Leah Juliett, a former staffer for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), is trashing their one-time boss with an editorial in Teen Vogue that argues he's killing the party's reputation among young voters.
In fact, Juliett believes that they're hardly alone among people in her age bracket in feeling completely isolated from Democrats.
"Since 2019, I’ve watched young people across the country make a similar choice — turning away from a Democratic Party that once promised a 'hopey, changey' vision but now feels distant, performative, and unwilling to fight for a future we deserve," Juliett argued. "Just like I reached my breaking point, many other young voters are reaching theirs, disillusioned by a party that claims to represent us, but increasingly fails to reflect our values or earn our trust on key issues."
ALSO READ: 'People fight back': Military expert warns Trump vow could trigger decades-long insurgency
Juliett then went on to argue that Schumer and other Democratic leaders are pushing away young voters through a combination of "ideological rigidity, inadequate policy responses, and a failure to address the evolving socio-political landscape."
As evidence, they point to the way Democrats have struggled to hold a united front in the face of President Donald Trump's ban on transgender military servicemembers.
"In 2019, I helped to produce a video for Senate Democrats about Donald Trump’s transgender military service ban, interviewing trans service members and illuminating the importance of inclusive service," wrote Juliett. "Today, Democrats, including Schumer, appear to be in disarray over an attempt to find a unified stance on transgender rights. What once felt like a strong display of allyship now feels ambivalent, if not outright harmful."
