I rarely rant, but my party's reaction to Zohran Mamdani has struck a nerve.

[pat_k]

11. And this sort of circular firing squad mentality

... is a serious problem. When an elected falls short of expectations, instead spending so much energy denouncing and shaming them and thereby sowing immobilizing cynicism, pester them directly. Pin them down on their values. Pin them down on their reasons (often rationalizations) for doing what they are doing. Maybe they have a point. If you think it's wrong-headed, challenge them. If you've hit a wall, look closely at where you might find common cause and push forward there. And if you think the flaws are fatal, then bolo for a better candidate -- or find like minded others and try to draft one to challenge them. Where that fails, it's back to being a citizen lobbyist.

Organize for reforms like instant runoff voting that can give us more representative candidates. Push for Democratic reform that can give us better solutions. We have amazing digital tools that could make things like citizen assemblies far more doable.