Are Democrats beginning to learn their lessons from Shellac in November? Yes, no.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Colt have won high marks at the “Oligarchy of the Battle” rally, attracting thousands of people. I’m not obsessed with the word “oligarchy.” This is accurate, but it is unfamiliar to many people. But they are trying to reclaim the mantle of populist economics from the GOP. As I mentioned in one after my post-election death, it is essential for the Democrats to win national elections again.
Certainly, the Trump administration has given Democrats a lot of ammunition. Commissioning the libertarian egomania Tionion Elon Musk to disrupt bureaucracy is a gift that continues to give. Musk and his technician Acolite seem to enjoy their ability to fire people. Democrats must mercilessly focus on how the ultra-rich people become even richer in the valley of government, while firing better but not outrageous people who serve the public.
The fight to raise the minimum wage should continue. Many Democrats have correctly warned of threats to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, particularly Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and social security committee member. Democrat leaders should appear in local media at local nursing homes and explain how Medicaid cuts can be demonstrated to millions of elderly patients who rely on it. Enlisted Nurse: Everyone trusts and loves nurses.
The best ones haven’t arrived yet. Trump’s tax cuts are set to expire by the end of the year. Republicans are rushing to come up with a path to renew them. These cuts are overwhelmingly very wealthy and Democrats should be able to create a series of smart ads and speaking points that go backwards for policies that regress this giveaway.
Economic populism is one necessary way to reunite with workers. Another sine of election viability is to divorce the Democrats from cultural extremism. Transgender-related issues have replaced abortion as a totem in culture war politics. Some, but some Democrats are beginning to divorce from orthodox people they received about the totem.
A few weeks ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he used his argument with conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk to share the concerns of young female athletes competing with trans female athletes. “I think it’s a matter of fairness. I totally agree with you about it. It’s a matter of fairness. It’s very unfair,” Newsom said.
It would be better if Newsom shared his fears somewhere other than his discussion with right-wing activists. Bill Clinton raised concerns about sister Soulja’s racist comments at the Rainbow Push Union meeting of Pastor Jesse Jackson. He also played golf at an all-white club, apologized for the lapse and for his promise that it would never happen again.
Two California lawmakers denounced the newspaper for his remarks. “We were deeply tired of these comments and awakened in annoyance,” Rep. Chris Ward and Sen. Carolina Menzibal said in a statement. It focuses on the words “I woke up.” In the thread, Human Rights Campaign President Kelly Robinson posted: “The fight for equality has never been easy, but I don’t remember anyone who has wavered. The message to @cagovernor and all leaders across the country is simple.
betrayal? This is merely an attempt to halt necessary discussions on issues that are disagreeable by sincere people.
The center of gravity is changing whether you like the heretical hunter with special interest on the left or not. In 2019, when some Democratic candidates began listing pronouns in their social media profiles, a spokesman for the HRC said listing pronouns was “a best practice for all campaigns at all levels.”
Earlier this year, former Transport Secretary Pete Buttigigue, the most prominent openly gay Democratic politician, quietly removed his favorite pronoun from his social media profile.
Not everyone got a note. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers submitted a budget proposal last month. Evers contained provisions to change the language of state regulations. Instead of using the word “mother,” he proposed using the term “inseeded person.” Who would talk like that? Abusing English for the purposes of Democratic ideological deeds drives them crazy.
Republicans seize these cultural issues, but they go too far. They become mean. Most people who think that changing the word “mother” is a bad idea doesn’t think that being mean to trans people is the answer. Most people recognize that all rules are abnormal and that anyone who is abnormal, especially young, should be helped not to be corned to face the challenges that such abnormalities pose. Most people want to be kind, but they don’t want to make anomalies into the rules.
If we embrace populist economics, if Democrats want to win the election again, they must cooperate with abandoning the ideologically distorted language created by cultural elites. Common sense concerns about women’s sports cannot be dismissed no matter what language you choose. Anyone who can’t understand how Democrats’ engagement with culture is destined to fail is someone who doesn’t understand the extent to which they can make Trumpism possible.
The next few months will provide Democrats with the opportunity to regain their footing and, if they are smart, the opportunity to reunite with working-class voters who were once the party’s base. But only if they have the courage to embrace common sense.
