I’m very much in a listening mode right now about the future of our party. I’m reading a lot so if you have any insights you want a freshman congressman to know, post a reply and I’ll read all of them ⬇️
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I think we got beat by algorithms. But we also need younger politicians with more fight in them. Too many are part of an extinct system of norms and rules.
Nice to see you here. I’m a fan (my husband lived in Long Beach when we met).
I think a source of consternation esp on Senate side is the inadequate spine w/ which Dems advance policy. I get wanting to play by the rules even when Rs don’t, but we have to stay in the game if we want positive change
For example: Leahy’s handling of blue slips was very costly. And I’ve been calling Durbin & Schumer’s offices to impress on them the need to fill judicial vacancies before Trump takes power, even if it requires a vote-a-rama. But I don’t think it’ll happen bc we don’t prioritize judiciary like Rs do
And then there’s the filibuster (which I would bet will be short-lived w/ Rs gaining power). Dems shrugged their shoulders and said “guess we won’t have a Women’s Health Protection Act or John Lewis VRA.” And yes, this is really a handful of senators. But it makes it harder to tell voters we did XYZ
Another big example of prioritizing looking less political/more high-minded: the selection of Merrick Garland.
Yes, his handling re: SCOTUS was an injustice. But a judge was never the right pick. And his slowness to act has cost this country irreparably, facilitating this damaging election outcome.
We need a forensic audit of the voting systems to determine if the con man who was credibly accused of trying to steal the 2016 election, indicted for trying to steal the 2020 election, and recently bragged he didn’t need any votes stole the 2024 election before its to late.
Will things ever change in the Dem Party as long as rich donors call the shots? Is it possible to move the party towards workers again and away from the interests of the rich? The Dems allowed this happen - is there going to be any fighting back? Or are we just going to blame the parliamentarian?
I don’t agree. What policies do Republicans have that benefit workers? We have the policies. In my state they passed three amendments that are very left leaning and elected Republicans who are already working to change what the voters passed. It defies logic.
Rob we need a leader to step up NOW. Obama checked out. Biden is too old. Harris didn't win. Who's going to get up on stage NEXT WEEK to bring us together, lay out the things from the Trump admin that we're ready to oppose?
We can't just sit on our hands until next primary season!
Trump 1 we all tuned in to the media thinking Congress or the justice system or public opinion would take him down on his own. That's clearly not the case! Who's going to have some balls and step up to the plate?
because we are forced to subsidize it (can’t unbundle). Rural and poor ppl can/will not pay for media that isn’t more extreme. Conservatives control the broader narrative. A choice would be helpful but some form of the Fairness Doctrine is needed to bring back a shared reality.
Looking just now, I can’t find another place to get my local news that isn’t a Sinclair station for free besides Amazon Prime Video. (Antenna isn’t an option where I live). Could I pay? Sure. But conservative media makes sure there are no barriers.
Dems need to be honest and explain how we lost to a felon insurrectionist who has done nothing for Americans but inflict misery. I don’t want the party to have to win my vote back (if we have it) but it’s unacceptable. Something has to change - we weren’t protected
How can we help ensure people in power like you hear our voices? I think there are many issues that run deep that got us here. But, I think there is a larger issue out of our control at the community level - which I believe is misinformation and then, how actual facts are communicated.
My suggestion is this: Dems need to become the party of the military. My son is in the Navy and I’m starting to see movement.
Trump is so vile and disrespectful towards our military. The cuts for veterans he’s proposing are criminal. And yet Rs are still seen as pro military. Let’s change that.
What I'd love to share with a Dem politician is something I need to say. Writing it will not give it enough power or justice. And it's important from a concerned independent voter.
enough with the postmortems. just get the gang to focus on the job at hand: obstruction, monitoring, and motivation for the future. we can't join them, we must beat them now.
On more thought. So much time was wasted on "bipartisanship" and chasing Nikki Haley voters that 10 million+ Democrats tragically stayed home.
Everyone against Trump was already motivated to vote for Biden and then Harris. We needed to reach the people who were not motivated to vote for anyone.
We need to stop trusting traditional "both sides" media to get the details of our platform out. We had great policies but no one heard them. @aoc.bsky.social is giving a master class on Instagram right now on how to communicate directly with voters.
1. Make your voice heard loud, clear, and unequivocally!
2. "Being strong doesn't mean that you never break! Being strong means that even if you break into a million pieces, you still have the courage to pick those pieces up, put them back
together, and keep going on."
- Manprit Kaur
Unfortunately, you have to be willing to get in the mud to get things done. Your predecessors are/were too concerned with optics and claiming the moral high ground... resulting in them being 2-3 steps behind the GOP on a regular basis.
Local action and actually acting on the stated needs of constituents rather than furthering corporate agendas. Not trying to sound snide but we need you guys more than ever so "business" needs to be bent to our need not the other way around.
By easy win, I mean that it will be easier for Democrats to reach the pro-consumer and worker agenda goals since the party has had relatively left wing policy during Biden’s presidency.
I think we need to take the gloves off and stop playing nice all the time. We need to be more vocal and willing to get in the dirt with them. More Jasmine Crocket energy!
Those of us in immediate danger come Jan 20 need concrete information, and we need it now. We have 2.5 months to plan. We need referrals to those who can help us, we need to know which choice is better between trying to increase our security and fight, or trying to hide, or run. Lay out info
I think there's a lot of merit in this. There has been so much lost in community and civic society. And rebuilding that community can tie into helping people in ways that feel direct and meaningful.
Honestly you all need to be out in the local communities and telling to local papers and reporters on tv. Go talk to local unions and start a free newsletter that doesn’t ask for donations that explains once a month what you did or tried to do. And stop talking about Trump.
Too many Americans don’t see him as awful bc they didn’t realize half the mess that was blocked. And stay on message. The House was a hot mess this last year because of Nancy Pelosi. Jeffries is either the leader or he’s not. As a black woman it looked like she was still in charge.
GOP may have terrible ideas but they mostly stuck together. You all did not. And then the costs of food goes up and Gaza is destroyed don’t scold voters, say well the GOP is in the majority and this is what they did. Full stop. Quit going on Sunday news shows. They hate the Dems.
Be a stick in the spokes of their fascist bicycle. That's the most important thing. Any shit talking you hear from your GOP colleagues that seems important, leak it on background to someone at propublica.
I think dems should look closely and listen closely to the people who support and voted for both Trump and then also progressives like AOC and Bernie and figure out why. We have to recognize that policy no longer wins elections. Rhetoric seems to be much more important
The fact that there are people who voted for Bernie in the Senate and Trump in the presidency is insane to me, but I also think figuring those people out is the key to winning modern elections.
It's all about housing cost. Blue states' restrictive policies towards building caused most of the lasting inflation that swing voters, especially Latinos, felt going into the election. We have to become the party of prosperity and deliver overwhelmingly obvious evidence we can reduce cost of living
Our policies are popular and if we ever win again they could be really good. No one can fight the battle against the right wing mega microphone of disinformation. We need to fix the communication/disinformation problem, everything else is just moving the deck chairs.
I have an excellent suggestion, by Thomas Homer-Dixon executive director of the Cascade Institute at Royal Roads University. His latest book is Commanding Hope: The Power We Have to Renew a World in Peril.
Don't overinterpret this election as about particular strength of gop or weakness of dems. Incumbent democratic governments around the world -- on left and right -- got hammered this year.
As a young left-leaning Democrat, the whole party needs an overhaul. People like Pelosi, Schumer, Biden and others like them in persuasion need to exit, and make room for new voices, voices that will actually fight back against GOP extremism instead of unwittingly laying the foundation for it.
This. I’m not that young but am left leaning and I’ve been saying this in all my (limited) SM places. I live in Cali and I had to vote in to the State Senate a “retired” congressman (10+ years in the house) because “he was the only Dem that wanted to run” 🙄
My honest suggestion is to avoid seeking advice on social media. It simply isn't representative of the public or your constituents. Talk to people face to face in your district.
Joe Biden in 2020 won running an extremely offline campaign that met people where they were.
Left independent here.
Democrats need to work on communication. There were a lot of wins during Bidens term, but instead of telling people how it benefited them personally, there was just a lot of statistics and and hand-waving that went over a lot of heads.
In about three months, the economy will be almost exactly the same but 90% of people will miraculously feel better about it. How do you explain that, and what can the Democrat party do with that information to prepare for midterms or special elections coming up?
Don’t look for opportunities for bipartisan cooperation. Instead, look for opportunities to allow Republicans to highlight the divisions within their party. If a small group of Republicans wants to vacate the Speaker, shut down the government, or other craziness, let the Rs alone try to stop it.
And let them take the economic swings and misses, party in power gets the blame. Put Dem energy into protecting vulnerable communities and exploiting Republican conflicts and cleavages.
If the Republicans do want your cooperation, exact a very high price in return.
This would be horrible advice in a well functioning two party democracy but America is not a well functioning two party democracy and continuing to act like it is makes things worse.
Prioritize the $15 federal minimum wage, already in the party platform, and lowering out-of-pocket medical expenses. Also expand child (and elder) tax credits to support families.
@briantylercohen.bsky.social brought up a suggestion, need to amplify that left ecosystem. Clearly the other side has that in place. Time to change with times.
I live in the Bible Belt and I want you to know we are up against the biggest evil force of the Christian Coalition. They hate trump but they think he can stop gay and trans rights. I say look into taxing the church and they will get out of politics. I can tell you this is your biggest issue.
I would add that I worked at a large library for over 25 years talked with thousands daily. I did children’s programs. I had to be careful not to do any programming that was controversial. You are right to be a voice for human rights but they are not popular ones in rural areas and never will be.
We need to get back to economic progressivism. We need bold universal programs that help everyone. Means testing is horrible. MN universal school lunches is a great example of success
We can certainly improve education and deliberately teach critical thinking skills in schools. There was a reason the Republican party committed to paper that they were against the teaching of critical thinking in the 2010s
Republicans created this shitshow.
There’s a reason they underfund public schools. An ignorant populace is easier to control. R’s think they are your betters. I know, I was educated, and grew up in the Deep South. They still believe they won the civil war. 🤦🏼♀️
Dems need a better messaging system. Party has relied upon MSM to deliver messages, but we just found out what happens when MSM turns. People believed Biden caused gas prices to go up...why? Because no one responded to say what actually happened and tell a different narrative.
There has to be a strategy for penetrating the dystopian media environment (sanewashing from the legacy outlets, Elon weaponizing Twitter, the entire right-wing info apparatus) to recreate a shared reality. I'm not sure how anyone left of center can get through to the electorate without this.
look at what trump has promised these are the issues that refuse to go away border control its easy to fix with out stopping immigration one law will end this forever not a wall want to know more just ask and many more issues
NOT the antisemitic loud worthless showhorse turncoat SQUAD aka Justice Dems. We need to listen to accomplished and balanced Democrats like Shontel Brown, Sharice Davids, Lucy McBath, Jared Moscowitz, Tammy Duckworth, and you!
I suspect people conflate immigration with the post pandemic withdrawal of benefits and falsely blame the immigrants for that instead of Manchin et al. Harris had plans to restore a lot of that and she needed to talk about it more.
If there's no positive Democratic message that is siccessfully spread wide enough to counter the Republican propaganda machine's lies about immigrants, then Republicans can successfully distract from their unpopular economic and social policies.
We really need to get a big left leaning media ecosystem, both explicitly political and nonpolitical. A lot of traditional media outlets are simply not receptive to Dem messaging (Dems campaigning on healthcare in 2018) and instead focus on clicks (Mueller in 2018).
One last thing (disclaimer: this is not mine originally but by Blue Heron Farms) Dems should emulate DSA and do community oriented things like free brake light clinics where we hand out brochures about your rights This would build comm support as well as provide a nonelection way to get out our base
Those ignored in this election need to be centred going forward. Many of our material needs are the same. End genocide, deliver on Medicare for All... win the election. We don't need to please warmongers and lobbyists to win, we need to make life livable for working-class & marginalized Americans.
Lifelong Democrat here, and while I thought Harris / Walz ran an amazing campaign, they were not breaking through to people who were worried about their own personal economic stake. People voted for the party they thought would make them more prosperous.
You need to remove the electoral college. After his win, and the local wins, there is no path to victory again for a generation. And by then it will be too late. You may want to also tell Zelensky to abandon starlink.
My nonpartisan two cents is that Dems have to get better at talking about why immigration can be the rising tide that lifts all boats, and why it’s not the flood that comes to destroy us. Happy to brainstorm some of this stuff with you!
We need to act & act right now. Tomorrow is too late. We have nothing more to lose & everything to gain by taking loud actions, pushing every button available that might protect us, and by seeing that the fascists trying to overthrow our country are held accountable for their planned treason.
Recognize that Dems cannot play tough on immigration too- every time they have tried, no Republicans move and it only gives credibility to the ideas that the border isn’t secure, that you can somehow completely lock down a border, immigrants are criminal etc.
My response is the Democratic party needs to get in the multimedia business and start their own network in which to compete with the rest of the world!
There've been a lot of comments about the left's media ecosystem. It's needed, but I think that'll only strengthen the existing base. The old saying of meeting people where they are is still true. We need to penetrate the right-wing media bubbles with messages and personalities that resonate.
Lots on the left don't want to legitimize bad-faith media. It's understandable but that's also where voters that we need to reach are. So we need to get dirty in those trenches, we need simple messaging that those voters care about. ELI5 on things like tariffs in those places is a good example.
In the places where Dems still have power, they need to do all the good social program stuff & protect their residents from the worst impulses of a second Trump presidency.
How much are people going to like living in a openly fascist hellscape day after day, when seeing what else is possible.
Free school lunches, making housing/state college/healthcare/childcare/utilities/other necessities affordable compared to the available wages & benefits.
Make it clear you can have good jobs & a functional society without throwing some class of people in the meat grinder.
Comments
I think a source of consternation esp on Senate side is the inadequate spine w/ which Dems advance policy. I get wanting to play by the rules even when Rs don’t, but we have to stay in the game if we want positive change
Yes, his handling re: SCOTUS was an injustice. But a judge was never the right pick. And his slowness to act has cost this country irreparably, facilitating this damaging election outcome.
Don't throw the Black women under the bus
Don't listen to the anti-semites
Don't spread the message that the electorate changed. People stayed home.
Let Trump and Republicans do their damage so people wake up
We can't just sit on our hands until next primary season!
Also, take everything Bluesky has to say with a grain of salt—we are weirdos.
Trump is so vile and disrespectful towards our military. The cuts for veterans he’s proposing are criminal. And yet Rs are still seen as pro military. Let’s change that.
Everyone against Trump was already motivated to vote for Biden and then Harris. We needed to reach the people who were not motivated to vote for anyone.
We need to keep our messaging simple and direct.
Never EVER try to appease Nazis/MAGA to try and get their votes.
Never compromise on core principles. Uphold them loudly and firmly.
Speak the truth early, and often. Speak it loudly, and clearly. Talk over liars with the truth. Mock & belittle the liars.
2. "Being strong doesn't mean that you never break! Being strong means that even if you break into a million pieces, you still have the courage to pick those pieces up, put them back
together, and keep going on."
- Manprit Kaur
Go get ‘em!
https://AbortionJusticeNow.org
Still, I don't ever feel fully represented, but my fight is not just at the ballot box.
That's all I ask of you.
Stock given as compensation should be taxed as salary at value when given.
How much in taxes do you think Elon has paid on his $0 salary \ $50 bil stock pkg?
Stop letting the wealthy get a free ride.
.
https://bsky.app/profile/stacy.is.relentlessly.online/post/3laeydsllku2f
https://search.app?link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.vox.com%2F2024-elections%2F383208%2Fdonald-trump-victory-kamala-harris-global-trend-incumbents&utm_campaign=aga&utm_source=agsadl1%2Cagsadl4%2Csh%2Fx%2Fgs%2Fm2%2F4
Big, bold, social programs!
Make it so millennials and Gen z can buy a frigging house!
Joe Biden in 2020 won running an extremely offline campaign that met people where they were.
Democrats need to work on communication. There were a lot of wins during Bidens term, but instead of telling people how it benefited them personally, there was just a lot of statistics and and hand-waving that went over a lot of heads.
This would be horrible advice in a well functioning two party democracy but America is not a well functioning two party democracy and continuing to act like it is makes things worse.
https://open.substack.com/pub/sherrilyn/p/why-are-we-here
There’s a reason they underfund public schools. An ignorant populace is easier to control. R’s think they are your betters. I know, I was educated, and grew up in the Deep South. They still believe they won the civil war. 🤦🏼♀️
We really need to get a big left leaning media ecosystem, both explicitly political and nonpolitical. A lot of traditional media outlets are simply not receptive to Dem messaging (Dems campaigning on healthcare in 2018) and instead focus on clicks (Mueller in 2018).
My nonpartisan two cents is that Dems have to get better at talking about why immigration can be the rising tide that lifts all boats, and why it’s not the flood that comes to destroy us. Happy to brainstorm some of this stuff with you!
How much are people going to like living in a openly fascist hellscape day after day, when seeing what else is possible.
Make it clear you can have good jobs & a functional society without throwing some class of people in the meat grinder.