark. When Saint Peter’s Healthcare System in New Jersey merged with Atlantic Health in 2024, it was to avoid service cuts or outright closure. Yet AELP attacked the deal as harmful to patients and workers, ignoring that without the merger, entire communities could lose access to emergency and inpatient care.
This rigid ideology — reflexively opposing consolidation in every sector — undermines the very goals Democrats claim to support. Mergers aren’t inherently good or bad. They should be judged on their individual merits, not through the lens of a one-size-fits-all antitrust agenda.
Democrats have a proud tradition of successful economic reform. But today's voters want more than slogans. They want government to act effectively, with common sense. That means recognizing when market forces — guided by guardrails, not straitjackets — can work for the public good.
Rejecting every merger outright may score points with a vocal activist base. But it also risks alienating the majority of Americans who want economic growth, job creation, and improved services. If Democrats want to regain trust, they need to start by showing they trust voters enough to support smart, balanced policies.
In 2025, it’s not enough to rail against Trump. Democrats must offer an economic vision that delivers results—and that starts with resisting the ideological overreach of groups like AELP. The future of the party may depend on it.
