Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., decried the “college-educated elites” pushing absurd concepts like “defund the police” to working-class voters on Thursday.
Torres brought the topic up while discussing how Democrats can best thrive under the Trump administration on the “Politics War Room” podcast with Democratic strategist James Carville. Torres emphasized how he represents the “common sense” sensibilities of the working class in his Bronx district who care more about lowering costs than progressive issues.
“The absurdities like ‘Defund the Police’ or ‘Abolish ICE’ or ‘Latinx’ do not come from working-class people,” Torres said. “These ideas come from the college-educated elites of our society.”
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He gave the example of an unnamed elected official who advocated for the abolition of the police, despite coming from a wealthier and more insulated neighborhood. Torres called this as an elite social experiment with deadly consequences for lower-class and minority citizens.
However, he did not think fringe, progressive issues were the reason the Democratic Party lost in 2024. Torres argued that more far-left politicians likely did influence issues that impacted the party, such as former President Biden not acting to secure the border.
“If it was broadly popular among the American people, why did he wait so long before acting? And the answer is simple: he was pandering to the far left,” Torres said. “The far left has outsized power over the messaging and policymaking of the Democratic Party, and that has made us less viable in general elections.”
He added, “I find out now there’s an argument that in order to reverse the results of the 2024 election, we have to embrace the far left. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
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Torres has frequently called out his own party for focusing too much on unpopular, fringe issues that he believes dissuade centrist voters.
He has also come under fire from progressive activists and House members for his support for Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.
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