The Courage Gap

Democrats have a righteous roar – should they learn how to properly use it

This spring, my uncle played the role of Uncle Henry in an impressive community production of The Wizard of Oz. And while my Uncle A played a mean Uncle Henry, it was the woman who played the role of the Cowardly Lion who got a roaring applause at the curtain call — a heart-warming, funny execution of one of a beloved story’s most prominent characters.

As Democrats face the electorate day after day and week after week in a post-2024 election world, I’m hopeful we can evolve in a specific way to give voters what they want: courage.

Unlike in 2018 when Democrats confronted Trump and the extremes within their party, many Democrats in 2025 are a lot like the Cowardly Lion¹ – too fearful to be effective, courageous leaders.

If voters must courageously face the realities of everyday life – cuts to Medicaid, neighbors snatched up by ICE, uncomfortably expensive trips to the grocery store and doctor’s office, domestic acts of terrorism – then surely Democrats in federal elected office can lock in and authentically align with voters on their priorities and on issues where Democrats are viewed as either too extreme or out-of-touch.

Many would argue that there is plenty of courage exhibited in the Democratic Party — but the other big problem with courage from leaders in our Party is that it generally appears only in its most polarizing forms: Rep. Al Green’s disruption at Trump’s address to Congress, various rather embarrassing instances of name-calling, the “Fighting the Oligarchy" tour, and the array of protests and filibusters Democratic Members of Congress have participated in this year.

If we can do all of that, why can’t we operate in courage in depolarizing ways?

Depolarizing courage is rooted in two critical concepts: wisdom, and pure motivations.

As my Pastor often reminds us, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” When it comes to boldness, the distinction between can and should is wisdom. Without wisdom, boldness manifests as polarizing behavior that deepens Americans’ disgust with our politics.

We must also evaluate the why behind what we do: if an act of courage is fueled by self-conceit, selfish ambition, or with the intention to churn the rage machine in American hearts, that’s not courage – that’s pride, ego. Courage requires us to lead from a place of humility, and not of fear.

Political theater and stunts may raise digital cash from low-dollar donors, but it doesn’t dispel the myriad concerns voters have concerning elected officials and the Democratic brand overall.

As we’ve written here on WelcomeStack, Trump’s favorability among voters may be in decline, but his low-40s approval rating is still higher than the Democratic Party’s current approval rating in the high-20s, which according to MSNBC, is the lowest Party approval since 1992.

Let’s take a look at cases of Democrats doing the hard work of courageously connecting with voters and effectively depolarizing the issues. It’s time to encourage everyone in our Party to model good behavior.

Matt Yglesias wrote about Rep. Sarah McBride’s leadership this summer in Slow Boring:

What McBride is doing here is using her standing as a trans member of Congress from a safe seat to empower her colleagues to stand up to the most unreasonable, unpragmatic demands and rhetorical tropes of activists who’ve hurt Democrats’ electoral performance while causing public opinion to move against them on trans issues. That is political leadership. But oftentimes what progressives mean by “political leadership” isn’t “political leaders trying to be constructive,” it’s that if politicians pound the table hard enough, they can bend public opinion in their direction. All the evidence, though, is that this probably won’t work and is instead likely to backfire.

The New York Times covered a new bill from Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to address federal leaders’ cognitive function while serving in elected office:

Last month, Ms. Perez offered an amendment to a federal spending bill that aimed to create basic guidelines in Congress to ensure that members were able to do their jobs “unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment.”

Her amendment was unanimously rejected, which Ms. Perez chalked up to the fact that it prompted an “uncomfortable conversation” and that Congress does not like to make new rules for itself.

“It’s not a solution that’s been widely discussed,” she conceded.

But Ms. Perez does not plan to drop the issue, which she said is a major concern for voters. In a poll of the 230,000 people who subscribe to her newsletter, more than 90 percent who responded supported the proposal, she said, noting that she represents a district that President Trump won three times.

Back at home, Ms. Perez said, her constituents constantly raise the issue with her. Their overwhelming sense of how the capital functions is that elected officials are too impaired to call the shots. That makes them even more distrustful of their government, she said.

Rep. Tom Suozzi, recently endorsed by Welcome, speaks authentically and pragmatically on the immigration crisis:

“I agree with the president’s emphasis on stopping illegal immigration, deporting criminals, and targeting the cartels and organized crime profiting from human exploitation at the southern border.”

And, of course, let’s not forget about the courage to address problems concerning the Democratic Party itself. Sen. Elissa Slotkin has been a bold affront to her Party’s approach to politics these days. The New York Times noted her remarking:

“You cannot win a game, a war, anything, just by playing defense,” Ms. Slotkin said in an interview this week. “You can’t just point at Donald Trump every day and point out the bad things that he’s doing. You have to show a positive, affirmative vision of what you’re going to do if you’re in power.”

And later in an interview with the Times, Slotkin noted:

“We respond to people’s pain with a long list of wonky policies. Alpha energy is synonymous with being bold. Call the tough play, take a risk, be bold. And don’t be so damn scared of your own shadow.”

The charge for depolarizing courage isn’t just for our elected officials — it’s for all of us. We can each take a moment to identify what depolarizing courage looks like within our personal lives and in our work.

America is counting on us.

1. The Cowardly Lion before he met Dorothy and pals, that is.