1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I’m writing because I am genuinely worried that the Democratic Party still is not hearing what its own voters have been trying to say for years. Corruption and insider maneuvering are the problem, and the base can see it more clearly than party leadership seems to realize. The situation around Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez drove this home for me. She called out a blatantly anti-democratic move, and instead of being supported, she was reprimanded, even by the Progressive Caucus. That reaction says more than any speech or talking point ever could. It tells voters that protecting insiders comes before protecting the process. It tells us that accountability is optional. And it tells us that the party will condemn anti-democratic behavior only when it is politically safe. People notice this. They are tired of it. You cannot claim to defend democracy while looking the other way when those inside the party bend the rules to benefit themselves or their allies. When a member takes a principled stand, punishing them only deepens the distrust that so many voters already feel. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez did the right thing. The party’s response was wrong. And unless Democrats start addressing this kind of behavior honestly, they will keep losing credibility with the very people they rely on.