It was immediately obvious Bernie Sanders was, as always, saying the correct things because he was immediately criticized and marginalized by the self-serving "correct" Democratic Party leaders (whose leadership roles do need to be ended today). Listen to Bernie.
Great piece. The knee jerk reaction to attack trans people rather than actually delivering economic prosperity for the entire country is a feckless and cowardly position for Democratic politicians to hold. It wants to make excuses for poor leadership and a failure to expand its appeal beyond the coasts to such a point where they are barely, if at all competitive in nearly 2/3 of the United States.
Schumer must step down as Senate leader and Jaime Harrison, and everyone like him should be nowhere near DNC leadership. This is the first order of business.
I believe that the 2016 election was a watershed moment. There was a real desire for change. The GOP embraced their option in Trump to obvious success. What did the Dems do? They fucked over Bernie in favor of an establishment candidate and set the stage for continued failure. We’re now reaping what they sowed.
Before this election, I thought the GOP was going to self-destruct and that the new two-party option was going to be a split of the Dems between the centrists and the progressives. Now I don’t know what to think, other than that the analogy of the GOP being the Harlem Globetrotters and the Dems being the Washington Generals is a depressingly apropos illustration of our political system.
"“Attack the crisis of economic inequality. Tax the rich and send the money to the poor and working class and create universal public health care and child care and free education and strengthen the labor movement and restrict the power of capital and watch the nation’s deepest problems shrink."
The thing that kills me is that we had a chance to do this back when we had an actual trifecta in 2021-2022 -- and we squandered it. It was clear at the time that it was a once-in-a-decade opportunity and what we got in the end (CHIPS, infrastructure, even the IRA) was incredibly watered down relative to what had been promised and offered.
And who's responsible for that? It's actually not "Democrats" in general, or high-level Democratic consultants, or Chuck Schumer, or Joe Biden, or billionaire donors (although I do dislike all of those people and hold them responsible for many other failures). It's Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema -- and when it comes specifically to the question of taxing the rich in order to pay for healthcare and child care and education, it's really just Sinema's fault.
She sold out hundreds of millions of Americans and doomed the Democratic Party and for what? Some campaign contributions that she used to stay in fancy hotels while competing in triathlons.
It didn't even make sense from a selfish perspective! Ruben Gallego is a senator now, looking ahead to a long career as one of 1,000 or so most powerful people in the country. Sinema is a washed-up has-been without a job or any future in politics. Good work!
I am not sure it is fair to criticize the D's for not doing stuff "when we had an actual trifecta in 2021-2022" when, as you point out, with Sinema and Manchin, D's did not have an actual trifecta. With two actual D's in their position, who would have been prepared to overturn the unconstitutional filibuster, your complaint might be be justified.
Totally, was just trying to be concise. I completely agree, part of the problem here is that people in general are blaming "Democrats" when the fault lies with Sinema and Manchin specifically.
"Let us be more racist and also ‘tough on the border’ and also throw trans people under the bus" INFURIATING!!!! Screw that big tent and aping the grievance culture of maga. Screw that!!!!! Thanks for this piece. If Americans were not idiotic sexist racist pigs, wouldn't that be great?
One idea is to not only acknowledge the micro economics of real people but also tell A STORY of ideas that elected democrats will actually implement if elected or re-elected. Clear and concise and simple to understand. It is the economy stupid. Trump appeals to the distraught (and large ) group who live paycheck to paycheck by telling them that they are in economic distress because immigrates are taking their jobs and/or driving wages down. He manipulated them into voting against democrats who may have been pro labor and for republicans who are anti labor. This is only one group who voted for him BUT a very large group. This is only one miss step made BUT a very large one. The other groups who I thought would for VP Harris will require some serious data analysis and strategy ideas. TBD . But the angry/distraught working folks were IMHO all about money. There is a big story for future democrats to tell and it is about income inequality , income decline , wealth concentration , corporate greed. It is THE INDIVIDUAL ECONOMY stupid.
Great writing as usual and you are spot on that a weak message from uninspiring candidates is a formula for failure. In the last two election cycles the Democratic message was basically we aren’t Donald Trump while offering nothing of substance. It got Biden over the line just barely in 2020 but had little appeal to a majority of Americans who feel their lives aren’t improving. And the Harris / Democrats strategy seemed to be just blast the anyone but Trump message ad nauseam. The volume of e-mails and texts I got asking for money was staggering - and the Harris campaign is still asking post election - WTF! Cenk Uygur is 100% right about corporate media feeding this messaging machine (while seldom challenging the message) as it makes them obscene profits. FWIW I would propose the Democrats need to follow the rule of three and pick 3 key issues and go all in starting in 2026 (to win the House back). Along with fresh candidates, my trio would be:
I don’t disagree with any of the following from your column: “Attack the crisis of economic inequality. Tax the rich and send the money to the poor and working class and create universal public health care and child care and free education and strengthen the labor movement and restrict the power of capital and watch the nation’s deepest problems shrink, because the nation’s deepest problems stem from the fact that America allows capitalism to arrange everything for the benefit of capital, which results in an array of awful consequences for humanity.”
But how do Democrats accomplish this? It makes me really resent Obama’s missed opportunities in 2009, when Democrats controlled Congress by wide margins. Imagine all they could’ve accomplished.
It was immediately obvious Bernie Sanders was, as always, saying the correct things because he was immediately criticized and marginalized by the self-serving "correct" Democratic Party leaders (whose leadership roles do need to be ended today). Listen to Bernie.
Great piece. The knee jerk reaction to attack trans people rather than actually delivering economic prosperity for the entire country is a feckless and cowardly position for Democratic politicians to hold. It wants to make excuses for poor leadership and a failure to expand its appeal beyond the coasts to such a point where they are barely, if at all competitive in nearly 2/3 of the United States.
Schumer must step down as Senate leader and Jaime Harrison, and everyone like him should be nowhere near DNC leadership. This is the first order of business.
I believe that the 2016 election was a watershed moment. There was a real desire for change. The GOP embraced their option in Trump to obvious success. What did the Dems do? They fucked over Bernie in favor of an establishment candidate and set the stage for continued failure. We’re now reaping what they sowed.
Before this election, I thought the GOP was going to self-destruct and that the new two-party option was going to be a split of the Dems between the centrists and the progressives. Now I don’t know what to think, other than that the analogy of the GOP being the Harlem Globetrotters and the Dems being the Washington Generals is a depressingly apropos illustration of our political system.
"“Attack the crisis of economic inequality. Tax the rich and send the money to the poor and working class and create universal public health care and child care and free education and strengthen the labor movement and restrict the power of capital and watch the nation’s deepest problems shrink."
The thing that kills me is that we had a chance to do this back when we had an actual trifecta in 2021-2022 -- and we squandered it. It was clear at the time that it was a once-in-a-decade opportunity and what we got in the end (CHIPS, infrastructure, even the IRA) was incredibly watered down relative to what had been promised and offered.
And who's responsible for that? It's actually not "Democrats" in general, or high-level Democratic consultants, or Chuck Schumer, or Joe Biden, or billionaire donors (although I do dislike all of those people and hold them responsible for many other failures). It's Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema -- and when it comes specifically to the question of taxing the rich in order to pay for healthcare and child care and education, it's really just Sinema's fault.
Like, remember this? And this was one example of MANY. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/05/business/dealbook/sinema-tax-loophole-carried-interest.html
She sold out hundreds of millions of Americans and doomed the Democratic Party and for what? Some campaign contributions that she used to stay in fancy hotels while competing in triathlons.
It didn't even make sense from a selfish perspective! Ruben Gallego is a senator now, looking ahead to a long career as one of 1,000 or so most powerful people in the country. Sinema is a washed-up has-been without a job or any future in politics. Good work!
God I hate her.
Hard to think of two Americans in this century who have done more material damage to our potential living standards than Manchin and Sinema.
I am not sure it is fair to criticize the D's for not doing stuff "when we had an actual trifecta in 2021-2022" when, as you point out, with Sinema and Manchin, D's did not have an actual trifecta. With two actual D's in their position, who would have been prepared to overturn the unconstitutional filibuster, your complaint might be be justified.
Totally, was just trying to be concise. I completely agree, part of the problem here is that people in general are blaming "Democrats" when the fault lies with Sinema and Manchin specifically.
Never underestimate the Democratic Party's willingness to bypass the right thing in favour of the easy thing.
"Let us be more racist and also ‘tough on the border’ and also throw trans people under the bus" INFURIATING!!!! Screw that big tent and aping the grievance culture of maga. Screw that!!!!! Thanks for this piece. If Americans were not idiotic sexist racist pigs, wouldn't that be great?
Was thinking this and so needed someone to write it. Thanks!
One idea is to not only acknowledge the micro economics of real people but also tell A STORY of ideas that elected democrats will actually implement if elected or re-elected. Clear and concise and simple to understand. It is the economy stupid. Trump appeals to the distraught (and large ) group who live paycheck to paycheck by telling them that they are in economic distress because immigrates are taking their jobs and/or driving wages down. He manipulated them into voting against democrats who may have been pro labor and for republicans who are anti labor. This is only one group who voted for him BUT a very large group. This is only one miss step made BUT a very large one. The other groups who I thought would for VP Harris will require some serious data analysis and strategy ideas. TBD . But the angry/distraught working folks were IMHO all about money. There is a big story for future democrats to tell and it is about income inequality , income decline , wealth concentration , corporate greed. It is THE INDIVIDUAL ECONOMY stupid.
To anyone who should hit themselves in the head with a hammer but who lacks the temerity to do so: I’m here to help.
Great writing as usual and you are spot on that a weak message from uninspiring candidates is a formula for failure. In the last two election cycles the Democratic message was basically we aren’t Donald Trump while offering nothing of substance. It got Biden over the line just barely in 2020 but had little appeal to a majority of Americans who feel their lives aren’t improving. And the Harris / Democrats strategy seemed to be just blast the anyone but Trump message ad nauseam. The volume of e-mails and texts I got asking for money was staggering - and the Harris campaign is still asking post election - WTF! Cenk Uygur is 100% right about corporate media feeding this messaging machine (while seldom challenging the message) as it makes them obscene profits. FWIW I would propose the Democrats need to follow the rule of three and pick 3 key issues and go all in starting in 2026 (to win the House back). Along with fresh candidates, my trio would be:
1. Single payer health care
2. Address climate change
3. Constitutional Amendment for term limits
Bret Stephens and David Brooks: flat tires in three feet of mud.
https://nwu.org/our-job-just-got-harder/
Spot fucking on!
Grateful for your writing and the way you take the rage I feel and make it coherent!! Hope you do an event in BK sometime soon!
Oof. Thank you!
I don’t disagree with any of the following from your column: “Attack the crisis of economic inequality. Tax the rich and send the money to the poor and working class and create universal public health care and child care and free education and strengthen the labor movement and restrict the power of capital and watch the nation’s deepest problems shrink, because the nation’s deepest problems stem from the fact that America allows capitalism to arrange everything for the benefit of capital, which results in an array of awful consequences for humanity.”
But how do Democrats accomplish this? It makes me really resent Obama’s missed opportunities in 2009, when Democrats controlled Congress by wide margins. Imagine all they could’ve accomplished.
By any means necessary. And yes that's a left wing revolutionary dog whistle.