Last month, we saw a number of articles similar to this one from the New York Times: Some Democrats are at a loss as to how to compete with Republicans who say they could be headed for an era of electoral dominance. ”
but that part It was actually published on November 7, 2004, 20 years ago..
That doesn't mean the story was wrong then or that the same idea is wrong now. That means the battle is not about finding a way to win the previous war, but about winning the next war.
The reality is that Democrats are concerned about what happened in the 2024 election and how it can and should impact our approach to the future. You need to understand and learn. But what's important is to focus on your approach to the future.
So as Democrats in Washington and across the country prepare for a second Trump administration and a Republican-led government, there are a number of things they can do right now to reduce support for Republican policies and win again. There is.
First, instead of promoting “resistance”, let's talk about “betrayal”. After the 2016 election, Democrats needed to show they still had a heartbeat and build momentum against President Trump's policies. But while it was successful and important at the time, President Trump's support only grew. His lowest vote percentage was in 2016, when he received 46% of the vote. Even at the height of the pandemic in the 2020 election, he was supported by 47% of voters, rising to over 49% in 2024. Our challenge this time is to resist; it is to expose the betrayal.
From raising the price of everyday items to giving tax cuts to his billionaire friends to stripping young families with children and seniors with long-term care of their health care costs, President Trump's policies are not what voters actually want. The things he's trying to undermine, like Medicaid, are important to the very people who elected him. The first signs of this could be seen the day after the election. Google searches for “tariffs” skyrocket People began to worry about what his presidency would mean. The Democratic Party's responsibility now is to show the nation how Trump's policies betray, sell out, and abandon the very people who put him in office.
Second, don't say “I told you so.” There will be countless moments in the coming months and years when those who supported Trump will worry about what he is up to. This is already being voiced by some Republicans who are concerned about President Trump's unqualified Cabinet picks. Voters will start to notice this as soon as the new government takes office. From Americans losing friends to deportation to women losing access to abortions, people will speak out about the damage President Trump's policies are doing to them.
But Democrats must resist the temptation to say “I told you so” or “we warned you.” The worst way to get someone to agree with you is to start by saying they are wrong and you are right. No matter how good you feel or how many likes you get on social media, don't try.
Thirdly, remember what they say about “sticks and stones”. Having watched Trump's behavior on the national political stage for nearly a decade, I know he will say things that concern us all. It was true the day he first announced his candidacy in 2015, it was true at his Madison Square Garden rally just before the election, and it was true every day in between.
But when voters feel like their lives are out of control and they're focused on getting through the day, they don't really care what President Trump has to say. In fact, when Democrats focus on what he says (rather than what he does), we are reminding voters that we are not focused on what they care about. It will be.
“Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt you,” has been true since elementary school. If we want to persuade people, we must focus not on words but on the harmful “stones and stones” of President Trump's policies.
Fourth, don't maintain the status quo. About two thirds of the country I think we are on the wrong path. These numbers rise among floating voters who decide elections. Either the Republicans were in full control of the government (2017-2019), the Democrats were in full control (2021-2023), or the government was divided (2019-2021). (until January 20, 2023), the Democratic Party has managed to make itself a champion. current situation.
The Democratic Party can no longer be a party that talks about “protecting” the system of government and its institutions. In an economic system that Americans feel is broken, we no longer need to defend the status quo. When we say we are here to “save democracy,” the majority of people wonder why we would want to save something that is of no use to us.
We can be the party that grows the economy for working people, reforms health care to lower costs, and fixes democracy to once again benefit voters. We don't have to throw out the baby with the bathwater, but we have to stop giving ourselves a bath too.
When the New York Times article was written in 2004, the party was in dire straits. Two years after this document was written, the first woman in history became Speaker of the House of Representatives. Two years later, America elected its first black president. Two years later, the Affordable Care Act was passed.
jesse ferguson He has been a strategist and general consultant for the Democratic Party for many years.
