Young Americans are increasingly rejecting the Democratic and Republican parties, a new poll shows

[Moostache]

6. Many in the Party (and frankly on sites like DU) do not want to confront these reasons...

One, because they are not amenable with popular internal positions; and Two, because Democrats in general have an image problem that allows them to be perceived, lampooned or propagandized as "weak".

Defense of unpopular positions is not in and of itself a problem, but failure to control the messaging AND present messengers that exude confidence and strength to non-initiates of the Party platform are important. Take Chuck Schumer as an example and I present this NOT as an attack on Senator Schumer as a politician and certainly not as a truly dedicated public servant - ONLY from an image perspective. He absolutely reeks of weakness. His physical appearance, posture, manner of talking, decades of time in tightly insular circles of power...these all combine to end if in painful images like him attempting to lead to lead a chant to a crowd and it coming out in that horrible image of his non-rhymical "we will win" that in the modern vernacular is cringy.

We need to have a serious discussion about the leadership of the party, the presentation of the central party messages and a clear plan to stop being savaged in the press with poor images. We need to be asking why is Bernie Sanders (still NOT a Democrat) more effective at messaging and speaking to youth than our chosen leaders? That uncomfortable conversation is like milk left out of the fridge...it does NOT get better or easier to deal with as it ages.