The Democrats are playing this all wrong. Here in Ohio the Democratic party has been neutered and it pretty much non existent since Reagan destroyed the Unions and sent our manufacturing overseas. The Democratic party never recovered from the loss of money and organizing the Unions provided. They never built another coalition and rely on interest groups pitching their specific issues. The Republicans had the churches but with declining church enrollment all they have is 'hate that guy'. Democrats need to look at everyone getting screwed by this administration and build a lasting coalition. Not just DEI but Farmers, Veterans, workers without healthcare and pensions, the trades, immigrants, etc. Don't write these groups off as lost. Trump gave them someone to blame rather than something to work towards. Dems can fill this vacuum if they just go where the voters are a spell out a simple, focused vision.
Why aren’t you blaming the Republicans in Congress and demanding they resign because they have broken their oath to the Constitution? I get they are terrified of Trump’s maga mob, and it is true they are getting physically threatened frequently, but that is part of their job and they for sure know it. If you can’t stand up for the constitution you should not run. They should resign if they refuse to vote in line with their oath to the Constitution. If enough people demand they resign they will hear this. I don’t understand why they are getting a pass from you, it feels like all of you. They have tricked you into blaming the Democrats, how is that even possible? You are the smart people. If you can be tricked this way what hope do we have? (Also Rubio should have resigned on the spot on Thursday, in front of the press, and walked out.)
Well, let me just note that I've been a loyal straight-ticket Democratic voter since 1976 (now 67 YO), and somehow the Democratic Party's defeatist indifference is not exactly firing my optimism. Jeffries, Schumer, Durbin & all of their "big shrug" non-strategy are obviously NOT equal to this hour of crisis. How much allegiance should I continue to feel for a party that is now just thumbsucking & playing possum?
One thing the Democrats need is a leader who will share some tough love with the base. The means leveling with them that Trump cannot be defeated with no support outside of the bubbles where everyone abhors everything remotely connected with Trump.
Gaining support outside those bubbles requires cutting back on the things they dislike about stereotypical Democrats, such as lax border enforcement, pressuring Israel, and obsessions with DEI. Everything has to be a balance between energizing those who are committed to opposing Trump against how it will affect the decisions of those on the fence about Trump.
"For many, it foreshadows the possibility that the party could be consumed by primary challenges in the 2026 cycle—fueled by anger that leadership isn’t up to the challenge of taking on Trump."
Progressives should challenge the feckless Clinton Democrats and the Democratic leadership isn't up to it, obviously.
Just throwing this out there on all the message boards I can. On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution started at Lexington and Concord with the “shot heard round the world.” April 19, 2025, just 50 days from today, is the 250th anniversary of that momentous event. How powerfully symbolic it would be to see thousands of people marching against our self proclaimed “king.” Is there any plan for a day of protest? How can we make this happen?
I'm disillusioned and disappointed with the Democratic Party. I want them to get up off their butts and fight. Make noise. Hold public meetings. Yet there may be an advantage to laying back awhile to let Trump, Vance, Musk, their lame cabinet, and Republican Congressman screw up so bad that they will disappear as a Party. There are experts out there that know far better than me if that is the best strategy.
I absolutely 100% approve the Dems eating their leadership, like cannibals if need be. A couple of talking heads have it on good authority the Dem Leadership wants to just sit back and watch the GQP shoot themselves in the foot, and like Superman, appear on the scene in 2026 and rescue America. I've seen truly idiotic political takes from Dems over the decades, John Kerry deciding to ignore the Swift Boat ads, because recognizing them gives them credibility. Or Governor Dukakis *not* going hammer and tongs over Willie Horton. But this idea is the worst. We need the Dems to show they have backbone. If need be, they need to adopt some top down leadership ideas. Like NOT GIVING ONE Vote to any Republican initiative. Let the R's own their idiotic budgets. They need to impeach Drumpf. Not talk about it. Not whine about it. Do it! So the Senate sits on it. Who cares. Impeaching DumbBunny Donnie proves the Dems are fighting for America. And if senior dems think Registered Dems are going to reward them with re-election for masturbating in their offices instead of yelling and screaming for America, they better also be ready for unemployment. I'm going to reward courage and vocal opposition, not pin-heads who got too comfortable being party leadership.
Many of the Democrats in power seem to think that success is measured by how much money they raise from grassroots supporters: every calamity caused by Republicans is a fundraising opportunity. I think the strategy should be to destroy the Republican brand by tying every disastrous decision or pronouncement to Republicans not to Trump or Mike Johnson or Musk. It would be more efficient to make the entire Republican brand toxic rather than targeting individual candidates or incumbents. Face it, there is no such thing as a moderate Republican and Trump would be nowhere without Republican officeholders in Washington or in the States going along with every morally bankrupt executive order or Cabinet nominee. Democrats shouldn’t wait until next year or stay in Washington DC with the anti-Republican messaging: Fox News isn’t going to wait until next year and Bernie Sanders, bless him, is already going around the country now: he’s going to be in Michigan next week.
I am not happy with the Democratic Party either but there are a few things the 75,000,000 people (and some of the 90,000,000 voters who didn’t bother to vote) who voted for Kamala Harris could do besides complaining. Stop buying stuff on Amazon, close your Facebook account, put on a winter coat and don’t spend your money in Red states (I’m looking at you snow birds), stop giving your money to companies that fight Unions (Starbucks, Amazon, Tesla, Walmarts, and nonunion auto companies), find alternatives to Google, stop following or looking at X / Twitter, and only spend money on things you absolutely need. If the billionaire class only cares about money, make them care about your money as much as they care about Trump.
Oh my gosh! Democrats in Washington can scream and yell, and lay on the floor kicking their feet, but they are outnumbered…in other words, they have NO POWER. It is up to the voters to vote them in! How uneducated do you need to be to be unable to understand that? I will keep voting for Democrats, mostly because I am not a whiny baby….and I know what the GOP is NOT trying to do for me.
Leaders construct a plan forward that is more than winning the next game. The Republicans have a plan, it's ugly and evil, but it's a plan. Being against ugly and evil is simply an admirable attitude, it's not a plan.
We need a brand new political party that is moderate-left. The Democrats are a complete disappointment to me in their ineffectiveness, and btw, where are they? They have melted into the background and seem to be doing nothing to fight fascism. I feel completely abandoned by these people who I have voted for my entire life. I'm very close to swearing that I'm done with them. I would never in a million years vote for a Republican, so that means I'm left with no party and maybe that's a good thing.
Zelenskyy very nearly held his own today and I'm proud of him. I'm ashamed of my country, of the media, and of the Democratic Party. Today I wish I was a Ukrainian.
Creating a new political party is such a huge undertaking that it would be pretty close to impossible to succeed at doing so. More likely would be making changes in the Democratic party.
It's happened before; the history of the party has been marked by battles for control, e.g., during the civil rights and Vietnam war years. The process can be quite messy and the work is effectively never done.
I agree, although I think that the new party we need should be moderate-right. And I'm increasingly frustrated with people like Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker, and the others who may be doing good work as individuals but would do much better work by starting to pull such a party together.
The Democrats are playing this all wrong. Here in Ohio the Democratic party has been neutered and it pretty much non existent since Reagan destroyed the Unions and sent our manufacturing overseas. The Democratic party never recovered from the loss of money and organizing the Unions provided. They never built another coalition and rely on interest groups pitching their specific issues. The Republicans had the churches but with declining church enrollment all they have is 'hate that guy'. Democrats need to look at everyone getting screwed by this administration and build a lasting coalition. Not just DEI but Farmers, Veterans, workers without healthcare and pensions, the trades, immigrants, etc. Don't write these groups off as lost. Trump gave them someone to blame rather than something to work towards. Dems can fill this vacuum if they just go where the voters are a spell out a simple, focused vision.
Why aren’t you blaming the Republicans in Congress and demanding they resign because they have broken their oath to the Constitution? I get they are terrified of Trump’s maga mob, and it is true they are getting physically threatened frequently, but that is part of their job and they for sure know it. If you can’t stand up for the constitution you should not run. They should resign if they refuse to vote in line with their oath to the Constitution. If enough people demand they resign they will hear this. I don’t understand why they are getting a pass from you, it feels like all of you. They have tricked you into blaming the Democrats, how is that even possible? You are the smart people. If you can be tricked this way what hope do we have? (Also Rubio should have resigned on the spot on Thursday, in front of the press, and walked out.)
Well, let me just note that I've been a loyal straight-ticket Democratic voter since 1976 (now 67 YO), and somehow the Democratic Party's defeatist indifference is not exactly firing my optimism. Jeffries, Schumer, Durbin & all of their "big shrug" non-strategy are obviously NOT equal to this hour of crisis. How much allegiance should I continue to feel for a party that is now just thumbsucking & playing possum?
One thing the Democrats need is a leader who will share some tough love with the base. The means leveling with them that Trump cannot be defeated with no support outside of the bubbles where everyone abhors everything remotely connected with Trump.
Gaining support outside those bubbles requires cutting back on the things they dislike about stereotypical Democrats, such as lax border enforcement, pressuring Israel, and obsessions with DEI. Everything has to be a balance between energizing those who are committed to opposing Trump against how it will affect the decisions of those on the fence about Trump.
"For many, it foreshadows the possibility that the party could be consumed by primary challenges in the 2026 cycle—fueled by anger that leadership isn’t up to the challenge of taking on Trump."
Progressives should challenge the feckless Clinton Democrats and the Democratic leadership isn't up to it, obviously.
Just throwing this out there on all the message boards I can. On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution started at Lexington and Concord with the “shot heard round the world.” April 19, 2025, just 50 days from today, is the 250th anniversary of that momentous event. How powerfully symbolic it would be to see thousands of people marching against our self proclaimed “king.” Is there any plan for a day of protest? How can we make this happen?
I'm disillusioned and disappointed with the Democratic Party. I want them to get up off their butts and fight. Make noise. Hold public meetings. Yet there may be an advantage to laying back awhile to let Trump, Vance, Musk, their lame cabinet, and Republican Congressman screw up so bad that they will disappear as a Party. There are experts out there that know far better than me if that is the best strategy.
What about Elon's Laptop?
I absolutely 100% approve the Dems eating their leadership, like cannibals if need be. A couple of talking heads have it on good authority the Dem Leadership wants to just sit back and watch the GQP shoot themselves in the foot, and like Superman, appear on the scene in 2026 and rescue America. I've seen truly idiotic political takes from Dems over the decades, John Kerry deciding to ignore the Swift Boat ads, because recognizing them gives them credibility. Or Governor Dukakis *not* going hammer and tongs over Willie Horton. But this idea is the worst. We need the Dems to show they have backbone. If need be, they need to adopt some top down leadership ideas. Like NOT GIVING ONE Vote to any Republican initiative. Let the R's own their idiotic budgets. They need to impeach Drumpf. Not talk about it. Not whine about it. Do it! So the Senate sits on it. Who cares. Impeaching DumbBunny Donnie proves the Dems are fighting for America. And if senior dems think Registered Dems are going to reward them with re-election for masturbating in their offices instead of yelling and screaming for America, they better also be ready for unemployment. I'm going to reward courage and vocal opposition, not pin-heads who got too comfortable being party leadership.
I agree with you, Andrew. James Carville's recent Opinion Pieces in the New York Times about how the Democrats should "roll over and play dead" until the American people miss them is ridiculous. Here was my recent response: https://susansommer.substack.com/p/it-will-never-be-time-to-roll-over?r=31znat
Many of the Democrats in power seem to think that success is measured by how much money they raise from grassroots supporters: every calamity caused by Republicans is a fundraising opportunity. I think the strategy should be to destroy the Republican brand by tying every disastrous decision or pronouncement to Republicans not to Trump or Mike Johnson or Musk. It would be more efficient to make the entire Republican brand toxic rather than targeting individual candidates or incumbents. Face it, there is no such thing as a moderate Republican and Trump would be nowhere without Republican officeholders in Washington or in the States going along with every morally bankrupt executive order or Cabinet nominee. Democrats shouldn’t wait until next year or stay in Washington DC with the anti-Republican messaging: Fox News isn’t going to wait until next year and Bernie Sanders, bless him, is already going around the country now: he’s going to be in Michigan next week.
I am not happy with the Democratic Party either but there are a few things the 75,000,000 people (and some of the 90,000,000 voters who didn’t bother to vote) who voted for Kamala Harris could do besides complaining. Stop buying stuff on Amazon, close your Facebook account, put on a winter coat and don’t spend your money in Red states (I’m looking at you snow birds), stop giving your money to companies that fight Unions (Starbucks, Amazon, Tesla, Walmarts, and nonunion auto companies), find alternatives to Google, stop following or looking at X / Twitter, and only spend money on things you absolutely need. If the billionaire class only cares about money, make them care about your money as much as they care about Trump.
Oh my gosh! Democrats in Washington can scream and yell, and lay on the floor kicking their feet, but they are outnumbered…in other words, they have NO POWER. It is up to the voters to vote them in! How uneducated do you need to be to be unable to understand that? I will keep voting for Democrats, mostly because I am not a whiny baby….and I know what the GOP is NOT trying to do for me.
Leaders construct a plan forward that is more than winning the next game. The Republicans have a plan, it's ugly and evil, but it's a plan. Being against ugly and evil is simply an admirable attitude, it's not a plan.
Musk did NOT offer Starlink for free. Free to test it out.
I just sent an email to the Ukrainian embassy to Zelensky. You can as well: emb_us@mfa.gov.ua
Thank you for the address. I just sent a letter of apology and a promise of support.
Thank you for the contact. Will write him. That was such a bullying session.
We need a brand new political party that is moderate-left. The Democrats are a complete disappointment to me in their ineffectiveness, and btw, where are they? They have melted into the background and seem to be doing nothing to fight fascism. I feel completely abandoned by these people who I have voted for my entire life. I'm very close to swearing that I'm done with them. I would never in a million years vote for a Republican, so that means I'm left with no party and maybe that's a good thing.
Zelenskyy very nearly held his own today and I'm proud of him. I'm ashamed of my country, of the media, and of the Democratic Party. Today I wish I was a Ukrainian.
Creating a new political party is such a huge undertaking that it would be pretty close to impossible to succeed at doing so. More likely would be making changes in the Democratic party.
It's happened before; the history of the party has been marked by battles for control, e.g., during the civil rights and Vietnam war years. The process can be quite messy and the work is effectively never done.
I agree, although I think that the new party we need should be moderate-right. And I'm increasingly frustrated with people like Adam Kinzinger, Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, Larry Hogan, Charlie Baker, and the others who may be doing good work as individuals but would do much better work by starting to pull such a party together.
Bernie seems to be doing a pretty good job of getting a message out.