Vincent Oriedo, a biotechnology scientist, had just such a question. What lessons have been learned, he asked, from Harris’s defeat in this vital swing county in a crucial battleground state that voted for Joe Biden four years ago, and how are the Democrats applying them?
“They did not answer the question,” he said.
“It tells me that they haven’t learned the lessons and they have their inner state of denial. I’ve been paying careful attention to the influencers within the Democratic party. Their discussions have centred around, ‘If only we messaged better, if only we had a better candidate, if only we did all these superficial things.’ There is really a lack of understanding that they are losing their base, losing constituencies they are taking for granted.”
“We have set ourselves up for generational loss because we keep promoting from within leaders that that do not criticise the moneyed interests. They refuse to take a hard look at what Americans actually believe and meet those needs.”
I admit I just don’t see a path forward.
Is inflation the reason they’re upset at Democrats? The US had one of the lowest rates of inflation amongst the G7 (especially with food). Corporate greed drove much of the increase. Republicans are intent on removing any possible regulation that protects consumers, Democrats did what they could via the FTC, since they didn’t have enough senate seats to pass any meaningful regulatory laws.
Is wage inequality the reason? Reaganomics is the primary reason for that, Republicans have been blocking every possible improvement for it via control of the senate and the filibuster.
Is it Israel? Certainly I can see that one, but Republicans have been responsible for devastating Iraq and Afghanistan, and will probably walk us into a conflict with Iran.
What messaging can the democrats do that would overcome the unrelenting right wing propaganda machines? What policies can they adopt that they don’t already have? I just don’t see a way to reach voters like the ones in this article.
Nothing mf, this is presidential politics. You just get lucky at the right time with the right circumstances. Obama is literally the only president in the 21st Century to have a legit election victory in 2012. No Close margins like 00 or 24, no Iraq War Patriotism, no recession, no Bernie Bros hiring his campaign, no Covid. 2012 was just straight up policy.
Other than that, the parties just have to wait their turn for this polarized country to swing their direction again.