All of your points are well taken, but much of the "resistance" assumes that the Constitution will be honored - in particular, that the courts will operate independently and that federal officials will abide by their orders. It also assume that the GOP will not narrow or throw out the Senate filibuster. And it assumes no invocation of martial law because of some sort of terrorist activity (real or contrived). There are reasons for hope but there are also reasons for vigilance and, if necessary, rapid response.
Fair enough. Yes, we are operating under a certain assumption of norms in spite of what we know are Trump's instincts to the contrary. Time will tell, of course.
This is a refreshing outlook , accuracy well pointed out, one which could lend to ( especially with ‘the aftermath’ soon to be displayed) a Democratic takeover…in 2026. One can hope, I do!
America wake up!
This book has been written -if not incessantly played foulfully ( Pat adverb) for country after country. The rise of autocracy is well noted…what remains to be seen will cinch the trajectory for 50 + years.
Worst aspect of the Dems' morning-after laments has been the vilification of the trans community, and just appalling scapegoating of a tiny, vulnerable minority as SOMEHOW costing Harris votes in the swing states. Shameful, cowardly piling-on behavior.
It is not surprising of course to see Trump and the right appeal to fear and bigotry the way they did with their national ad campaign. Sad to see some on the left indulge it.
It seems clear from the things I’ve read that Donald Trump won because of all the mis and disinformation that was out there about him. During the next four years, the people who voted for him will realize what a colossal mistake they made and at that point it’s time for Democrats to really push their agenda, which would help these middle-class and lower economic class voters know who truly “has their back”. Hint, it’s not Donald Trump! But I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, it’s going to be ugly, and people are going to be really hurt by his policies of misogyny and white supremacy.
I agree that we need to fight disinformation, especially in the “Mano-sphere”. I keep recalling the football stadium chanting “F* Joe Biden!” At a time when he was newly elected and pulling the country out of the mess that Trump left during the pandemic. How do the Dems reverse this? Solving this is a good focus for us now. We need great minds war-gaming how to combat the disinformation polluting our citizen’s minds.
The Dems need to do a 180 on how they message. I have said for years Dem messaging stinks. With all the great accomplishments President Biden and his administration did, especially keeping us out of a recession, people thought the economy was poor.
Michelle Obama has moved way past the when they go low, we go high theory. The Dems need to bury the 1980s political playbook and come up with much better messaging, better ways to combat “disinformation”, which are really just lies way before the mid-terms.
"There are several takeaways from these results, the first of which is that Democratic economic policy is simply popular even outside of blue states. It’s fair to wonder why voters continue to vote for these policies for their own lives yet elect leaders who oppose them in Washington. But in the end, it only confirms what we already knew about this country: despite the fact that Americans regularly elevate conservative leaders who oppose policies that will better their lives economically, Americans by and large support Democratic policies."
I think we need to go back to the Newt Gingrich "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control" memo, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox.
The other side has been marinating their followers in name calling, petty insults, and lies for nearly 50 years now, and until we break through that, we are not going to win.
I live in Texas; in a recent election for the local flood control district, one guy just put up signs that said "CONSERVATIVE!" and his name and the seat. Nothing else, and he responded to all media inquiries by attacking the "libruhmedialies" and refusing to answer. Naturally.... he won. WTF does "Conservative" mean for a flood control district? Nothing at all.
The President Elect persisted in mispronouncing Kamala's name and called her a "bolshevik Nazi communist." WTF does that actually mean? It's like saying that she's a left-handed right-hander left-hander."
What it means is, basically, "poopy-head." It's first-grade-level interaction, and they have taught their followers to ignore everything except what the party tells them, and to ignore policy and instead pay attention to insults.
If voters paid attention to policy, we'd win. Right now, all they pay attention to is the name-calling.
What can we do? I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing I'm doing - I won't buy a media package that includes Fox, OANN, or Newsmax. Why should my media subscription fees subsidize them? And I won't patronize other Fox properties, including the WSJ.
Hi, Jay. One correction is needed: Lisa Blunt Rochester is not from Rhode Island. She is Delaware’s new U.S. Senator, stepping into the seat of Senator Tom Carper. She is currently Delaware’s member of the U.S. House. Sarah McBride has won that seat.
Love the article but don’t you think we really need to focus on messaging? We need to get away from the celebrity run national campaigns and get back to the grass roots of the party. Nationally we did well down ballot but how long will that last? Harris ran a strong campaign based on what she was throwing to last minute. With that, who do we have now to cultivate at the national level?
Yes, in retrospect they ran a sort of throwback campaign that may have won 16 years ago but ignored how media has changed and how people's relationship with politics has changed. But it is true, it was likely the most bang for the buck they could get in the limited time. As for messaging, I agree but that I think is the subject for a future post. I do think many Democrats are poised to take the mantle, particularly against a non-Trump candidate in 2028. The question is, who will learn the right lessons from 2024 and craft a winning 2028 strategy and not fall back on safe norms of the past.
I would love to take heart in this inspirational story, but the issue is not mandate, it is power and right now Trump, Project 2025, Steve Bannon, Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow, Elon Musk the SCOTUS and the rest of the boys and the occasional girl in the band have it all and they will use it. Donald Trump’s Stephen Miller has undoubtedly been whispering in Trump’s ear about a recess so he can get officials even Republicans can’t stomach through the door. He has a free pass to any and all crimes provided by the SCOTUS and expecting him not to use them is naivety in the extreme. Nope, he wants concentration camps, military tribunals for political opponents and has expressed a willingness to suspend the Constitution. Many ignorant voters struck ballots for very progressive measures while simultaneously voting for representatives who will fight tooth and nail to avoid enacting them. Personally, reading good vibes into this is not at all reassuring or helpful.
"the disconnect between voters’ perceptions of these issues and the leaders they vote into office"
My personal opinion is that people do not understand good leadership. After coaching hundreds of employees at dozens of companies over the past year, I have seen patterns of people saying "I am not leadership material because I am a people person, and I'm too nice." There's a strong misunderstanding that arrogance equals strength, that command equals leadership, that being in charge means insisting you are right all the time.
This, I think, is the true malady underlying America's continuing fascination with despicable white men, even as they vote for progressive policies. The more unapolagetically despicable these men are, the more people see them as "powerful leader" instead of "toxic narcissist." And, yes, racism and sexism play a subtle but critical role because in the same way that "representation matters" in self-esteem and personal agency, representation matters in seeing others as capable and worthy.
Although the results were quite disappointing for the Ds, there WERE some bright spots, too! Even if the Rs maintain control of the House, Speaker Johnson will still have to beg Rep. Jeffries for help to pass important legislation and Trump's policies won't be automatically rubberstamped and passed without opposition.. After two years of a third class shit show, the voters will be ready for another change in the 2026 midterms.
One small quibble—here in PA we kept our one-person Dem majority in the House, but our state senate is hopelessly GOP. Gaining and keeping the House majority was a huge accomplishment.
LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER is from DELAWARE!!! Not RI! Sarah McBride won Lisa’s seat in Congress while Lisa won Carpers old seat in the Senate after Carper retired.
All of your points are well taken, but much of the "resistance" assumes that the Constitution will be honored - in particular, that the courts will operate independently and that federal officials will abide by their orders. It also assume that the GOP will not narrow or throw out the Senate filibuster. And it assumes no invocation of martial law because of some sort of terrorist activity (real or contrived). There are reasons for hope but there are also reasons for vigilance and, if necessary, rapid response.
Fair enough. Yes, we are operating under a certain assumption of norms in spite of what we know are Trump's instincts to the contrary. Time will tell, of course.
This is a refreshing outlook , accuracy well pointed out, one which could lend to ( especially with ‘the aftermath’ soon to be displayed) a Democratic takeover…in 2026. One can hope, I do!
America wake up!
This book has been written -if not incessantly played foulfully ( Pat adverb) for country after country. The rise of autocracy is well noted…what remains to be seen will cinch the trajectory for 50 + years.
Thank you for the breath of fresh air.
Worst aspect of the Dems' morning-after laments has been the vilification of the trans community, and just appalling scapegoating of a tiny, vulnerable minority as SOMEHOW costing Harris votes in the swing states. Shameful, cowardly piling-on behavior.
It is not surprising of course to see Trump and the right appeal to fear and bigotry the way they did with their national ad campaign. Sad to see some on the left indulge it.
We must choose in this moment to stand together, not be divided.
This 💯
It seems clear from the things I’ve read that Donald Trump won because of all the mis and disinformation that was out there about him. During the next four years, the people who voted for him will realize what a colossal mistake they made and at that point it’s time for Democrats to really push their agenda, which would help these middle-class and lower economic class voters know who truly “has their back”. Hint, it’s not Donald Trump! But I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, it’s going to be ugly, and people are going to be really hurt by his policies of misogyny and white supremacy.
I agree that we need to fight disinformation, especially in the “Mano-sphere”. I keep recalling the football stadium chanting “F* Joe Biden!” At a time when he was newly elected and pulling the country out of the mess that Trump left during the pandemic. How do the Dems reverse this? Solving this is a good focus for us now. We need great minds war-gaming how to combat the disinformation polluting our citizen’s minds.
The Dems need to do a 180 on how they message. I have said for years Dem messaging stinks. With all the great accomplishments President Biden and his administration did, especially keeping us out of a recession, people thought the economy was poor.
Michelle Obama has moved way past the when they go low, we go high theory. The Dems need to bury the 1980s political playbook and come up with much better messaging, better ways to combat “disinformation”, which are really just lies way before the mid-terms.
I don’t hold much hope for them realizing very much of anything.
You said:
"There are several takeaways from these results, the first of which is that Democratic economic policy is simply popular even outside of blue states. It’s fair to wonder why voters continue to vote for these policies for their own lives yet elect leaders who oppose them in Washington. But in the end, it only confirms what we already knew about this country: despite the fact that Americans regularly elevate conservative leaders who oppose policies that will better their lives economically, Americans by and large support Democratic policies."
I think we need to go back to the Newt Gingrich "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control" memo, Rush Limbaugh, and Fox.
The other side has been marinating their followers in name calling, petty insults, and lies for nearly 50 years now, and until we break through that, we are not going to win.
I live in Texas; in a recent election for the local flood control district, one guy just put up signs that said "CONSERVATIVE!" and his name and the seat. Nothing else, and he responded to all media inquiries by attacking the "libruhmedialies" and refusing to answer. Naturally.... he won. WTF does "Conservative" mean for a flood control district? Nothing at all.
The President Elect persisted in mispronouncing Kamala's name and called her a "bolshevik Nazi communist." WTF does that actually mean? It's like saying that she's a left-handed right-hander left-hander."
What it means is, basically, "poopy-head." It's first-grade-level interaction, and they have taught their followers to ignore everything except what the party tells them, and to ignore policy and instead pay attention to insults.
If voters paid attention to policy, we'd win. Right now, all they pay attention to is the name-calling.
What can we do? I'm not sure, but I can tell you one thing I'm doing - I won't buy a media package that includes Fox, OANN, or Newsmax. Why should my media subscription fees subsidize them? And I won't patronize other Fox properties, including the WSJ.
Hi, Jay. One correction is needed: Lisa Blunt Rochester is not from Rhode Island. She is Delaware’s new U.S. Senator, stepping into the seat of Senator Tom Carper. She is currently Delaware’s member of the U.S. House. Sarah McBride has won that seat.
Thank you
Sorry I called you Jay, Todd. I thought I was reading Jay Kuo!
Love the article but don’t you think we really need to focus on messaging? We need to get away from the celebrity run national campaigns and get back to the grass roots of the party. Nationally we did well down ballot but how long will that last? Harris ran a strong campaign based on what she was throwing to last minute. With that, who do we have now to cultivate at the national level?
Yes, in retrospect they ran a sort of throwback campaign that may have won 16 years ago but ignored how media has changed and how people's relationship with politics has changed. But it is true, it was likely the most bang for the buck they could get in the limited time. As for messaging, I agree but that I think is the subject for a future post. I do think many Democrats are poised to take the mantle, particularly against a non-Trump candidate in 2028. The question is, who will learn the right lessons from 2024 and craft a winning 2028 strategy and not fall back on safe norms of the past.
That's assuming there IS a non-Trump candidate in 2028. He said today he wants to run for a third term!!
They f'd around and are about to find out!
I would love to take heart in this inspirational story, but the issue is not mandate, it is power and right now Trump, Project 2025, Steve Bannon, Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow, Elon Musk the SCOTUS and the rest of the boys and the occasional girl in the band have it all and they will use it. Donald Trump’s Stephen Miller has undoubtedly been whispering in Trump’s ear about a recess so he can get officials even Republicans can’t stomach through the door. He has a free pass to any and all crimes provided by the SCOTUS and expecting him not to use them is naivety in the extreme. Nope, he wants concentration camps, military tribunals for political opponents and has expressed a willingness to suspend the Constitution. Many ignorant voters struck ballots for very progressive measures while simultaneously voting for representatives who will fight tooth and nail to avoid enacting them. Personally, reading good vibes into this is not at all reassuring or helpful.
Also in corrections: Dems held on to the PA State House majority, not the PA Senate, which was and remains R.
Thanks
"the disconnect between voters’ perceptions of these issues and the leaders they vote into office"
My personal opinion is that people do not understand good leadership. After coaching hundreds of employees at dozens of companies over the past year, I have seen patterns of people saying "I am not leadership material because I am a people person, and I'm too nice." There's a strong misunderstanding that arrogance equals strength, that command equals leadership, that being in charge means insisting you are right all the time.
This, I think, is the true malady underlying America's continuing fascination with despicable white men, even as they vote for progressive policies. The more unapolagetically despicable these men are, the more people see them as "powerful leader" instead of "toxic narcissist." And, yes, racism and sexism play a subtle but critical role because in the same way that "representation matters" in self-esteem and personal agency, representation matters in seeing others as capable and worthy.
As a proud Delaware resident, I want to note that my fellow citizens elected both Sarah McBride and Lisa Blunt Rochester!
It still doesn't compute for me how, for example, in North Carolina, the majority voted for Stein - but not for Harris. It makes no sense!
Although the results were quite disappointing for the Ds, there WERE some bright spots, too! Even if the Rs maintain control of the House, Speaker Johnson will still have to beg Rep. Jeffries for help to pass important legislation and Trump's policies won't be automatically rubberstamped and passed without opposition.. After two years of a third class shit show, the voters will be ready for another change in the 2026 midterms.
One small quibble—here in PA we kept our one-person Dem majority in the House, but our state senate is hopelessly GOP. Gaining and keeping the House majority was a huge accomplishment.
Thanks for giving me hope for the future and for pointing out the Democratic victories I had overlooked in my devastation about Trump’s win.
LISA BLUNT ROCHESTER is from DELAWARE!!! Not RI! Sarah McBride won Lisa’s seat in Congress while Lisa won Carpers old seat in the Senate after Carper retired.