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During a recent podcast episode, branding expert Donny Deutsch expressed his concerns to Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy about the prominent roles Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders play within the Democratic Party.
The two progressive lawmakers are currently conducting their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour across the nation, addressing audiences about confronting “the Oligarchs and corporate interests who have so much power” in America. On his show “On Brand with Donny Deutsch,” the host voiced his apprehension about how their visibility might affect the party’s image, though Murphy dismissed these concerns.
“What scares me — some of the big voices out there: AOC, Bernie Sanders. Even if their message of economic populism is a resonating message, they as messengers — I’m the branding guy that says, ‘Whoa, the party is way, way left.’ That’s what scares me,” Deutsch said. “That’s what says, if I see the — you know, I look at you, a moderate guy with a progressive voice — I look at Bernie, I look at AOC, and this is not here to bash them, but to say, from a branding point of view, it gives the opposite side the chance to say, ‘Oh, the party is so far left. They’re not relevant to your needs, swing voter.'”
The Democrat Party's approval rating has hit a record low of 27 percent because they've become antagonists of common sense.
Now, they're empowering Bernie and AOC while egging on the disruptive tactics of radical far-left groups. I doubt this helps their cause. pic.twitter.com/zmzJHRwWw6
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) March 27, 2025
In response, Murphy defended Sanders’ appeal, noting his ability to attract diverse audiences.
“I mean, he’s got, you know, folks that are sort of traditionally hard left, but he, you know, also has always had crossover appeal into some of [President Donald] Trump’s base,” the senator said. “And I think that’s because he has a laser-like focus on the unfairness of the economy.”
Murphy elaborated on Sanders’ approach, stating, “This has always been Bernie’s thing — that he’s going to build a big tent in which you can come inside so long as you agree with him that we have to unrig the economy so that it works for regular people. And here’s where I think the Democratic Party does have to reform. I think we’ve got to get back to being that big-tent party. Whether Bernie Sanders is the leader or not, I don’t really know or care.”
The discussion gained additional perspective when former Democratic megadonor John Morgan appeared on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” on March 20, suggesting that the progressive lawmakers’ tour might have unintended consequences by energizing Trump supporters.
🚨🇺🇸 GPS DATA EXPOSES ASTROTURFING AT DENVER BERNIE-AOC RALLY
That massive Bernie Sanders and AOC rally in Denver? Turns out it wasn’t as “grassroots” as advertised.
Despite claims of 34,000 attendees, GPS data analysis reveals the real number was closer to 20,000—still big,… https://t.co/Mw3WLhxfWk pic.twitter.com/V4dXwqumNT
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 23, 2025
“See, AOC and Bernie [galvanize] MAGA because MAGA hates them and the thing MAGA loves the most other than what they love, they love watching them twisting and turning,” Morgan said.
Recent polling data from CNN/SSRS revealed that among Democrats, Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders received 10% and 8% respectively when asked about which Democratic leader best embodied the party’s core values.
Democratic New York Rep. Ritchie Torres recently contributed to the discourse during a Thursday podcast, suggesting that embracing far-left policies in response to the November 2024 election loss would be misguided.
“I find it odd now there’s an argument in order to, you know, reverse the results of the 2024 election, we have to embrace the far left,” he said. “It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
