Hawaii Senator shares strategy for Democratic Senate win. Then Ro Khanna tells him how to force Trump’s hand with it: ‘Make him veto Medicare for All’

Representative Ro Khanna and other progressives are pushing back against a suggestion from Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz regarding how Democrats should handle a potential midterm victory on November 3, Common Dreams reported. Schatz, who is set to become the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate if his party gains control, argued that legislators should scale back their goals. He shared his thoughts while appearing on CNN‘s The Arena with Kasie Hunt on Thursday.

Schatz suggested that pushing for policies that President Donald Trump is sure to veto is a poor use of time. He said, “I do not think it is time to propose things that the president of the United States is guaranteed to veto.” He added, “I think that is somewhat of a bit of wasted energy. And then if we want to be more aspirational, if we want to make more bold policy changes, we’re going to have to take the presidency and both chambers and that’s for 2028.”

Instead of pushing a bold agenda, Schatz thinks Democrats should focus on using their power as an institutional check against the president. He wants to see the party concentrate on ending the war and reversing cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Many progressives disagree with this cautious approach

Progressives believe that forcing the president to block popular legislation could actually benefit Democrats in the long run. Khanna took to social media late Friday to propose a different path. He suggested that Democrats should force the president to veto a variety of progressive policies. These include taxing billionaires, blocking aid and bombs to Israel, and Medicare for All. Khanna specifically noted, “Make him veto Medicare for All.”

The pushback against the senator continued throughout the weekend. Groundwork CEO Lindsay Owens described the strategy mentioned by Schatz as “worrisome.” She shared on social media that having the president veto bills that aim to lower healthcare costs is a positive political outcome for Democrats. She believes this would help the party in 2028.

Writer Katelyn Burns also expressed frustration with the idea of moderating expectations. She wrote on social media, “No, wrong. You pass the popular agenda and let the other party stand in the way of what the people want. Why the f— would you pre-veto s—??”

Other voices in the party echoed these sentiments with a heavy dose of sarcasm. The Prospect executive editor David Dayen suggested that the party might as well confirm the president’s judges and let Republicans run the committees if they want to avoid making waves. Reporter Austin Ahlman also chimed in, noting that it would be smart to avoid being mistaken for the opposition.

The Debt Collective weighed in as well, suggesting that the focus on avoiding vetoes reflects a deeper issue with how the party views its own platform. They wrote, “This broken ideology actually explains a lot. They just genuinely do not understand the strategy of making President Trump veto popular things—it almost makes you wonder if they just don’t support the popular things at all.”