Democrats Fear They Are Missing the Moment to Remake the Party

[Shrek]

Link to NYT (no paywall)

There is almost universal agreement on a diagnosis of the party’s problem with the working class. The question is if there will be any consensus on a treatment plan.

Some favor shedding unpopular policies or reprioritizing new ones. Others focus on improving the messages deployed to sell those policies to voters — or on how to deliver the party’s message, whatever it turns out to be, in a fractured media environment. Already, a blizzard of organizations are holding focus groups, conducting polls and studying voting patterns to assess the severity of the situation, especially the party’s worrisome decline with groups where it once held sizable advantages, like younger voters and Latinos.

The pressure for Democrats to push back on President Trump’s expansive agenda further complicates any prospect of a unified, rigorous “autopsy” like the one Republicans conducted in 2012. Opposing Mr. Trump has been the Democratic Party’s greatest unifying force for nearly a decade. But the 2024 election showed that its coalition of resistance is no longer a majority.

(snip)

“Everyone has their pet theory for why the Democratic Party is in crisis,” said Waleed Shahid, a progressive strategist, who urged leaders to sit with rank-and-file workers to better understand their anger and aspirations. “But at some point, Democratic leaders need to break the decorum and be honest with themselves: Something is deeply wrong, and pretending otherwise won’t stop voters from noticing.”

The new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, has emerged as a surprising flashpoint, after he said, days before his Feb. 1 election, that “anyone saying we need to start over with a new message is wrong.”

The line has ricocheted through the party, leaving many Democrats shaking their heads in dismay and concluding that Mr. Martin will defend the status quo.

[dchill]

1. Ken - you need to start over with a new message.

[LuvLoogie]

3. I'm reluctant to consider a NYT

analysis of the Democratic party as anything but self-serving.

[dchill]

4. But do you deny the need for a new message?

[LuvLoogie]

9. The only message the the MSM will let through

is "the Dems are out of touch and in disarray" and a public self-flagelation. There was nothing wrong with the Democratic message. Bigotry and apathy won out.

The message is fine. The delivery sucks and is out-date. And our politicians are lazy. They are relying too much on using the MSM to get the message out.

They need to do meet and greets, town halls, and use social media better. The message is good, but they're running it through the MSM and the GOP, always using their terms.

[quaint]

15. Yep, the message to women to lie to their husbands worked great.

[LuvLoogie]

17. Yeah I suppose that didn't have as much an effect on on "suburban moms"

as "poisoning our blood with murderers racists and drug dealers" in generating enthusiasm for ones own party.

[quaint]

19. It resonated with the suburban Latinas around me.

Obviously, we know different people. They spent more time listening to Democrats than Trump. Some just didn't vote; others didn't vote for president. I was only able to change a couple of minds.

[LuvLoogie]

21. about 66% of Hispanic women and 56% of Hispanic men voted for Kamala

While 60 percent of White men and and 53% of White women voted for trump.

That 53% is the same amount he got the last time, and is pretty much what the GOP gets regularly.

Harris won 62% of Latinos overall

Among Latino subgroups, the highest level of Harris support was from Puerto Ricans (65%, followed by Mexican Americans (63%). Highest Trump support was from Cuban Americans (54%).

https://unidosus.org/press-releases/hispanic-voters-back-harris-over-trump-by-a-62-37-margin-cite-economic-concerns-as-top-priorities/

That appeal to wives was an appeal to support within the patriarchy that has been digging in with the ending of roe v wade. I think it was out of genuine concern, but probably should have been left to a grass roots appeal as opposed to an official campaign position.

[unblock]

16. Getting a good message out through the msm is nearly impossible

Yes, a Rachel Maddow can get a fantastic message aired, but they'll only allow that in an overtly liberal program that is mostly preaching to the choir.

But if a democratic pol doesn't play by the msm rules, they won't get invited back. The exception is aoc. I love her and nearly everything she says is fantastic, but the right loves to hate her because, well, they just see an angry, Hispanic, "socialist" woman, and they need a target for their hate and fears. So she's something for everyone, I guess.

I think democratic politicians *are* learning to use podcasts, TikTok, YouTube, etc., but it's hard to see that because that's so fragmented. If I see something like that in my feed, I have no idea if any swing voters are seeing it as well.

[LuvLoogie]

18. There are tricks in getting a given creator on TikTok out to more people

And it has to do with a few steps like watching the whole video, hitting the repost button to push to your followers, off site share by copying the link and sharing it on your other social media. Leaving a positive comment in the TikTok post of more than ten words. Hitting Like, add to favorites. Include some eclectic, ubiquitous keywords in your comments like Superbowl, Taylor Swift, Chappel Roan, Kendrick Lamar.

All that adds to the likely hood that a given video will end up on a person's For You Page on TikTok. That said, every Dem has to be on social media and engage with followers and commenters. I've seen so many live feeds of protestors that you won't see on the MSM. Activism, message sharing, community oriented content creators of all interests and endeavors.

If the Broligarchs can't own TikTok, they'll ban it. I don't care about Chinese hackers. It's the American and Russian ones that are sabotaging our country .

[unblock]

20. Very helpful tips!

I've been just passively scrolling, but I'll "engage" more if it helps promote videos I want seen more broadly.

[LuvLoogie]

22. It definitely does.

Give stuff that is interesting to you a follow. Also do searches of topics you are interested. It could be anything. Arts, crafts, professions. look at the other videos by that creator. There are a lot of social justice creators. LGBTQ advocates. Writers. You'll learn to weed out the MAGA people that might pop up. Scroll past without watching all the way through.

You might get the urge to reply/respond to them, but it's best to ignore their content and block the truly shitty ones.

[Gum Logger]

32. Republicans are a disciplined phalanx.

When one becomes a Republican, one is signing up to a franchise. Democratic candidates are a bunch of individuals flailing away at their enemies. Sometimes the Repugs do go over the cliff in lock step.

[Lovie777]

2. NYT again....

🙄

[Shrek]

5. To be fair the piece isn't really advocating any particular course of action

It's mostly reporting on ongoing discussions and quotes from Democrats and other progressives who are debating next steps.

[Lulu KC]

14. The headline writers are never our friends

Not saying the reporters/writers are, but the headline writers. Oy.

[cadoman]

29. it's smearing the party name and implies we don't have a course of action (nt)

[bucolic_frolic]

6. To connect with workers, empower them financially.

Not just wages, not unions, not day care, not soccer mom home businesses.

Entrepreneurship education, startup loans, retirement equity, security with renting and owning.

We gave equity to students with advanced degrees. Waitresses and plumbers wanted to know, where is their cut? Who's going to help us?

We should steal the entire IRA/401 structure from Republicans and make it pay for working people at all stages, and all incomes, of life. As it sits, IRAs are mostly voluntary. People have opportunity but don't fund them to the max. Democrats need to make it mandatory. Republican tax cuts should go into the future support of people who actually do the work.

[Pull_Left]

28. Forced to save with what money

A majority doesn't have, what, $1,000 in saving for an emergency?

[SheilaAnn]

7. I don't really see many problems with the party, keeping unauthorized people (Musk) away from vote counting machines

would solve many problems. Ken is not impressing me much anyway.

[C_U_L8R]

8. The remodeling is near complete

All that's missing are the goosesteps and genocides.

[CentralMass]

10. Since the msm is doing the job inadequatelya major effort to inform people living inside the right wing information silo

Last edited Mon Feb 17, 2025, 07:46 PM - Edit history (1)

what is going on.

[mike_c]

11. I fear that democrats have permanently alienated a large constituency.

Whether rightly or wrongly, working class people in their twenties and thirties feel helpless and hopeless about their prospects, particularly economic progress and social mobility. I especially recall a conversation I overheard among a group of young men in Arizona last spring. They were agonizing about voting for Trump, but all agreed that dems had disappointed them to the point of being non-starters (Biden was still the dem candidate at the time). They were particularly angry about stagnant wages, and none of them being able to afford living alone or with a partner despite working full time+. My first thought was like "kids these days cannot manage their expectations," but honestly-- I moved out of my parent's house in my mid-teens, and lived alone or provided a home for my family by my early twenties. I was a high school dropout with a silver tongue but not much actual work experience. It was tough, but I wonder if I could do it at all today?

[somsai]

12. I went back and looked at my old wages in today's dollars

I used to walk 4 miles each way for a shit job pumping gas part time, had to. Turns out I was making $11 in today's money. The side job I picked up hand painting a house with a bud was $38 an hour in today's money. I think kids do have it worse these days.

[usonian]

13. My Suggestions. Please read.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13241934

Dump anyone not pounding the table right now.

Silence is complicity.

SHORT LIST

• Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock
• Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Both gave Obama-like convention speeches.

Others to complement these powerful leaders:
• Senator Sanders
• Senator Warren
• Mark Cuban

Current governors and others
What an outstanding group of governors!
https://democraticgovernors.org/governors/ (DGA)

• Pete Buttigieg
• Armed forces top leaders

Voices which have been strong on DU include
• AOC
• Bernie Sanders
• Elizabeth Warren
• Jasmine Crockett

We need a Dr. Martin Luther King, John Lewis kind of leader.

Or else the country is toast.

Time has just about run out.



007, 006, 005 ...

[WarGamer]

23. Excellent article... Martin is wrong.

He's in denial.

[Nanjeanne]

24. We had a real chance to harness the anger and turn it into energy for bold and exciting initiatives.

Instead they stuck with voting for Ken and the message to discouraged Ds or hopeful Is is that it’s business as usual and the coffers are open. When Martin said we’ll take money from the “good billionaires” I knew the time for rebranding was dead.

[samnsara]

25. imho the only thing Dems dont do as well as repugs is lie, cheat and steal..

..and thats what we are up against on the other side. We arent mean enough, we arent sneaky enough and sometimes we are too polite.

Take off the puffy gloves and start hitting back, hard.

[bucolic_frolic]

26. Surely not popular observation

Republicans are for the Billionaires and incomes over $400K. Democrats only reach down to about $60-70K. The party has not sold working class folks on retirement opportunities, home gigs, home ownership/renovation. We've done well on health care, but it's been a divisive battle further up the income scale to pay for it. People want to know, why do health care things cost so much? It's a different thing to become more efficient than to attack costs. And hospitals keep closing, small town medical care does not offer what civilized cities do. Workers feel these things more than know anything about them. But it all still impacts their lives. Are unions the only method we have of reaching working people?

[SalamanderSleeps]

27. The NYT's is still a thing?

I used to call them the "Nerf" news, but now they are worse.

[Passages]

30. Careerists and their consultants are doing fine.

Keeping the status quo alive and blaming the voters for not appreciating what you have done is a plan for continued losses.

It is 2025, and the minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. If your side can't win elections to gain large majorities, then work fast to get that agenda passed, you're ineffective.

[yardwork]

31. It does seem as if the careerists and consultants have a stranglehold on the party.

[Gum Logger]

33. Own a radio network.

Thom Hartman wanted the party to by 1,000 radio stations. Then the party would have its own paid shills to shill 24-7. If the inside the beltway bubble was distracted, the paid shills could take up the slack.