by
Sen. Elissa Slotkin
Michigan freshman Sen. Elissa Slotkin is trying to emerge as a voice of moderation and strength as the Democratic Party twists the political Rubik's Cube to find the right tone, the right plan, and the right narrative to address the key issues Americans face before the crucial midterm elections in 2026.
She said, “Democrats have, quite frankly, lost touch.”
In a speech and Q&A session at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, a progressive advocacy organization in D.C., she said it's time for Democrats to begin “slaughtering sacred cows,” and to address the realities of border controls and immigration—all while being aware that it is “not just Trump voters who are frustrated with the government, it's Americans across the board.”
“As a CIA officer and Pentagon official by training, I believe that the single greatest security threat to the United States is not coming from abroad—it's the shrinking middle class here at home. I believe, deep in my bones, that if we lose our middle class, and by association the American Dream, we will lose our democracy and, eventually, our country. This is the existential threat. As a national security professional, what do you do when there's an existential threat to your country? You get to work on a war plan. You face up to what's not working. You change course. And you ruthlessly pursue the economic security that’s critical to our survival.”
“I think sometimes Democrats don’t have a bias toward action. We have a bias toward navel-gazing… to admiring the problem,” she said in remarks posted on YouTube.
She said Democrats have lost touch with Americans who feel: “You can’t provide for your kids. You feel anger. You feel shame. You lose your dignity. And you look for something or someone to blame.”
“To me, those fundamentals are the following: jobs that pay enough to save every month; schools that prepare kids for those jobs; a home you can call your own; safety and security from fear; energy to power our lives and an environment to pass on to our kids; and healthcare you can actually afford. This economic war plan aims not just to fix these systems or nibble around the margins—but to rebuild them. And as a Democrat, if we have to slaughter some sacred cows to do it, then so be it.”
“Change is coming, and we need to get our ass in gear,” she said, referring to jobs in the global economy, and particularly with the growth of artificial intelligence.
She also addressed small businesses and the manufacturing of critical products and materials overseas:
“Democrats fail to make the distinction between small businesses and the largest multinational corporations, and because of that, many Americans hear us as plainly anti-business. And while we’re on the subject, too often as Democrats, we have the habit of vilifying success.
“Yes, we want everyone in America—including the president of the United States—to play by the same set of rules. Yes, we need a fair tax code to ensure all Americans are paying their fair share. But this is America. No matter who you are or where you come from—Black, white, Latino, first-generation—if you play by the rules, we want you to be wildly successful.”
“Next, on job creation, we need to get serious about bringing our critical supply chains home. We need an aggressive 10-year plan that prevents any foreign nation from having a veto over America's national security. That’s what we call good old-fashioned industrial policy. Because we need to answer one single question: What critical items should we always make—at least in part—in the United States? Things like military hardware, of course. But also food, pharmaceuticals, and items like microchips that millions of Americans depend on.”
“We’re never again going to make Rubik’s Cubes and ladies’ razors here in America. That’s fine—we’re good. But it’s not fine for China to have control over rare earth minerals or batteries that our auto industry depends on. It’s not fine if a single pharmaceutical plant going down in India means a shortage of cancer drugs in Michigan.”
To watch her speech see video below.
