First there was Republican Senator Joni Ernst’s dismissive response to her constituents’ concerns about the cuts to Medicaid in Trump’s Big Awful Bill, “We’re all going to die.” Then there was Republican Senator Mitch McConnell’s callous response to Americans concerned about spending cuts to Medicaid that they (we) “would get over it.” Is it any wonder, then, that resistance is popping up among voters supporting more “outsider” Democrat candidates in ways Republicans (and Democrat insiders) had not anticipated: Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey and Zohran Mamdani in New York City? Call them Democrats, progressives, socialists, a rose by any other name is still sweet when it speaks to worried Americans about kitchen table quality-of-life issues: affordable housing, groceries, child care, health care, a living wage, a safe environment, the stuff of everyday existence for everyday families. Not tariffs. Not immigration. It’s the stuff that seeks to raise all boats instead of further lining billionaires’ pockets. And here’s a refreshing thought; billionaires? we tax them! They pull their weight and pay their fair share. What a concept. Our fuddy-duddy Democrat leaders need to pay attention here if we want to claw our way back to relevance and out of this Trump/MAGA nightmare. This is a message that is resonating with voters. We must meet them at their kitchen table - and listen. Or they will tune us out. This shouldn't be that hard. We can do this.