This week during the January 6 hearings we heard even more detail about how Trump planned to declare victory no matter what the 2020 election’s result, and about his role in letting a mob try to stop the electoral votes from being certified. It was an assault on democracy that should worry everyone. But focusing on this alone is not going to deliver victory for the Democrats in the midterms if they continue to seem out of touch with the everyday concerns of middle- and working-class Americans, especially the high cost of living.

Troublingly, for those of us who’d like to see Republicans defeated — especially the extremist enemies of abortion rights and democracy among their ranks — Democratic leaders are partying with their rich friends while regular people struggle. It would be nice if this were just a right-wing talking point, but unfortunately, it’s true. President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent Thursday night in the tony Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood — home to celebrities like LeBron James and Tom Brady — for a fundraising house party. Tickets started at $5,000, with some guests paying ten times that much.

On Monday, also in Los Angeles, Vice President Kamala Harris will headline another fundraising party, this one hosted by Liz Hirsh Naftali, a philanthropist who owns a commercial real estate company. Naftali is the daughter of the late Stanley Hirsh, who was also a wealthy Los Angeles real estate mogul and philanthropist, though he initially made his money in the apparel industry.