Where Are the Democrats? Silent While Democracy Burns.

Your average DLer still supports this type of Dem. They refuse to acknowledge that life sucks for the working class or the poor. They refuse to acknowledge that this is why Democrats lose. They refuse to acknowledge the deep inadequacy of their proposed solutions. They refuse to retire.

Yeah, but from what I’ve seen lately, it doesn’t look like the Democrats lost at all. Trump himself has admitted multiple times that the election was rigged in his favor. I’m just wondering if any of this is even being investigated now that the FBI is stacked with Trump loyalists.

R2 We knew they cheated in Obama 2012, the Dems continual tolerance of Republican crime is part of this problem.

R3 Obama won both the popular and electoral vote by a solid margin. If anything, it’s the GOP that’s been more openly undermining democracy in recent years.

R4 Yes, but they still attempted to rig election machines. Didn’t Karl Rove storm off fox news in a panic? Tolerating that just because we won was a mistake. I think we’re really looking at over a decade of failed oversight and failed enforcement.

All the energy in the Democratic party is coming from the rank and file, the ones joining the rallies and protests. The leadership is still too attached to consultants and generally to the interests of the (rich) establishment. I think part of it is that we still need to flush out the generation that was spooked by 1972 and 1984 into turning "Republican lite" when they should be leaning on popular support for Democratic policies (look at the polls). Okay, not all of them are like that, the leadership is far too timid and mistakes energy for extremism.

OP = La Belle Hogg

Depending on who is counting... there were between 5 and 11 million on the streets Saturday protesting. "The Dems are ... weak, confused, silent, ineffective...etc. etc." is just something in the shape of a self-fulfilling prophecy. And also so Jan 2025, dated. The future is coming. Get ready for a struggle.

There are fuckers today out in the streets trying to save democracy . I’d love to know what % of these street warriors decided not to vote for Harris? Did not vote at all?

More than a few would be my guess,

Undoubtedly true, r9. However, it is time to look to the future and encourage these folks to participate next time.

It also must be said that a lot of the articles in the NYT etc. about how Dems are demoralized and baffled turn out to be quoting just a few consultants and Third Way people. They'd probably dig up Joe Lieberman and get his opinion if they could.

R10 Yes indeed well said we should encourage more. Because adults who don’t vote but will take to the streets for a dust up may just need better encouragement to vote

For 2028 the call should be for more encouragement.

Yes, r12, it should be.

They are lazily waiting for mid-terms.

They need to be creating a shadow government.

We need to flush out the Democrats holding onto power in Congress. They need to be primaried, and replaced with fresher, younger people who are more in tune with what is going on in the country.

The party needs to come together for once; there has been too much bickering and trying to be the majority voice in the party, leading to a weak front together. This has been going on for decades. I remember how fractured the party was in 1968.

R13 I think we should assume that adults that don’t vote , even with Trump on the ballot, most likely most won’t vote. Even if encouraged, That is where the smart money should be,

Did Harris Walz forget to encourage voters?

I think this is part of the Dem strategy, much as I hate it and disagree with it. They are following the James Carville playbook — since they have no actual voting power, they are letting Trump and the Repugs dig themselves deeper amd deeper into unpopularity.

I think they are banking and planning (I hope) on retaking the House and Senate and are thinking they will move swiftly once that happens, maybe even instituting impeachment proceedings, knowing that will enrage Trump, especially if this time some Republicans feel emboldened enough to vote to impeach. By that time the Republicans may be willing to do triage on their wounded-and-bleeding party, and start to vote down the most right wing extremist stuff.

That’s no reason to be so silent and passive now, but I do think it’s deliberate even if I disagree with it.

Dems have never been disciplined enough to have one message.

The GOP is expert at that. No matter how stupid the message is. They all stick to it like glue

Dems are too busy holding on to their offices to do much else.

Nancy Pelosi might need to take Hakeem Jeffries out back and remind him how leadership actually works.

Democrats acting weak and ineffective as a plan of attack . Not because they are weak and ineffective but because it’s a plan,.

Thanks I feel better already R17.

Elizabeth Warren would be a stronger choice as Senate Majority Leader.

It is time for a new party. How does one begin afresh. The problem thought is the parties that are team R and D have monopolized the position.

R1 is correct. Note literally any mention of AOC here that triggers responses from authenticated users, not trolls, that could be lifted straight from Fox News. The average DLer is a white midwesterner in their late fifties-early sixties, usually a retiree at that age, who watches CNN 24/7. They have zero context for anything outside of their limited experiences.

[quote] The party needs to come together for once;

But come together around what? That is what always seems to be missing from these discussions. It's always some vague hope for unity but never unity around any particular policy or set of policies or ideas or anything else. Just millions of people marching together for no particular reason whatsoever.

I think we need a full on Fuck the Rich campaign, starting now. Take this Big Boneheaded Bill and shove it up their stupid ridiculous asses. Say that whatever pretense Trump used to make about being some new populist Republican who only wants to fuck over furriners and never working class white people is obviously a huge crock of shit. And then push for the opposite: much higher taxes on the rich, to fund an actual expansion of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, on the way toward a true, national health care policy. Also for every asshole whining about the national debt, a wealth tax specifically designed to pay down the debt itself, year after year after year.

Not all of the Dems are staying silent. Some were at No King protests. Back in February or March, many congressional Democrats were trying to get access to government buildings and were being turned away by the DOGE assholes. Democratic congresspeople and senators introduced bills in opposition to Trump and Musk.

One of the issues is that the media doesn't have the bandwidth/resources to report on what every single Dem in Congress and Senate are doing in opposition to Trump.

The only Dem the media cares to regularly report on is AOC. The media doesn't have a fuck about most Democratic congresspeople because most of them aren't a "cool kid" like AOC is.

The Congresswomen in the Democratic Women Congressional caucus work their asses off, but since most of them are nerdy looking (Hillary Scholten) or odd looking (Maxine Dexter, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Rosa DeLauro), the media ignores them because none of them have the "cool Dem kid" look of AOC.

R24 and we tend to be wrong about everything dealing with presidential elections. If there is any hope it’s never going to be found on the likes of DL. JHC we banned or give time outs to people on DL who just claimed the vote was going to be close. How incredibly stupid.

But no matter what happens in 2028 Walz s chances are now dead. Actually shot dead.

[quote]Take this Big Boneheaded Bill and shove it up their stupid ridiculous asses.

How exactly do we do that, r25?

[quote]And then push for the opposite: much higher taxes on the rich, to fund an actual expansion of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, on the way toward a true, national health care policy

The current Democratic party is comprised overwhelmingly of politicians who are funded by the health insurance industry. It's the reason why we've never had comprehensive healthcare legislation or a national health care service for all. What you describe is basically Medicare for All, a popular notion with Democratic voters that the overwhelming majority of national Democratic politicians reject.

r28 By stressing constantly what the Republicans are voting for, not playing any subtle games, through advertising, on talk shows, with a united Fuck the Rich message. Don't sugarcoat, don't moderate it, for fuck's sake don't reach out to any motherfucking Republicans (in office, obviously voters are different but only if they aren't whores for the rich and Trump) and don't agonize about whether some fucking donor will have a shit fit and then not provide completely useless donations that will fund a nothing message that nobody cares about. Be an anti-rich fuckers party clearly and concisely, using all the messaging tools that people supposedly are paid large amounts of money to come up with.

They ARE a rich fuckers party, though.

[quote]However, it is time to look to the future and encourage these folks to participate next time.

HUH?

"Encourage" them?? WTF do you think Democrats have been doing since 1976? Encourage them? What are they, delicate Millennials or responsible American citizens? You just fucking VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION! There are NO excuses to ever not vote, which I hope even the dumbest of the left see now!

Democrats are a useless political party because they serve the same corporate oligarchy as the GOP. They just go about it more quietly and with more performative shows of support for popular social causes and the marginalized sectors of the population. We should all be aware of this by now unless you're one of those still repressing that bitter realization from dawning on your slow brain. I saw so many delusional people posting during the massive protests shit like, "maybe if this many people actually showed up to vote..." What a pathetic joke. How about the Democratic party stop putting up decrepit fossils and corporate-owned candidates as the only other option to the lunatic GOP? Centrist Dems have been hypnotized into believing that all they need to do is appear to be a kinder, gentler center-right option to win an election. And THAT is exactly why more and more people are sitting out elections in the millions. They're not playing the lesser of two evils game anymore. Don't like how everything has gotten worse or collapsed? Better toughen up, then. The corporate status quo Democrats have decided, repeatedly, to remain corporate status quo and continue to force those lackluster, stagnant options on the rest of us. No thanks and fuck the Democratic Party.

R1 - exactly. Pattern-recognition is desperately needed by those still unashamed to call themselves Democrats.

We need another "Rock the Vote" type movement that was popular in the 90s.

R20 - get real. Nancy Pelosi needs to have retired about 20 years ago. The delusional way the Democratic loyalists keep her on a pedestal is mind-boggling. She could be a fucking poster child for the Status Quo is the Only Way to Go corporate Democrat mentality. So many of you act like she's some crafty Machiavellian genius - it's pitiful. She's a fucking old lady who makes a lot of money in her current role and clings to it like a dog with a favorite chew toy. She also actively ignores/suppresses younger, fresher candidates from having a chance because they need to "wait their turn." Fuck her sideways. Kinda hard for younger, fresher candidates to have a "turn" when the fucking ancient goons like Pelosi continue to hang onto their positions, including many who are barely there due to severely diminished mental capacities (see, Dianne Feinstein).

R2. = Cleopatra, Queen of Denial 🙄

This is what you idiots. support?

Every day the mask is coming off and more and more Americans are seeing Democrats for what they really are --. un-.American and anti-.USA.

You are NOT the good guys!

Pelosi, the Anna Wintour of the House of Representatives.

If this past weekend didn't Illuminate the divide between Democrat Party leadership and rank-and-file, I don't know what will. Rank-and-file were on the streets protesting; leadership was at a society wedding in the Hamptons.

I fear I'm one of the DLers that OP/R1 writes about. I've been a strong party supporter... well, all my life and I'm 60. If it will make OP (and everyone) feel any better, I'm done with the Democratic Party. The reaction of the party to Trump's victory (which is looking more and more like it was just outright stolen) has been less than lackluster. Not a single Democrat... wait, one did step forward to take on the GOP and the calcified DNC, so they promptly kicked him out of his leadership role, and yes, I'm referencing David Hogg. But just the fact that we here at DL have nicknamed him "La Belle" tells you everything you need to know. It's time to end the circular firing squad every time someone other than a pacifist centrist steps forward.

But here's what I'll say: this past weekend was the first glimmer of hope that all is not lost to Trump and his fascist administration and boot-licking supporters. We stood up. We were unafraid. We showed what a resistance can do in the face of totalitarian threats. Trump and his Gestapo saw it, too. He pouted through his entire parade, and retreated to Truth Salad to rake muck. They're so pissed off that the No Kings demonstrations so outshone TrumptyDumpty's birthday parade-in-fatigues that they're unleashing ICE on New York, Chicago, and Washington DC in the coming days. Sad sack of dogshit Kristi Noem participated in a home invasion in California this morning to make the point: they're not going anywhere.

Yeah, it would be nice if the DNC could provide leadership during this time of crisis. They can't. They won't. The politicians of Nancy Pelosi/Chuck Schumer's era are not capable of responding in this moment. Frankly, we should be happy they spent the afternoon on George Soros' South Hampton estate sipping gin and tonics rather than fucking up the protests with their out of date rhetoric and calls for calm and reason. We tried calm and reason when we let Merrick Garland sit on his hands for 2.5 years instead of prosecuting Trump and the J6 leadership, and it gave us Trump 2.0 and fascism.

So where are the Democrats, as OP asks? On the streets, metaphorically fighting. Pay attention to them and not the decrepit "leadership" failing to make a cogent point, let alone lifting a finger to stop the complete loss of democracy in America.

R35 = Tabitha Soren.

This surprised me:

Trump's first term from Jan. 1, 2017 - May 31, 2017: 4,641 protests

Trump's second term from Jan. 1, 2025 - May 31, 2025: 14,713 protests

And this was before the No Kings protests.

Americans are not taking the imperial presidency sitting down.

Schumer is starting to look like an old reptile who needs retire to Boca Raton. He has zero charisma, and he is not a person who inspires or stimulates others to take action. He actually makes me sleepy when I look at him. Please retire Chuckles, bye bye.

Because DNC only care about $$$ and not offending mega donors. Harris raised ONE BILLION DOLLARS and lost. To them it's all about revenue streams not democracy. Citzens United ruling killed democracy in America.

Democrats are leaderless and directionless at a time when they could really make gains. The only person who can save the Democratic Party's hopes is Trump.

Okay, a lot of the posts here have shifted from blasting the useless, corporate-sucking Dem leaders to trashing the whole party as just as bad as the Republicans. Sorry, that's stealth MAGA. At least R39's last paragraph gets it right.

Looks like Obama finally got off the basketball court and had something to say but did he do enough by encouraging the wealthy of the Dem party to forgo the remodeling of their kitchens to be more outspoken against Trump. Hmmm.

Already beaten very badly 0-3, now Leaderless, directionless, and depending on Trump to save them ? Nothing defines a loser more than that. If so R46 why are they worth saving ?

“ Vote for the Democrats we are not the worst”

Sorry R45 instead

R47, flushing out the current leadership (and their thinking) doesn't require scrapping the whole party: we are the party. Do you propose we start a new party from scratch, or just not vote? That's stealth MAGA (as your Trumpoid erratic capitalization and "beaten very badly 0-3" reveals you to be).

It’s a simple answer, easy as ABC.

No big donors = no clear marching orders = weak leadership

I will bet that’s the quiet crisis going on. Kamala losing after spending a billion definitely has it’s consequences for future donors and fundraising for Democrats.

No donor momentum → no bold action → no voter energy → even less donor interest. It’s a downward spiral unless they change the game.

R49 and you think stating the obvious that Harris Walz lost all 7 battle ground states, plus the Congress, plus the White House , somehow says something about me?

It does it says my money and my vote did absolutely shit for a currently shit leaderless party.

JHC the biggest losers are those so happy because the democrats lost the popular vote but ITO that’s not bad because they kept it close.

That is like Sunny Liston bragging the results against Clay were not as bad as they looked.

Trump won votes from Independents and others apart from his racist, sexist, isolationist, conspiracy-loving base because Joe Biden sought a second term. All of us saw what Biden was like when he debated Trump. At the eleventh hour. Biden bowed out. Kamala Harris -- a weak candidate because she could not connect with voters and had a hard time defining a message of why people should have voted for her -- was foisted upon us as the anointed candidate. Biden should have announced he would not seek a second term in 2021 or 2022 at the latest. There should have been primaries.

Blame Biden...his vanity, his wife, his family, and his aides. Democrats lost BIG Time in 2024. They are powerless to do anything right now. Filibustering by the closeted NJ senator accomplished nothing. Getting arrested at Gestapo news conferences and barging into detention centers accomplish nothing.

Get a message that will appeal to the pocket books of Americans. Drive that message home and win elections based on that message.

R52 Your message/analysis is tired and dated. There were more people on the streets last Saturday than in any single day protest in American history. The future is here. Refresh your analysis.

R53 " tired and dated." is R52 's middle name as she's a Brit Git who thinks this is dynamic 21st century leadership....

“The future is here” according to DL

The GOP is in complete power and Democrats are in the streets protesting.

[quote]Kamala Harris -- a weak candidate because she could not connect with voters and had a hard time defining a message of why people should have voted for her -- was foisted upon us as the anointed candidate.

If you ever spent time amongst the hoi polloi, you would know there was nothing Kamala could have done to win that election.

She is a black woman, and that in and of itself lost her the election.

R53, my analysis still stands. Those were the people NOT the Democratic leadership. The Democrats need to harness that power with a message.

Democrats appointed someone to head the ticket who was never able to win a democratic primary then they blame the voters when the appointed ones goes on to lose.

A senator who was an actual decorated war vet might have been a better choice for President or at least for VP. But nope they went for someone as VP who could be attacked effectively with tampons.

Soft and sensitive and illegal immigrant and trans supporting was not what the public was looking for in 2024. And thus the results.

[Quote] Your average DLer still supports this type of Dem. They refuse to acknowledge that life sucks for the working class or the poor. They refuse to acknowledge that this is why Democrats lose.

Another “progressive” pretending they invented the key tenets of the Dem party and didn’t alienate voters with their purity tests and buffoonery.

The Democratic Party leadership all need to go and be replaced with politicians who are equipped to face head on (not head in sand), effectively communicate and operate in the political climate we are now in. Most importantly they need to know how to communicate as one. The left is at least a decade behind the right in this. The old political era of working with the other side and compromise and negotiation is gone and it won't return for some time - if ever.

People who have to go include Schumer, Jefferies et al and also every single one of the Democratic Party political advisors and political analysts. All the "old guard". They are all heavy baggage and until they are gone the Democratic Party wont stand a chance. If they won't retire or resign of their own free will - then they need to be pushed out or fired. I'm not a particular fan of Hogg but I think that's why the DNC got rid of him because he was trying to get the ball rolling on this. But this just has to be done. Focussing on anything else is pointless. The Democratic Party is at a real low point and I don't think a blue wave in 2026 is guaranteed even as bad as Trump is. We have one more chance to save the US in 2028 and if the Dems don't win then it will be too late to try to fix things in 2032. It will be gone.

r53 Democrats have to stop confusing performance art with accomplishing anything. These demonstrations are mere preaching to the choir so that everyone can go home afterwards falsely feeling good about themselves for supposedly saving Democracy by standing in a park holding a sign and yelling for an hour. Then they spend the next four years doing nothing but sitting around sipping their sun tea and bitching to each other about MAGAs. r57 is right: The leadership needs to harness that power with a message; otherwise, these antics have about as much lasting effect as a Feifferish "Dance to Democracy."

R61 Time will tell, Pookie. Time will tell.

R57 re- post entirely in CAPs we'll then agree with you GRAN

They’re busy fiddlin’ like motherfuckers.

I wish Pete Buttigieg would speak out more forcefully. He's not an elected official right now, but he can answer Republican lunacy with concrete, well thought out responses. He's been on Fox News twice in his career, and he was given a standing ovation by the Fox studio audience at the end of the broadcast both times. He's probably mulling a White House run, and may be reserved for now. He needs to stand up right now, when we need him. We need reason in our party.

[quote]If you ever spent time amongst the hoi polloi, you would know there was nothing Kamala could have done to win that election. She is a black woman, and that in and of itself lost her the election.

The Dems have been telling us for years that the US is a racist and misogynistic country.

So what do they do? They choose a black woman to run for President!

Buttigieg is good on cable talk shows. But obviously, winning presidential debates no longer matters. What else does he have to offer? Running a large bureaucracy? Kash Patel is doing that. RFK Jr is doing that. Anyone can do it, it seems.

There's a very large gap between running a large bureaucracy and running a large bureaucracy well, R67.

Pete proved himself.as a capable administrator.

Your idols like Patel, RFK II, Hegseth, Patel Gabbard, Noem, and all the other useless pustules in the Trump cabinet have not been in office long enough to render an opinion. But the prognoses of any of these morons achieving any stellar performance ratings is highly doubtful based on their first few months in office, not to mention they were appointed by another jack ass just like them, Donald Trump.

Re Kamala & sexism/racism… Explain how Kamala got to be first ever female VP then.

If Dems would listen to what the voters they hemorrhage (including Black men and Latinos) actually say instead of using every opportunity to write everything off as hate, they’d learn that voters thought Dems were too focused on idealogical policing rather than kitchen-table issues.

Of course many Americans are small minded. But we did have people who once voted for President Obama flipping to GOP.

We need an unembarrassed, unencumbered Fuck the Rich campaign. And Trump and the Trump Cult make that easy. This is far and away the most corrupt, mobsterish government in U.S. history. Everyone is there to steal, starting of course with Trump and his family. Sometimes it's actually about stealing data, as Elon and Doge were all about, but it is always about stealing. And when they do bother to try actual governing, you wind up with a Big Billionaires Bill which is all about shoveling money into the ever gaping maw of the super rich and fucking over everybody else.

Be clear about that, be blunt about that, and offer an alternative: the rich have gorged, it is time for them to disgorge. You worried about the deficit? start by doubling taxes on the rich, also ramp up auditing and everything else that extracts stolen money. But whatever specific tactics, the overall strategy is clear: fuck the rich and stop always putting their fucking needs and whims at the center of government.

[quote]Explain how Kamala got to be first ever female VP then.

Um, she wasn't [italic]elected[/italic] VP.

Just sayin'.

R68, it looks like Mayor Pete was shitting the bed with his large bureaucracy, based on air safety. And I don’t actually like Kash Patel or RFK. My point was that traditional, conventional, establishment political skills seem useless right now. Pete is a dinosaur.

"The ignorance here is unbelieveable."

So is your spelling, And so is your ignorance, moron.

Kamala Harris WAS ELECTED the first female vice-president on November 7, 2020.

It's not the ignorance, it's the indifference. As long as people are arguing about whether or not Kamala was or was not too black to win, they are not coming up with any actual, future, effective message. That's what people seem weirdly indifferent about. Let's just gas on about what Biden should or shouldn't have done in early 2024. To ask Hillary's question, at this point what possible difference does it make?

R74 an effective message? Is that the same as popular messages?

No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no nuke bomb for Iran, $1000 investment account for every newborn American baby, no boys in girls sports, no men in women’s sports, the end of DEI

You can argue against these as public policy but there is no getting around that right now a lot of people will think those are pretty great ideas, let’s call them potential voters 2028.

The same way many former college students ( not everyone with debt just some with college debt ) were given relief by Biden and liked that give away.

Democrat John Fetterman is speaking out!

Cuomo, if he wins NYC mayoral race, will hopefully be a tough on crime, anti-woke, moderate who will appeal to a broader coalition of working-class Democrats and Republicans and run for POTUS and have the ability to talk to the moderates of both parties to win the electoral college map. He has no other choice if he wants to win.

Back to the OP.

The Democrats are IMPOTENT, POWERLESS because Murdoch/Fox/Marketing/Analytics got Trump elected and Republicans an elected majority in the Senate and the House.

There is nothing that Democrats can do but squawk if Republicans exploit their one vote majority in the House with a Senate where Republicans are more bloodthirsty.

They are letting Rich Republicans tell MAGA poors how worthless they are. They are letting Rich Republicans close hundreds of rural hospitals and kick millions of MAGA off of healthcare, and actually take the food out of their mouths by killing SNAP. The only thing Democrats can say is that elections have consequences and this is what you voted for.

I am seeing some journalists actually pointing the finger at Murdoch/Fox/Marketing/Analytics ans split-screening the propaganda blow job they are doing to cover their ass. They are giving MAGA a Murdoch/Fox/Marketing/Analytics scapegoat.

we no longer have public servants. we have an industry now of selfish hollow vessels performing for money. no one is coming to save us.

What we need is another strongly worded letter.

Sorry, but we still have elected Democrats.

[quote] $1000 investment account for every newborn American baby

Why stop there? Universal Basic Income for all Americans, paid by taxing the rich. Should be pretty popular. Also, arrest corrupt rich cunts who are stealing everything in sight and cheating on billions of taxes owed.

The tragic truth is we may just need to save ourselves r79.

Cuomo shouldn't bother if he's just going to be another whore for the rich r77. No amount of hating the trans and the "woke" is going to satisfy people who are sick of being ripped off by every rich fucker in the country, and their whores in Washington D.C.

The fate of our democracy depends upon proudly holding up paddles! Take [italic]that[/italic], Republicans!

Maybe Chuck Schumer can send a letter to Maria. 🙄

R65 R67 Buttigieg has been very visible and effective on podcast/streaming sites. And posting, directly and strongly calling "bullshit" on a lot of the MAGA workplan.

I suspect a lot of DL's older demographic aren't very connected to the media where 2026 is going to be fought.

R67, I may be part of "DL's older demographic," but I'm connected. Not that I listen to podcasts or subscribe to Substack, but I stay informed. Unfortunately, many no longer do that, whatever their demographic..

While we’re kicking out the old and ineffective, make sure we include Bernie Sanders. The old blowhard scold couldn’t even write a complete bill for his vaunted Medicare for All plan. His bill spelled out all of the benefits he desired, but never included a funding mechanism.

There were a lot of us out on Saturday. We’ll start taking the reins from these guys before they let them kill us.

R90. Could you explain what that exactly means with some specifics. It reads like a DL bumper sticker not an actual plan,.

[quote]Where are the Democrats?

They’re still working on a plan to fuck up 2026. What will they double down on this time? Trans kids? Pronouns? Wokeness? Black victimhood?

[quote]It reads like a DL bumper sticker not an actual plan

For a VERY large bumper.

It is maddening. Most of them are truly failing to meet the moment. Ken Martin especially (chair of the DNC).

R17 I know someone on the Hill who works for a Dem and unfortunately from what I have heard I don’t think there is a comprehensive master plan. Keep pushing your dems for more action they really do pay attention to calls especially.

R95, there's so much dismayed "buzz" coming out to that effect. It doesn't bode well for 2026.

In the absence of strong leadership from the top, each House Dem and Senate Dem would be wise to save their own neck and double down, triple down on 'home turf' connections, showing up, etc. Teddy Kennedy back in MA where I'm from was the KING of always showing up, putting in the local and regional time and footwork. He was seemingly everywhere... and had PR people making sure it was known that he was showing up, that he cared about his constituents, especially on anything that had the potential to hurt or harm the local economy at large. For a Brahmin, Teddy K knew a ton of detail about the New England fishing industry. That kind of thing. It can make all the difference. A growing attack line on AOC here in New York City is that she's so keen on 'going national' that she is neglecting her constituents.

Ugh, depressing r96, well not the part about needing to spend time with constituents, which of course they should. And that alone might get some of the Dems to stop dicking around and maybe give a shit about the growing fascism and the relentless stealing by the already rich, cause their constituents certainly do.

I'm so tired of this "What are Democrats doing?" - a LOT - you're just not paying attention. They don't have control in Congress.

It's blaming Democrats for not stopping Republicans - instead of blaming Republicans for this constant illegal bullshit.

You should have gotten off your fucking asses and voted - but no, Dems didn't turn out in 2024 in the numbers they did in 2020.

Dems are dealing with a party of liars, cheaters, manipulators who say one thing and do another. You can NOT trust them - we cannot work across the aisle, because they refuse to do so.

Just shut the hell up and get out and vote.

It is hard to have a Master Plan when each day the game changes. What is happening with Ice in California is over the top. And the Judges keep giving in to Trump. Blatant stuff is happening. Congress can’t get in to see the migrants that have been rounded up. Now they are saying that congressmen/women have to give 72 Hours notice to see them and STILL can be turned away. They can just start shooting and killing each day’s round ups and disposing of them and who would know? A Alex Padilla and the guy from New York get shackled and thrown to the ground and NO Republican senators say “That’s Enough!” …. The murders in Minnesota and the republicans make jokes and conspiracy theories. Terry Moran puts out a tweet about Miller and Trump and ABC fires him after 28 years? …..HOW do democrats fight this insanity?

From John Hopkins:

To Every Democrat in Elected Office: This Isn’t a Memo. It’s a Call-Up Notice. Let me save you the guesswork. This is going to sting. But, and with all due respect… if you're in a leadership seat and swore an oath to protect and defend this democracy…then sit down…shut up… and listen—because the time for soft-shoe statements and ribbon-cutting courage is over.

You say you support the military. Great. Then let me give you a reminder of what real sacrifice looks like. There are Americans—Medal of Honor recipients—who’ve thrown themselves on live grenades to protect others. Who’ve run headfirst into machine-gun fire just to drag a bleeding soldier 15 feet back to cover.

These weren’t gestures. These weren’t well-timed press conferences. They were instinctual acts of unflinching commitment. The total and complete commitment behind this kind of action is what this moment demands from you.

Because here’s the hard truth: you're not matching the intensity of the crisis. Right now, America doesn’t need more panel appearances. It needs legal warfare. Lawsuits. Filings. Challenges. Nonstop political combat.

But what do we see? Mostly posturing. Speeches. Carefully scripted outrage wrapped in donor-tested language. That’s not grit. That’s brand maintenance.

People like to defend you. I hear it all the time—"What else do you want them to do?!" My answer? Every. Goddamn. Thing. Every legal tool. Every procedural move. Every unconventional tactic. All of it.

That’s what war looks like. And make no mistake—we are in one. You were not elected to be celebrities. You were elected to serve. To fight. And maybe you never thought you’d be on the front lines of a democratic collapse—but you are.

You’re in it. Which means you don’t get to opt out. You don’t get to weigh the polls and decide whether defending liberty is good for your re-election prospects.

You get to decide whether you’re going to rise like the soldiers you say you admire—or fold like a press release under pressure.

So here’s your assignment: channel the resolve of those who gave everything on foreign soil and meet this moment with matching intensity. Stop asking what’s safe. Ask what’s necessary.

Because if you're not prepared to do that, you don’t deserve the seat you're sitting in.

Respectfully,

Jack Jacl Hopkins

*sorry, I meant JACK Hopkins

Bravo R100! I’m going to save, add my two cents, and send to every Democrat who begs me for money(a lot) without doing anything to earn it. We are way past politics as usual here. Way past. We are in the middle of a fascist take over. The midterms, if held, may be too late. DO SOMETHING! I certainly have, as I don’t want to lose my country.

We need a more centrist AOC to spring out of somewhere and capture the nation's attention.

Should I call Chuck Schumer or that Ken whatever worthless pussy cupcake to give them a piece of my mind? Fucking pussies

They’re busy defending “trans kids.”

It’s Johns Hopkins for the educated. John Hopkins for the rest, or Jack in the case of DL.

Nothing makes more sense than to compare draft dogging service evading Trump like military avoiders like the majority of a certain site to MoH awardees who jumped on a frag to save team mates.

They are still debating which pronouns to use after their signatures on strongly worded letters.

[quote] It’s Johns Hopkins for the educated. John Hopkins for the rest, or Jack in the case of DL. Nothing makes more sense than to compare draft dogging service evading Trump

You have a lot of nerve, R106, giving people shit about incorrect references to Johns Hopkins when you can't even spell draft [bold]dodging.[/bold]

r105, stop with the trans kids, they are defending parents rights of citizens.

I remember when it was the filthy ass fuckers.

It is a war to create second class citizens.

We already have second class citizens: ask any woman.

r110, do not be a dumbass. Anybody who is not a white evangelical male is a second-class citizen.

THEY are the people we beg to give us our rights.

Women, Blacks, Latinos, LGBT+, legal immigrants ARE all Second-class Citizens according to the Children of the Plantation owners and let me add one class that whites do not understand...POOR WHITES. They understand the poors, but not poor whites.

[quote]let me add one class that whites do not understand...POOR WHITES. They understand the poors, but not poor whites.

Don't even think about saying this about me.

Better yet -- come and hang out with me here in Deplorable Haven, FL!! I dare you. Seriously.

And women have [italic]always[/italic] been second class citizens, since the beginning of time.

r112, how much of a poor dumbass do you have to be, to exert white privilege over being poor?

Dems are too busy arguing over which group has it worse, rather than uniting to fight the cause - The Republicans. Stupid in-fighting will result in defeat.

^Sorry " worst"

[quote] We need a more centrist AOC to spring out of somewhere and capture the nation's attention

If Haley Stevens didn't have that very think Michigan accent(it's thicker than Whitmer's accent) or those weird physical mannerisms (I suspect she has a mild form of cerebral palsy), she could be a centrist version of AOC. Stevens has a humble and down to earth attitude and understands working class people because her dad was a school teacher and her parents owned small businesses.

It's comes back to appearances and mannerisms, many people write Stevens off as a kooky Midwestern woman.

R114 And MAGA never, ever separates people into groups and names their relative merits.

R117, but when summoned, Republicans stand together. Think about how many Dems stayed home in 2024 because they were offended by something or didn't think there was something in it for them or their group.

Oh well there goes my , the Dems would have done better if the turn out had been higher. The Dems were back stabbed by their lazy non caring non voters.

The Pew research folks say nope.

Their analysis shows that with a higher turnout out Harris Walz would have lost to Trump by a larger amount.

And over 50% of foreign born Hispanics voted for Trump. The % of support from traditional Democratic supporters seems to be heading in the wrong fucking direction.

If Trump Vance come out strongly for gay marriage as settled law the democrats might never win another election ever,

It’s Jasmine, and AOC, and Mamdani. They’re the future of the Party.

All Social Democrats/Democratic Socialists.

It is the only counter to the overwhelming and cash power of Republican Capitalists.

11% of the country identifies as progressive

19% of the country identifies as far right.

And in other news those who beat the snot out of Harris 0-3 while winning all 7 battleground states were just handed another big win by the Supreme Court. The lower courts will be a lesser Trump problem.

Winning means you get to run the fucking country, make the laws and decisions you want, and appoint the SC justices you also want.

Losers protest complain whine and hope for better days,, But on the good side the losers did not compromise any significant values or enlist voters they did not totally agree with.

Democratic Socialists and other fauxgressives have BEVER accomplished anything, other than to destroy Hillary Clinton and sour young people from voting.

They are never asked about what they've ever achieved but instead launch into tired diatribes about how everyone but them is corrupt.

Honestly, what has Bernie Sanders done since 2016 other than get Trump in office and enrich himself? NOTHING!

DSA candidates need to be blocked from Democratic Party primary election lines and run their own party's race. They're not Democrats, just ask them.

Yeah, let’s stick with the old losers!

R119 A lot of Spanish people of color voted Trump. Not a majority but way more than typical. Pollsters underestimated them and their population has increased. Then it was the man problem.

R119 One more thing I’ll add, I knew something was up when many kept saying Harris may win the electoral vote but not the popular. That doesn’t make sense for a Dem. No one has still been able to accurately explain how that’s possible. Cause it ain’t.

[quote]A lot of Spanish people of color voted Trump.

Good. Now they can get deported like they voted for.

Harris lost because of the “Tranny surgeries for prisoners!” commercials. Nobody supports that. And that’s it.

R129 My dear, everyone who voted is a US citizen unless it’s true what the republicans be saying about Dems allowing non citizens to vote. I don’t think the latter is true, I’m guessing you do.

Trump is deporting US citizens.

R132 care to name them?

[quote] Democratic Socialists and other fauxgressives have BEVER accomplished anything, other than to destroy Hillary Clinton and sour young people from voting.

Democratic Socialists are cultists like MAGA Republicans.

MAGA Republicans think that Trump can do no wrong and Democratic Socialists think that their precious Bernie, AOC, and Jasmine Crockett can do no wrong.

Still fucking that tired old chicken, R130? I was sure you MAGAts have moved onto something else equally stupid by now.

R130 A lot of the poll data suggests she lost Pennsylvania for that very reason.

r130, another Fox/Marketing Analytics move.

THEY'RE EATING THE DOGS!

Support Ranked Choice Voting initiatives and that will lead to people being able to re-engage and vote FOR things. It'll also eventually lead to new parties (we wouldn't have to stick with the feckless Dems), doing away with the electoral college, and getting us out of this bullshit system we have now. That is, if the Republicans don't completely loot the treasury by then.

R138 Yep. If we actually get out of this era of crooks and dumb bullies, a complete revision of American elections will be in order. Term limits, ranked voting, elections lasting for several days, national election a holiday, national impartial redistricting... etc.

The current system is broken.

"Feckless" only describes those devoted to career DO-NOTHINGS like Bernie and AOC who mostly just raise millions to get themselves re-elected and their names in the media. What responsibilities do they have? None!

I used to be a short order cook at a diner and I had REAL responsibilities, AND I had to learn to work WITH my fellow employees and stick to very challenging timelines to crank out the meals! I actually SERVED THE PEOPLE and when I screwed up I HEARD ABOUT IT!

R127 what I said was that the majority of foreign born Hispanics voted for Trump over Biden, And that is an accurate statement,

And no one I ever read said that Harris might win the EC but lose the popular vote. We did not play around this time we lost them both, The Dems are no longer the majority party.

If the democrat party was a horse someone would be looking for a way to put it out of its misery

I think Democrats are more passive, Type B people. They don't anger easily, and they're too polite to raise their voice and play dirty.

I think it's fascinating that so many people on this thread have written Democrats off completely- while ignoring the current polls, which have Trump at approval ratings in the 30's and low 40's and feel his policies on many issues are damaging the country In fact, Democratic policies are supported by a majority of people when looked at issue by issue. The problem is that the Democrats don't stay on message and don't present their values in a slick way. The Republicans go to special conferences in posh resorts all the time to work out their messaging and to make sure that each representative knows exactly what the talking points are. Has anyone heard about Democrats doing something similar?

R142 not always throughout history. At one time the left was seen as the bad ass tough guys. Look at the 1930s look at the 1960s.

Today’s left is more talk often arguing and attacking and FF ing fellow Dems. We are now the soft, the sensitive, the easily triggered.

Dylan M is more a left icon now than a 1930s era coal miner or factory worker was back in the day.

There are reasons lots of reasons why Harris Walz got skunked.

r140, you seem like a jealous MAGAT

R143 I (who have been one of those on DL defending Dems and calling out the relentlessly teeth-gnashing of the "Dems are feckless" posters) do think that a "third way" might emerge. As is the usual operations of the American political system, the independent movements are usually absorbed into the identity and banner of one of the two parties. Just as MAGA swallowed/was swallowed by Repubs. In short, I think folks are underestimating a left-oriented populist movement: it will not focus on identity, rather be branded as "the system is rigged for the elite."

The template isn't Bernie or AOC (although AOC would benefit and be aligned to such a reformation)... but the template is the independent Dan Osborn who ran against "the system" in Nebraska.

[quote]I think it's fascinating that so many people on this thread have written Democrats off completely- while ignoring the current polls, which have Trump at approval ratings in the 30's and low 40's

It seems that the one ignoring the current polls is you.

Trump approval: 46.6%

Democrats favorability: 37%

(RCP average)

No need to worry, Schumer is working on a strongly worded letter.

R147 As has been pointed out 1,742 times here on these DL threads... RCP is heavily slanted right wing and its "average" always includes polls designed to produce results favoring MAGA.

Nobody trusts or cares about polls anymore, do they? After the Hillary debacle?

And Kamala debacle.

R148 which will be no match for my concern.

[quote]As has been pointed out 1,742 times here on these DL threads... RCP is heavily slanted right wing and its "average" always includes polls designed to produce results favoring MAGA.

LOL. So what does menluvinguy do? He post an article by Nate Silver. It has been pointed out 1,742 times here on these DL threads that he's an idiot.

Fact: In 2024, RCP was more accurate in polling averages than Nate Silver was.

Nate Silver's prediction for 2028 shows the Dems are indeed doomed...

Nate Silver...oy.

Remember post Watergate when the GOP was doomed for a generation? They lost ONE election, and it was a pretty close one!

The problem is Democrats act like they're getting married for life on election day. and if the seduction isn't perfect, they're happy to stay home and have shitty Republican policies ruin their lives. It somehow proves them right and then they can bitch and pontificate about it for four years. Republicans just show up and vote even for a shitty candidate, no questions asked!

R155 I lived thru watergate and I never heard anyone left or right claim that the GOP was dead in the water for the next generation or 20-30 years.

You are misremembering IMO,

Today’s Democratic Party that is different. You do hear many thinking the party is in real trouble. And of course when the gop did lose back in the 1970s the Dems did not try and gut them as a political force for the future.

Today is different.

Lots of innuendo and whispers that many politicians are being blackmailed and threatened with harm to them and especially their families.

Lots of innuendo and whispers? This is the kind of insight that is worth $1.99.

A strong minority of Latinos voted for Trump, sure, but how many of those are going to show up in the midterms to support his party, especially after the last six months? I mean beyond the hardcore MAGA types, of course. How many Republican-leaning business minded independents are going to show up after all the tariff chaos? There is an enthusiasm problem for Democratic candidates, sure, but certainly there's also going to be a loss on the Republican side too since Trump has done so much extreme and controversial stuff. Trump voters were not all MAGA voters.

R159 the gop is not at war with itself in the same way the Democratic Party is. Are the Dems going moderate with people like Josh and Walz or are they going full on AOC ? Will they continue to lose POC and Hispanic support?

A civil war for the direction of the party is coming.

The gop is not looking for a new direction they just want to reload and win again.

And what are the democrats going to be saying in2026 and 2028 about crime, illegals, the trans in sports, federal prisoners and trans surgery, crime, $1000 investment accounts for every new American child, no nukes for Iran, no taxes on tips?

R159 An underreported factor: Latino support for Trump was over 40%. It's radically collapsed now... the horrendous visuals of the ICE craziness, of course, but also the continued weakness of the economy Dems are going to win big in both the midterms and the 2028 general... IF they are fair and free elections.

And what are the democrats going to be saying in2026 and 2028 about crime illegals, the trans in sports, federal prisoners and trans surgery, crime, $1000 investment accounts for every new American child, no nukes for Iran, no taxes on tips?

Democrats need to cut through the Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics propaganda bullhorn.

Crime is down, never got through,

Illegals? What you cal, illegals need to be given a path to citizenship.

Trans in sports is a legal issue, all LGBT+ issues are designed for the courts. Let the courts decide what we should do?

I have no advice about federal prisoners, unless Trump is one of them.

Trans surgery, a court issue. Just like we fought for mental health services in the ACA.

You subtly put in crime twice,

Harris lost on a platform of putting Trump behind us. Programs for first time home buyers, In home health care for the elderly to prevent nursing home placement.

[Below is a link to the analysis of her policies. I went with the BBC because it remains a neutral news org.]

But the real enemy of the Constitution is the Fourth Estate turned into a propaganda engine.

Democrat's biggest challenge is the Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics/OAN/Newsmax bullhorn.

Harris had great messages but when American voters get their news from the Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics/OAN/Newsmax bullhorn, it's hard to cut through.

How many of us heard, after the election, that voters didn't know her?

When you don't get covered or the only thing Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics/OAN/Newsmax bullhorn will call you, after NAMING you a failed border Czar, is voters CALLED her a failed border Czar.

It's hard to be heard when you aren't covered.

[quote]Democrat's biggest challenge is the Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics/OA

No it's not.

Are you writing from 2016?

The influence of cable news has never been lower.

There's this thing today called "Social Media". Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Podcasts....

The Dems failed to understand that in 2024. And apparently you still haven't got the message.

[quote]When you don't get covered or the only thing Murdoch/Marketing/Analytics/OA - N/Newsmax bullhorn will call you, after NAMING you a failed border Czar, is voters CALLED her a failed border Czar.

Kamala was the Border Czar.

Definition of the word czar: "In a political context, "czar" is an informal term used in the United States to refer to high-level executive branch officials appointed to oversee specific policy areas. These officials, often not Senate-confirmed, coordinate government efforts on particular issues."

That fits the description of Kamala and her mandate to a "t".

NBC News March 24, 2021:

"Biden tasks Harris with 'stemming the migration' on southern border"

"The vice president is expected to focus on both curbing the current flow of migrants and coordinating with countries in the region to address the root causes of migration."

R163 the old kind of say nothing approach to politics and let the courts decide everything that you don’t want to make a public stand on during an election.

More of the same from the Democratic Party?

Dems are still hiding under their desks. But they are taking taking breaks to constantly send texts and emails asking for money to "fight trump". Since the most SC ruling on birthright, trump is officially a dictator, so I don't expect any push back at all from dems. We are all truly fucked.

[Quote] The average DLer is a white midwesterner in their late fifties-early sixties

Where on earth did this rubbish come from? I’ll wager most of us are from the NYC, SF, and LA metro areas.

DL...lots of posts NYC, Philly, LA, Florida, Europe.

I don't get the hate for these two.

Other than stunt and speechify (Cory Booker's stunt was so meaningful?). The minority party does not set the agenda! I turn on the tv and see EVERY Senate Democrat on tv making their case against Trump on each topic of their expertise. Without the power to set the agenda, I'm not sure what they should be doing.

If the scream about the ending of the Constitution and Trump criminality the mainstream media will mock them and the leftists, now brazenly anti-Semitic will follow eagerly!

We must abandon the 2-party system. The alliance to save democracy must include both centrists and progressives, but it will never happen as long as we persist with the circular firing squads

We must remove money from campaigns and government.

I just watched a marathon of Antiques Roadshow, UK on Pluto. Hours and hours of people reliving WW2, grannies and granddads on with their grand children and great-grandchildren, reliving the horrors ofWW2.

It was heartwarming to see a Nation that still believes in its history.

After Reagan, and the suspension of the draft, we no longer remember what it takes to be an America, besides owning a gun.

Sad.

It might be better if we had no parties at all but people instead would just join together (or not) on single issues for the duration of the issue's significance, and then separate and re-form as subsequent issues come up. "Old style" parties foment artificial alliances and artificial animosities.

It might be better if we lived in an unreal dream world and we could say any stupid shit we wanted and just like that it would happen.

No worries about having a popular political party people liked because of what it stood for, no need for having popular polices, no need to actually win elections.

3-6 different political parties? Sure why not? No political parties? Sure? No big $$$$ in politics any more? Make up what ever you want and pretend that might be your real world.

Unless we get money back out of politics, Business Capitalists will always back Plantation Owners/Klan/Heritage Foundation/Business Owners.

Like Harry Lime, they only see the value of moving dots when they stop moving.

They see no benefit in society.

Fetterman needs to be primaried.

The Democratic party leadership, unfortunately, is still preaching from the Clinton/Obama era rulebook, and everything's so different now.

I don't think anyone was prepared for the abrupt and hard turn that's been taken since January, and I don't know that anyone in DNC leadership has a clear understanding or idea about how to move forward.

Voting DEMOCRAT in every election and supporting smart likable candidates LIKELY TO FORM MAJORITY COALITIONS to pass good policy is everything, and really the only thing!

Pie-in-the-sky unicorns whose only skill is to to tell us how horrible everything is compared to their utopias (Bernie, AOC, et al) are just time-wasters and suppress voter participation. They never get anything done because in general they can't compromise and their peers HATE them. Fact. Politics has always been "the art of the possible", and progress is generally made in first downs, not hail Mary passes and touchdowns.

The Supreme Court is EVERYTHING, but entitled whiny leftists threw away a GENERATION by not supporting Hillary Clinton and that was basically the whole ball game IN OUR LIFETIMES, but sure student loan purity, Gaza and Free Palestine and all that...

AOC is political catnip and poison. As POTUS we would see very little get done and a massive Dem loss in the following mid-terms. Everyone in the squad would be in a cabinet position and worrying about tariffs would become a quaint memory for people.

They suck as much as the republicans. Weak and corrupt and beholden to the same people and the same foreign nation. They're not going to save the country but they will feather their nests

Ilhan Ohmer and Mamdani will forever change the fabric of the Democratic party to one of anti-white hatred and blame. It is scary to think about what will happen to an international city like New York.

R181 If blasphemous doomsday propaganda trolls don’t have seats. What are you the new Bill O Reilly? Poster like r181 have been bamboozling basic or middle brow white folks damn near 4 decades with “all powerful minority person who will ruin their lives”. But yet somehow that life never seems to get ruined.

Mamdani is just too extreme!

Both parties are serving their corporate masters at this point.

r184, I am curious, who/what are the Democrat's corporate masters?

Do you have a list or is this all conjecture?

I see the Democrats having the FULL, COMPLETE and organically developed and evolved Constitution as our only master.

The Dems do love their billionaires though.

Forbes Oct 30, 2024 "Our breakdown records 83 billionaires supporting Harris and 52 backing Trump so far "

That only signals support for her economic policies.

Sane Billionaires preferred Harris.

Probably the ones who didn't want Trump Administration appointments.

Trump's Billionaire appointments are dismantling our government.

He has turned them into Overlords. Not exactly what the Harris Billionaires wanted:

A letter signed by more than a dozen billionaires last month endorsing Harris explained their belief Harris “will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment,” indicating the support for the status quo as the U.S. economy and stock market exhibit strength, while a recent survey of millionaire investors—which found a 57% to 43% split in Harris’s favor—identified technology, healthcare and sustainability stocks as the sectors most poised to benefit from a Harris win, a mix friendly to many of her billionaire backers from Silicon Valley, who grew familiar with Harris during her time as a California prosecutor.

So now we have to parse Billionaires.

R185 You might find this study of interest.

FAFO with Mamdani.