DC based democratic strategists in my experience have almost NO KNOWLEDGE or connection to what is going on at the grass roots in middle America. Clueless, uncaring, deep in the DC trap on going along with status quo. Following this thinking will only lead the US further down the fascist path.
yes. well said. they all have each others backs and will never stand up and be counted as being 'of the people, for the people'....they all are just ensuring the can continue to make money by talking as if they know what they are talking about....and combined with the 'pollsters' they continue to prove they are a complete waste of time...
Problem is, the only one on Mike’s list who meets that criterion is AOC. Personally I’d love to see her run and win, but of that list she’s also the one who would be attacked most mercilessly by both the Republicans and “mainstream” Democrats.
Agreed. Plus I think misogyny is incredibly prevalent in America - otherwise how could Trump get elected twice, beating a woman both times? I’m not sure what kind of Democrat woman would be “acceptable” especially to white voters, the majority of which preferred the most disgusting and corrupt man to ever run for president.
Thank you - I totally agree with your title, your argument, and your short list.
However I also really admire and support KY Gov Andy Beshear. And he is everything you say we don't need right now! Excited to see what happens - above all we sure do need a wide open competitive process - that will be thrilling!!
I appreciate this argument but I refuse to blame the Democratic party and its leaders for the failures of the American people. No rationally thinking person could have seen the two options for president in '24 and voted for Trump or stayed home. Anyone who did that failed the country. Democracy is not about perfect choices; it's about pragmatic choices. The electorate had time and opportunity to listen and think in '24; too many refused. Until we face the tremendous civic, social, and intellectual decay in our culture, we will continue to degrade as a democratic republic. The problem starts at the root, not at the top.
If a straight white guy happens to be the one who is able to connect with Americans in an authentic way, then so be it. It's not bad to run a straight white guy, the point is that it's not necessary.
AOC is clearly different because she is backed by a well thought out strategy with spreadsheets and facts.
what the hell do the others have???? just talk talk talk.
pete is particularly boring with his middle of the road approach to everything...no definite strategy other than 'talk'....but it is nice that he is getting around (tho prolly just talking to a few staged dem meeting attendees)... like all politicians he wants to be surrounded by ppl who 'agree' with and approve of his approach.... he's one of those who has NEVER responded to any email or letter i send.
pritzker is only fired up since ivestapo deployed to chicago. where was he before. how 'establishment' is he?
has osoff condemned israeli fascism? has he really stood up for the palestinians against israeli war cimes? nope. he ain't anything different from the standard boring dem politician who will never rock the sinking boat of useless and out of touch dems... IMHO 😱😊
half your home was seized and given to a refugee family from some war-torn area of the world.
no payment or compensation to you - even though you are the legal owner and occupier of your home for mannnny generations.
the refugees are not prepared to pay you or respect you and your rights. and they start taking possession of more rooms in your house and even more of your yard…
you gonna turn around and say ‘ok’ or like anyone else (especially americans) you fight them legally and physically?
well…the house belonged to palestinian arab muslims for generations, and YOU have the audacity to say they have no right to keep fighting to get their home back. the owners of the house are to blame for not accepting the refugee squatters?
no american would put up with that…but you think palestinians should? sounds like bigotted racism eh?
seriously….. you are full of it and. totally uneducated in terms of the history of the region….
Stop projecting and read what I actually wrote. I said NOTHING about settlers stealing property from non-Jewish residents. You want to blame Israel for everything. My comment is that Palestinians haven't engaged when they could have.
And how many years now has Mr. Abbas' 4 year term in charge of the PLO lasted? Maybe you need to re-examine some things from an unbiased perspective.
Sen. Mark Kelly: It's not that we need a straight white guy, hero, military veteran to win. But it certainly wouldn't hurt. And I have not seen him betray Democratic principles at any time. His integrity is unquestionable, which I think is critical, plus, Arizona is a must-win swing state. He's also very smart, which may not be much of a bonus, though, in US national politics.
I totally agree with you Mike; in fact, that very thinking is a BIG part of why the Democrats will lose. By the end of the convention in 2025, I was already thinking of Kamala as the president. But then I saw a very different Kamala on the campaign trail than at the convention. it seemed the “adults in the room” got to her! There’s no doubt that, even with a highly shortened campaign period, she could have won—IF those old-thinking, embracing the 40-year-old strategies, “white guys” just stepped back. We’re in a very different time that requires a very different strategy—and they just don’t get it.
If you have not been repeatedly surprised by how sexist and racist U.S. voters are, starting in November 2016, then you've been living under a rock for a decade.
Talk to people. You're clearly not doing that enough.
What do you get for pretending the danger's not real?
There's not just the matter of a candidate catching fire with the good guys, but also the not-so-small matter of finding a candidate that doesn't antagonize the baddies into coming out to vote too.
Spite and retribution are powerful motivators.
"I am your retribution." ~ Donald Trump
"I can't even afford to be seen talking with you." ~ Sen. Coburn to Obama
What we need to do is collectively pick one person, by means of a primary, and then EVERY DEMOCRAT get behind that choice, even if it wasn't the one you wanted. VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO. This may well be MOOT if we don't have a free and fair midterm, or if we lose the midterm. So let's work on THAT, first.
Mike, I applaud your willingness to look at yourself and face the hard truths. You've done a great service to democracy.
But I fear you aren't factoring in a HUGE part of the puzzle as to why Dems had such a hard time: the media. For the vast majority of Americans, their only sources of information come from TV news and social media. And in most of the country, outside the big metro areas, the TV news is owned by right-wing companies like Sinclair. And obviously, Meta and X are owned by oligarchs Zuckerberg and Musk. Add in the traditional pro-status-quo, both-sides journalism that has even the big news media by the short hairs, and you begin to see why so many people appear to be living in an alternate reality. Foreigners who come here (back when that was a normal thing to do, anyway) are shocked at how propagandized Americans are.
We have to bring back something like the Fairness Doctrine, expanded to cover cable. We have to break up the big tech and media monopolies, and put in place public versions of social media, just like we did for radio and TV.
But in the short term, the Dems have to first recognize the reality of our current media landscape, and take a page from the GOP's playbook, by supporting good leftist content creators and going on the offensive with our messaging, instead of always playing defense and letting the GOP set the narrative.
Down here in the South I keep hearing how Mamdani can’t win here. And HE probably doesn’t win but that doesn’t mean his CAMPAIGN can’t. Madani did what nobody thought possible — beat not one but BOTH of the candidates assumed to be the “real race”, and doing it convincingly. How? By getting down in the weeds where your problems are, and figuring out which ones could be solved now, and how to do that, which ones would have to have help and where to get that, and which ones were going to end up on the wish list for later. And then…
He started DOING it. Which, sure, only DIRECTLY benefits the people in NYC, but outside of that jurisdiction it proves that this shit can get done if there’s somebody with the chutzpah to make it happen. He exposed the lie that nothing can get done in our political system for what it really is — a lack of political will. And now every excuse will be measured against that accomplishment.
DC based democratic strategists in my experience have almost NO KNOWLEDGE or connection to what is going on at the grass roots in middle America. Clueless, uncaring, deep in the DC trap on going along with status quo. Following this thinking will only lead the US further down the fascist path.
A lot of them are actually really good IMHO, I just think there's lazy reductive thinking that sinks in quickly and this is reflective of that
So are you saying they do have the knowledge but they just don't care?
yes. well said. they all have each others backs and will never stand up and be counted as being 'of the people, for the people'....they all are just ensuring the can continue to make money by talking as if they know what they are talking about....and combined with the 'pollsters' they continue to prove they are a complete waste of time...
lazy = useless.
stop supporting ur fellow useless 'strategists'...
Much of America is barely scraping by and unless you’ve experienced that or been close to people who have, you’re probably going to sound fake.
Agreed
Problem is, the only one on Mike’s list who meets that criterion is AOC. Personally I’d love to see her run and win, but of that list she’s also the one who would be attacked most mercilessly by both the Republicans and “mainstream” Democrats.
Agreed. Plus I think misogyny is incredibly prevalent in America - otherwise how could Trump get elected twice, beating a woman both times? I’m not sure what kind of Democrat woman would be “acceptable” especially to white voters, the majority of which preferred the most disgusting and corrupt man to ever run for president.
love ur response.... we are fellow travellers 😊
Thank you - I totally agree with your title, your argument, and your short list.
However I also really admire and support KY Gov Andy Beshear. And he is everything you say we don't need right now! Excited to see what happens - above all we sure do need a wide open competitive process - that will be thrilling!!
I am not saying it won't or shouldn't be a white guy
I am just saying we shouldn't reject candidates who aren't
I understand - we don't want to get trapped by the tired old horrible broken down clueless Democrat machine. So right. Thank you!
I appreciate this argument but I refuse to blame the Democratic party and its leaders for the failures of the American people. No rationally thinking person could have seen the two options for president in '24 and voted for Trump or stayed home. Anyone who did that failed the country. Democracy is not about perfect choices; it's about pragmatic choices. The electorate had time and opportunity to listen and think in '24; too many refused. Until we face the tremendous civic, social, and intellectual decay in our culture, we will continue to degrade as a democratic republic. The problem starts at the root, not at the top.
Mike, as it’s really not that far off, who do you see as a good presidential candidate(s) and why?
I think we have a lot of really good candidates and I am excited to see them duke it out
I am probably most excited about Pete, Pritzker, AOC, Ossoff. They're doing and saying interesting stuff IMHO.
Ossoff especially has impressed me lately.
Yes! His speeches have really rocked me. That is the type of voice we need right now.
Straight white guy!
If a straight white guy happens to be the one who is able to connect with Americans in an authentic way, then so be it. It's not bad to run a straight white guy, the point is that it's not necessary.
All things being equal the straight white guy has a better chance of winning. Unless the candidate in question is an Obama level talent.
Sure, but refusing to take even small risks is how we got into this situation in the first place.
AOC is clearly different because she is backed by a well thought out strategy with spreadsheets and facts.
what the hell do the others have???? just talk talk talk.
pete is particularly boring with his middle of the road approach to everything...no definite strategy other than 'talk'....but it is nice that he is getting around (tho prolly just talking to a few staged dem meeting attendees)... like all politicians he wants to be surrounded by ppl who 'agree' with and approve of his approach.... he's one of those who has NEVER responded to any email or letter i send.
pritzker is only fired up since ivestapo deployed to chicago. where was he before. how 'establishment' is he?
has osoff condemned israeli fascism? has he really stood up for the palestinians against israeli war cimes? nope. he ain't anything different from the standard boring dem politician who will never rock the sinking boat of useless and out of touch dems... IMHO 😱😊
Your Palestinians have had numerous chances to make peace since 1948. They've always blown it. It can't all be hung on Israel.
so here's the thing…. imagine if…
half your home was seized and given to a refugee family from some war-torn area of the world.
no payment or compensation to you - even though you are the legal owner and occupier of your home for mannnny generations.
the refugees are not prepared to pay you or respect you and your rights. and they start taking possession of more rooms in your house and even more of your yard…
you gonna turn around and say ‘ok’ or like anyone else (especially americans) you fight them legally and physically?
well…the house belonged to palestinian arab muslims for generations, and YOU have the audacity to say they have no right to keep fighting to get their home back. the owners of the house are to blame for not accepting the refugee squatters?
no american would put up with that…but you think palestinians should? sounds like bigotted racism eh?
seriously….. you are full of it and. totally uneducated in terms of the history of the region….
Stop projecting and read what I actually wrote. I said NOTHING about settlers stealing property from non-Jewish residents. You want to blame Israel for everything. My comment is that Palestinians haven't engaged when they could have.
And how many years now has Mr. Abbas' 4 year term in charge of the PLO lasted? Maybe you need to re-examine some things from an unbiased perspective.
Mike, do you think Rep. Raskin would consider running? Or is he better off as USAG?
No idea but I like Raskin a lot
Sen. Mark Kelly: It's not that we need a straight white guy, hero, military veteran to win. But it certainly wouldn't hurt. And I have not seen him betray Democratic principles at any time. His integrity is unquestionable, which I think is critical, plus, Arizona is a must-win swing state. He's also very smart, which may not be much of a bonus, though, in US national politics.
We have to appeal to the younger generation, and what their concerns and goals are. The youth are our future.
I totally agree with you Mike; in fact, that very thinking is a BIG part of why the Democrats will lose. By the end of the convention in 2025, I was already thinking of Kamala as the president. But then I saw a very different Kamala on the campaign trail than at the convention. it seemed the “adults in the room” got to her! There’s no doubt that, even with a highly shortened campaign period, she could have won—IF those old-thinking, embracing the 40-year-old strategies, “white guys” just stepped back. We’re in a very different time that requires a very different strategy—and they just don’t get it.
Is anyone investigating the Elon Musk election interference angle to the Harris loss?
Thank you!
Plus all those Russian bomb threats at polling places.
And all those ballot dropboxes that got set on fire.
Yes!! Bring on a messy, massive primary. Let the voters decide after hearing from the candidates who speaks to or for them.
Is that a luxury we can afford?
If you have not been repeatedly surprised by how sexist and racist U.S. voters are, starting in November 2016, then you've been living under a rock for a decade.
Talk to people. You're clearly not doing that enough.
What do you get for pretending the danger's not real?
How many times do we have to make this mistake?
I agree we need to see what candidate catches fire and not presuppose what “type” of candidate will.
There's not just the matter of a candidate catching fire with the good guys, but also the not-so-small matter of finding a candidate that doesn't antagonize the baddies into coming out to vote too.
Spite and retribution are powerful motivators.
"I am your retribution." ~ Donald Trump
"I can't even afford to be seen talking with you." ~ Sen. Coburn to Obama
What we need to do is collectively pick one person, by means of a primary, and then EVERY DEMOCRAT get behind that choice, even if it wasn't the one you wanted. VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO. This may well be MOOT if we don't have a free and fair midterm, or if we lose the midterm. So let's work on THAT, first.
Why was I automatically subscribed to this newsletter? This is bland and uninsightful.
Yeah, why were you? You are clearly on the wrong page.
I don't why you were added Dave, but I will remove you. Thank you.
Mike, I applaud your willingness to look at yourself and face the hard truths. You've done a great service to democracy.
But I fear you aren't factoring in a HUGE part of the puzzle as to why Dems had such a hard time: the media. For the vast majority of Americans, their only sources of information come from TV news and social media. And in most of the country, outside the big metro areas, the TV news is owned by right-wing companies like Sinclair. And obviously, Meta and X are owned by oligarchs Zuckerberg and Musk. Add in the traditional pro-status-quo, both-sides journalism that has even the big news media by the short hairs, and you begin to see why so many people appear to be living in an alternate reality. Foreigners who come here (back when that was a normal thing to do, anyway) are shocked at how propagandized Americans are.
We have to bring back something like the Fairness Doctrine, expanded to cover cable. We have to break up the big tech and media monopolies, and put in place public versions of social media, just like we did for radio and TV.
But in the short term, the Dems have to first recognize the reality of our current media landscape, and take a page from the GOP's playbook, by supporting good leftist content creators and going on the offensive with our messaging, instead of always playing defense and letting the GOP set the narrative.
Down here in the South I keep hearing how Mamdani can’t win here. And HE probably doesn’t win but that doesn’t mean his CAMPAIGN can’t. Madani did what nobody thought possible — beat not one but BOTH of the candidates assumed to be the “real race”, and doing it convincingly. How? By getting down in the weeds where your problems are, and figuring out which ones could be solved now, and how to do that, which ones would have to have help and where to get that, and which ones were going to end up on the wish list for later. And then…
He started DOING it. Which, sure, only DIRECTLY benefits the people in NYC, but outside of that jurisdiction it proves that this shit can get done if there’s somebody with the chutzpah to make it happen. He exposed the lie that nothing can get done in our political system for what it really is — a lack of political will. And now every excuse will be measured against that accomplishment.
I don’t know if you read Brian Karem’s Substack or not, but the had a guy on back in … mid November I think? (checks notes, yeah November 17) named Daryl Davis, known in some circles as The Klan Whisperer. (Which is a fascinating back story, but I’ll let him tell it if you’re interested. https://brianjkarem.substack.com/p/canceling-cancel-culture?r=9xbtu&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web×tamp=196.4)
Anyway, his thesis is that
Every human being:
* Wants to be loved
* Wants to be respected
* Wants to be heard
* Wants to be treated fairly and truthfully
* Wants the same things for their family that you want for yours
And if you can navigate your way through those 5 core values, you can win over anybody.
And when a Black man who’s talked over 200 Klan members out of their robes gives me his strategy for doing it, I’m-a listen.