Disagreements among Democrats have emerged over how to conduct political messaging on the government shutdown as the party battles with the GOP over whom the public should blame for the impasse.

The Democratic National Committee raised eyebrows Wednesday when it posted a shutdown explainer video featuring cats, attracting criticism from some observers who called it “cringe.”

Separately, House Democrats attracted criticism from inside and outside party circles for a marathon livestream that kicked off in the early hours of Wednesday morning. 

On the other hand, progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) received praise for a video they shot together explaining the shutdown on Capitol Hill, with others lauding it as “organic” and “authentic.” 

“The two most prominent progressives in America who support Medicare for All deliver the most compelling message of anyone in the party about ACA subsidies,” said Jon Favreau, co-host of “Pod Save America” and former speechwriter to former President Obama. 

The shutdown marks the biggest battle yet between congressional Democrats and President Trump during his second administration. That has put a spotlight on every communication on both sides.

For example, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), an outspoken Trump critic, bemoaned a selfie taken by House Democratic leadership ahead of a vote to prevent the shutdown.

“These selfie things need to stop guys. Honestly the Democrats were great at social media but social media moved on from them.  The kitschy, goofy ‘choose your fighter’ type stuff needs to stop. Just serious,” Kinzinger said in a post on the social platform X. 

Democrats have struggled to hit back at the administration and have come under criticism from within for not doing more to curtail Trump’s actions. The shutdown is seen by some as an opportunity to improve that record.

“Different people and different constituencies require different things, and for us to not attempt to do anything, I think would be political malpractice,” said Antjuan Seawright, an adviser to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). He argued some Democrats will never be happy with how the party pushes back on Trump.

“There are some who may disagree with the tactic that was used on the livestream, but there’s also going to be a segment of the Democratic base, the Democratic Party, of the political ecosystem who are not going to be pleased with anything that’s done by Democrats,” he said.

Defenders of the cat video argue it was meant for a younger audience and was an effort to engage with the TikTok generation.

“The attention economy is tough. You have to do things to get attention. What that cat video was for was TikTok,” said one Democratic operative. “People are talking about it, and number two, it explains what this shutdown does to people who aren’t across it” 

Republicans have flooded the internet and airwaves with their own messaging, some of it drawing accusations of racism from Democrats.

President Trump shared an AI-generated video of Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in which a sombrero and a handlebar mustache were imposed on the House leader’s image as mariachi music played in the background.

An outcry over racism just led Trump’s team, seeing the video as effective, to double down. The White House has played the video on loop in the press briefing room. Vice President Vance, who called the video funny, said sombrero memes would end if Jeffries ends the shutdown. 

Some Democrats argue they could learn something from the tactics employed by Trump and his allies. 

“A lot of Democrats don’t like the Mexican hat and mustache stuff from Trump. I also think it’s dumb and juvenile, but that’s a pretty effective tactic in my opinion,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I kind of hate that it’s funny, but it is funny,” he added. 

Nellis encouraged Democrats to take more risk in their messaging.

“You’ve got to be free to fail. And that’s the thing about Republicans. They’re pretty comfortable failing. I don’t think the Mexican hat thing is good for them because it makes them look juvenile at a time when they’re not doing their jobs and that’s my criticism of it, but at least they’re trying stuff,” he said. 

Others note the video tactic employed by Trump only strengthens the Democratic case on health care. Democrats are demanding the GOP extend enhanced ObamaCare subsidies as part of a funding bill, and they warn thousands in the next weeks will learn their insurance payments are rising.

“To me, that’s a sign that Democrats are on the cusp of winning this,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Given that we’re in a race to curry public opinion, it is key what Trump voters are feeling about these potential cuts to their health care and if Trump is trying to woo them back with juvenile, culture war stuff and telling them to ignore their own health care needs, that feels like a desperate gasp from him.” 

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released on Friday found that 78 percent of Americans said they supported an extension of the tax credits, including 59 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of supporters of the MAGA movement. Ninety-two percent of Democrats and 82 percent of independents also said they supported the extension. 

“What Democrats have been clamoring for since Trump took office is the fight,” said the unnamed Democratic operative. “Health care is something that resonates. It’s why we won in 2018. It is the core message that creates blue waves.” 

Early polling suggests that voters are more likely to blame Trump and Republicans than Democrats for the shutdown. A Washington Post poll released Thursday found 47 percent of respondents said “Trump and Republicans in Congress” are “mainly responsible for the federal government partially shutting down,” while 30 percent pinned the blame on “Democrats in Congress.”

A NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released earlier this week showed that 38 percent of respondents would blame Republicans, while 27 percent would blame Democrats and 31 percent would fault both sides. Just 4 percent of respondents would blame neither party.

“In a shutdown, everybody looks bad because government isn’t functioning,” Nellis said. “I think Democrats should keep a very simple message which is we are not going to allow the Republican Party and Donald Trump to raise your health insurance premiums. That’s it.” 

Jeffries’s allies point to the minority leader and Democrats’ willingness to take part in interviews across a variety of mainstream, local, and non-traditional forms of media. 

In an interview with MeidasTouch, a progressive media outlet, Jeffries challenged Trump and Republicans to meet in front of the press on Friday. 

“Anytime, anyplace, and we want to make sure it’s fully transparent,” Jeffries told the outlet Thursday. “That’s my position, and we’ll even let Mike Johnson into the meeting as well.”