In the world of politics, a “cudgel” is a weapon or tool used to attack or pressure an opponent, often with a forceful and aggressive approach in political discourse and debate.
Democrats will tell you they firmly believe that President Donald Trump and the GOP Congress handed them a cudgel with the recently signed “Big, Beautiful Bill,” and they are ready to use it as a tool heading into the 2026 midterms.
But the Republicans also plan to use what’s in the recently signed mega bill to their advantage to try to maintain control of the House in the 2026 midterm elections.
What’s in the bill
The president is under the impression that the public is on board with the massive spending measure.
When he signed the domestic policy legislation, Trump said it was the “single most popular bill ever signed.” And he added, “I can say very proudly that our country is more proud right now than it has been in many, many years.”
Public opinion polls, on the other hand, paint a starkly different picture.
A Fox News poll showed 59% opposed and 38% in favor of the bill; a Quinnipiac poll recorded 55% opposed, with only 29% supporting the legislation; and a Pew Research Center survey found 49% opposed versus 29% in favor, with a large percentage unsure.
While the bill extends tax cuts from Trump’s first administration, it will also add trillions to the national debt and have a profound impact on seniors, students and children, not to mention states that will have to make tough decisions to pick up the slack.
What’s in that bill violates a key promise the president made repeatedly during the campaign that he would not touch Medicaid benefits. Consequently, millions stand to lose their health care.
People with Affordable Care Act policies will have more difficulty getting coverage, and fewer people who need help getting food will get it. Local food banks are not ready to handle the burden being placed upon them.
Democrats’ strategy
This is where Democrats are finding their bravado after wandering in the political wilderness. They finally seem to be on the same page with their message and that “cudgel.”
Look, it’s no secret the Dems have struggled for quite some time to huddle around a unified message. But after House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries’ record-setting eight-hour floor speech to delay the mega bill vote, maybe they have some momentum upon which to build.
And they will need any momentum they can get for the uphill battle ahead.
Whispers in the party indicate the Democrats know they need to educate voters because nearly half of Americans hadn’t heard of the bill, according to Priorities USA, and only 8% knew Medicaid cuts were included.
Maybe Senate candidate Nathan Sage has the key for the Democratic Party.
“Until they start hearing [how it] is actually going to affect them, when they do hear that, that’s when the outrage happens,” Sage said.
Is he right? He’s challenging Sen. Joni Ernst in Iowa, once a battleground state that is now a solid red, a place where the Democrats have fought a losing battle as white, working-class voters turn to Republicans for answers.
As one political strategist put it: “The Democrats need to chart a path back to power.” They need to “capitalize aggressively on the momentum.”
In an interview with Politico, Priorities USA Executive Director Danielle Butterfield said: “We have a lot more work to do as a party to communicate the impacts of this bill to voters who are tuning out politics.”
She urged Dems to “get beyond the stats” and “start collecting storytellers.” Then, start putting ads online, particularly on YouTube, not just traditional TV ads, because the Democrats are known for making old cable buys, token digital buys in swing districts, and holding press conferences.
But in the New York City mayoral primary, candidate Zohran Mamdani proved that the old way of communicating with voters doesn’t work anymore, and that there are new, more effective ways of getting the message out.
The Democrats need to take some risks.
Republicans’ strategy
The Republicans have their own strategy for fending off the Democrats. They’re ready for the attacks and accusations of slashing Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for the rich.
The GOP plans to shift the focus in hopes of turning things around.
The word from GOP strategists is that they’ll campaign on individual pieces of the bill that poll well: Things like tax cuts on overtime and tips, child care subsidies, and work requirements for able-bodied adults.
The hope is that focusing on those elements will help them avoid what happened in 2018 when the Dems went on the attack against Trump’s original tax cuts.
The Democratic Party’s argument then, as it will be now, is that the cuts benefit the wealthy. The strategy worked, and the Democratic Party won back the House majority.
But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson believes that won’t happen this time.
He said the bill pushes “pro-growth policies” and constitutes the “largest savings for the taxpayers in U.S. history.”
“Our Republicans are going to be out across the country telling the simple truth, and guess what? It will be demonstrated,” Johnson said. “Everyone will have more take-home pay; they’ll have more jobs and opportunity. The economy will be doing better, and we’ll be able to point to that as the obvious result of what we did. So don’t buy into those false talking points.”
Johnson sees the bill as a leap forward for the GOP agenda and the first step in a three-tier strategy. He expects a second reconciliation bill by fall and a third by spring before the end of the current Congress.
Critics argue that the mega bill’s benefits for the working class are time-sensitive and expire.
One thing is for certain: both Republicans and Democrats see the “Big, Beautiful Bill” -- or whatever you want to call it -- as the defining issue of 2026.
Political analyst Daniel Cronrath joins me to discuss these topics and more on this week’s episode of “Politics & Power.” Watch at 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. Tuesday on News4JAX+ or catch it on demand anytime on News4JAX+, News4JAX.com or our YouTube Channel.