Truth Bomb! The Dems are flailing b/c they do not know who they are anymore. Are they just a collection of disparate special interests all jockeying for dominance the far left the Bernie Sanders/ AOC wing or are they the Centrist Dems usually represented by Midwest Dems like Illinois Governor and Kentucky Governor? You can’t have a winning philosophy and message until you know who you are? Who are the Dems these days? I dare someone to nail THAT down! When I served in the Marine Corps, we had a running song which basically ended in I know just who I am because I’m a marine and we all had bought into a common set of purposes and values that we would live and die for. That kind of unity of purpose is completely absence in the Democratic Party. I think until they have that unity of purpose and everybody knows who the Democrats are again and what they stand for they’re not gonna become a winning political party maybe not even viable political party anymore. It was clear to me as a lifelong Democratic voter that’s the Democrats had lost that unity of identity, that unity of purpose. I think many people have recognized the issue. They’ve talked about how the Democrats left Work the working class people, the blue-collar people the people that built thing with their hands, not just with their minds. They focus too much on the college educated professional, so-called knowledge workers and the blue-collar folks felt abandoned even the union folks felt abandoned. They have always been a traditional base of the Democratic Party. You start with them and you build your way up when your policies and your messaging or not directly addressed to the majority of working class Americans you’ve lost your voting base. Both President Clinton and President Obama in their own way, and perhaps Joe Biden at one time understood this to his core. I think that’s partly why he got elected in 2020 not just to get rid of Trump because he stood for the working class America with his blue-collar roots.
Democrats know what they are not: not Nazis, not Trump minions, not racists, not sexists, not trying to sell $100 Bibles, and on and on and on. But it is easier to mock Democrats trying than to attempt to come to terms with the awfulness of this country run by white men.
No mockery just my honest comments! I desperately want to see the Democrats figure out who they are and make a comeback and stop Trump and the Maga movement!
This reminds me of the old days of Air America, when a bunch of liberals tried to organize a counter to right-wing talk radio…there wasn’t a station broadcasting it in my area, so I went and got a satellite radio, and ended up finding it so boring/stupid I used my satellite radio to listen to the BBC World Service instead. Trying to imitate Republican outlets is a dead end. Also, as you note, Rogan is more of an anti-establishment horseshoe-theory guy in terms of ideology, who was big on Bernie Sanders not that long ago. He’s MMA+comedy+alt med. If Democrats want to expand the tent they just need to find a way to not instantly right off everything that isn’t “left-coded.”
The REPUBLICANS have control of the media. They laid that ground work by getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine. Next up - Dictator Donnie attack on legacy media and getting rid of NPR and PBS. Which led to Fox News and the rest. Another example of their overall plans. They are in it for the long term. They lay the ground work and then go to work moving the Overton Window in THEIR direction with assaults on whatever it is they want. And too often the rest of America and Democrats are fighting the fire in front of them while a GIGANTIC BLAZE is starting in the back......... The questions should be - what is the REAL goal of the Republicans with this/these actions? What is the long term goal? For WAY TOO LONG Democrats and everyone else has been asleep at the wheel. Republicans just keep rolling along, they may lose at the beginning, but they do not care, because they have their eye on a long term goal..........And no one is watching............
There are so many excellent podcasters already doing an amazing job. Let’s support them!!! Support the well-known (Joy Reid, Jim Acosta, Katie Phang, MeidasTouch Network, etc.) and less well-known (Brian Tyler Cohen, Anthony Davis, Elizabeth McLaughlin, etc.). Many are ALREADY doing the work. Let’s give them our support!!
I agree with you—support them but we need to build up non-political voices like the right does and also go engage with audiences that already exist like Rogan's
If you want to *do* something, take a look at Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org/. A research, analytical based nonprofit, volunteers write to encourage the people you refer to Mike to register and vote. They provide templates for letters and good info, if a volunteer cannot afford stamps they can help you.
Many good comments and ideas. But let’s not forget that the United States has been and is in a cyber/ information war with Russia. The Republicans are winning the war with the help of Russia. Republicans have changed the old way of communication and winning elections by the use of the internet and other media by entertaining and persuading people by lies, misinformation, repetition, and showmanship.
If the democrats and the voters fail to recognize this reality, I am afraid that the democratic republic we have is in serious jeopardy!
With Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhancing the dissemination of information, (bad, good, and persuasive) the Democrats and leaders really need to use the improved technology to communicate why the Republican agenda is not good for the USA or its citizens along with the destructive consequences. ( Not with lies, misinformation, and malicious rumors).
Also the Democrats need to promote through the information technologies their ideas, solutions, and goals. I would add story pictures of what the USA and the world would look like if the Republican agenda is followed and the stories of what the USA and the World would look like if the Democratic Agenda was in place!
A very good book on the information/technology war is: “ The Road to Unfreedom” by Timothy Snider!
DUMP AND IMPEACH TRAITOR , NAZIS , FELONS, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. YES CON REPUBLICONS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS DANGEROUS, REAL, DISRUPTIVE WORLDWIDE, COSTLY, AND PREVENTABLE. STOP DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE AND FACE THE SCIENCE . DUMP THE CON RTRUMP AND CRONIES.
This is absolutely brilliant. great, thought-provoking analysis of the profound problems of the Democratic Part which I agree is not even a real political party at this point.
The Democratic Party NOW is Pete Buttigieg. In the 2020 primaries he beat everyone including Biden. Unfortunately the head of the Democratic Party asked Pete to opt out. They thought Biden was the only one to beat Trump, ignoring the poles. Pete is now campaigning & wowing everyone. Stop with the gloom & doom!
You're absolutely right. I'm still getting emails asking for money to support candidates in the 2026 election. If we wait that long we're dead. We need to start thinking WAY outside the box. The Repubs (having nothing better to do) have been strategizing to bring the likes of Project 2025 about for decades (I put it back to 1997 and talking about "we need another Pearl Harbor") but probably earlier. We need to do more reachout to red states and counties, as Bernie and AOC were doing. And all the things you say. (I like Joe Regan - I was disappointed to hear he was "red" - but you're setting me straight on that too.) Lead us on to thinking and doing differently. (One error I think - though they are causes I believe in - that we let the liberal libs lead us astray with INSISTING on abortion rights and LGBT+. A rock to die on, almost literally. More flexible, more inclusive of everyone, less non-cooperative. We HAVE to learn that we libs are a minority. You can't insist on your point of view as the only one. NO Deportations w/o judicial oversight, education, healthcare, decent wages. Probably all can agree on those things. You - KEEP TALKING!
Thank you, Mike. There is no magic bullet, just hard work. Throughout our history, our Heroes come out of nowhere.... we are all just to hungry for someone or something to calm our fears and outrage about 47.
IMHO...The Dems have such a diverse group of people, that a no one person will speak to that many people...for hours, like Joe Rogan and have solid listeners stay tuned. I already subscribe to more Substacks than I can possibly read or listen to, because I am trying to support Independent Journalism. Except for maybe Scott Galloway, Raging Moderates and The Pivot, I don't listen to long podcasts...and Scott, Kara and Jessica are not only talking politics. I click on a Stubstack and it is an hour and 20 minutes, I am probably not going to listen to it, or I will fast forward through a lot it. If it 20 minutes or less, I might, depending on the subject and guest. But that is just me.
Like Mike said...grassroots collective actions are what we need...no magic wand, just hard work
I do the exact same thing. Can't listen to long podcasts. Just read as many Substacks and subscribe to the ones with which I identify. But even if all of us reading Substacks were counted, we're not the ones the Democrats aren't reaching. The RW media ecosystem is all powerful. And the MSM is complicit. All are owned by the oligarchs.
Mike, the GOP is flooding youtube with testimonials from MAGA supporters about the benefits of passing the "big, beautiful bill." The Dems need to mount a counterstrike.
Truth Bomb! The Dems are flailing b/c they do not know who they are anymore. Are they just a collection of disparate special interests all jockeying for dominance the far left the Bernie Sanders/ AOC wing or are they the Centrist Dems usually represented by Midwest Dems like Illinois Governor and Kentucky Governor? You can’t have a winning philosophy and message until you know who you are? Who are the Dems these days? I dare someone to nail THAT down! When I served in the Marine Corps, we had a running song which basically ended in I know just who I am because I’m a marine and we all had bought into a common set of purposes and values that we would live and die for. That kind of unity of purpose is completely absence in the Democratic Party. I think until they have that unity of purpose and everybody knows who the Democrats are again and what they stand for they’re not gonna become a winning political party maybe not even viable political party anymore. It was clear to me as a lifelong Democratic voter that’s the Democrats had lost that unity of identity, that unity of purpose. I think many people have recognized the issue. They’ve talked about how the Democrats left Work the working class people, the blue-collar people the people that built thing with their hands, not just with their minds. They focus too much on the college educated professional, so-called knowledge workers and the blue-collar folks felt abandoned even the union folks felt abandoned. They have always been a traditional base of the Democratic Party. You start with them and you build your way up when your policies and your messaging or not directly addressed to the majority of working class Americans you’ve lost your voting base. Both President Clinton and President Obama in their own way, and perhaps Joe Biden at one time understood this to his core. I think that’s partly why he got elected in 2020 not just to get rid of Trump because he stood for the working class America with his blue-collar roots.
Democrats know what they are not: not Nazis, not Trump minions, not racists, not sexists, not trying to sell $100 Bibles, and on and on and on. But it is easier to mock Democrats trying than to attempt to come to terms with the awfulness of this country run by white men.
No mockery just my honest comments! I desperately want to see the Democrats figure out who they are and make a comeback and stop Trump and the Maga movement!
We are friends not enemies’
This reminds me of the old days of Air America, when a bunch of liberals tried to organize a counter to right-wing talk radio…there wasn’t a station broadcasting it in my area, so I went and got a satellite radio, and ended up finding it so boring/stupid I used my satellite radio to listen to the BBC World Service instead. Trying to imitate Republican outlets is a dead end. Also, as you note, Rogan is more of an anti-establishment horseshoe-theory guy in terms of ideology, who was big on Bernie Sanders not that long ago. He’s MMA+comedy+alt med. If Democrats want to expand the tent they just need to find a way to not instantly right off everything that isn’t “left-coded.”
Yeah Rogan is all over the place (as are more Americans than you would expect!)
Also Air America is a perfect example of the problem here.
Thans.
The REPUBLICANS have control of the media. They laid that ground work by getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine. Next up - Dictator Donnie attack on legacy media and getting rid of NPR and PBS. Which led to Fox News and the rest. Another example of their overall plans. They are in it for the long term. They lay the ground work and then go to work moving the Overton Window in THEIR direction with assaults on whatever it is they want. And too often the rest of America and Democrats are fighting the fire in front of them while a GIGANTIC BLAZE is starting in the back......... The questions should be - what is the REAL goal of the Republicans with this/these actions? What is the long term goal? For WAY TOO LONG Democrats and everyone else has been asleep at the wheel. Republicans just keep rolling along, they may lose at the beginning, but they do not care, because they have their eye on a long term goal..........And no one is watching............
And don't forget RW radio. As people drive to work that's what they listen to.
There are so many excellent podcasters already doing an amazing job. Let’s support them!!! Support the well-known (Joy Reid, Jim Acosta, Katie Phang, MeidasTouch Network, etc.) and less well-known (Brian Tyler Cohen, Anthony Davis, Elizabeth McLaughlin, etc.). Many are ALREADY doing the work. Let’s give them our support!!
I agree with you—support them but we need to build up non-political voices like the right does and also go engage with audiences that already exist like Rogan's
That’s what I have been trying to tell my friends who keep sharing Joe’s links. So frustrating. Joe cannot be trusted at all, period.
I’ve enjoyed a few episode. He obviously veers off into la la land and says crazy shit. But we don’t need a liberal version of him.
If you want to *do* something, take a look at Vote Forward: https://votefwd.org/. A research, analytical based nonprofit, volunteers write to encourage the people you refer to Mike to register and vote. They provide templates for letters and good info, if a volunteer cannot afford stamps they can help you.
I will take a look, thanks Pat
Many good comments and ideas. But let’s not forget that the United States has been and is in a cyber/ information war with Russia. The Republicans are winning the war with the help of Russia. Republicans have changed the old way of communication and winning elections by the use of the internet and other media by entertaining and persuading people by lies, misinformation, repetition, and showmanship.
If the democrats and the voters fail to recognize this reality, I am afraid that the democratic republic we have is in serious jeopardy!
With Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhancing the dissemination of information, (bad, good, and persuasive) the Democrats and leaders really need to use the improved technology to communicate why the Republican agenda is not good for the USA or its citizens along with the destructive consequences. ( Not with lies, misinformation, and malicious rumors).
Also the Democrats need to promote through the information technologies their ideas, solutions, and goals. I would add story pictures of what the USA and the world would look like if the Republican agenda is followed and the stories of what the USA and the World would look like if the Democratic Agenda was in place!
A very good book on the information/technology war is: “ The Road to Unfreedom” by Timothy Snider!
DUMP AND IMPEACH TRAITOR , NAZIS , FELONS, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. YES CON REPUBLICONS, CLIMATE CHANGE IS DANGEROUS, REAL, DISRUPTIVE WORLDWIDE, COSTLY, AND PREVENTABLE. STOP DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE AND FACE THE SCIENCE . DUMP THE CON RTRUMP AND CRONIES.
This is absolutely brilliant. great, thought-provoking analysis of the profound problems of the Democratic Part which I agree is not even a real political party at this point.
I think it's still very much a party and will find it's footing but appreciate the comment
The Democratic Party NOW is Pete Buttigieg. In the 2020 primaries he beat everyone including Biden. Unfortunately the head of the Democratic Party asked Pete to opt out. They thought Biden was the only one to beat Trump, ignoring the poles. Pete is now campaigning & wowing everyone. Stop with the gloom & doom!
Campaigning, campaigning- trudging through the New Hampshire snow. I have done my part starting in 2016.
You're absolutely right. I'm still getting emails asking for money to support candidates in the 2026 election. If we wait that long we're dead. We need to start thinking WAY outside the box. The Repubs (having nothing better to do) have been strategizing to bring the likes of Project 2025 about for decades (I put it back to 1997 and talking about "we need another Pearl Harbor") but probably earlier. We need to do more reachout to red states and counties, as Bernie and AOC were doing. And all the things you say. (I like Joe Regan - I was disappointed to hear he was "red" - but you're setting me straight on that too.) Lead us on to thinking and doing differently. (One error I think - though they are causes I believe in - that we let the liberal libs lead us astray with INSISTING on abortion rights and LGBT+. A rock to die on, almost literally. More flexible, more inclusive of everyone, less non-cooperative. We HAVE to learn that we libs are a minority. You can't insist on your point of view as the only one. NO Deportations w/o judicial oversight, education, healthcare, decent wages. Probably all can agree on those things. You - KEEP TALKING!
Thank you, Mike. There is no magic bullet, just hard work. Throughout our history, our Heroes come out of nowhere.... we are all just to hungry for someone or something to calm our fears and outrage about 47.
IMHO...The Dems have such a diverse group of people, that a no one person will speak to that many people...for hours, like Joe Rogan and have solid listeners stay tuned. I already subscribe to more Substacks than I can possibly read or listen to, because I am trying to support Independent Journalism. Except for maybe Scott Galloway, Raging Moderates and The Pivot, I don't listen to long podcasts...and Scott, Kara and Jessica are not only talking politics. I click on a Stubstack and it is an hour and 20 minutes, I am probably not going to listen to it, or I will fast forward through a lot it. If it 20 minutes or less, I might, depending on the subject and guest. But that is just me.
Like Mike said...grassroots collective actions are what we need...no magic wand, just hard work
I am a big Galloway fan fwiw
I do the exact same thing. Can't listen to long podcasts. Just read as many Substacks and subscribe to the ones with which I identify. But even if all of us reading Substacks were counted, we're not the ones the Democrats aren't reaching. The RW media ecosystem is all powerful. And the MSM is complicit. All are owned by the oligarchs.
Joe Rogan is wick licking yathzee like the rest of Maga thwy all in this together
Couldn't agree more
Great post! I included it on a list of good perspectives on what Dems need to do now: https://epolitics.substack.com/p/ten-good-perspectives-what-democratic
Mike, the GOP is flooding youtube with testimonials from MAGA supporters about the benefits of passing the "big, beautiful bill." The Dems need to mount a counterstrike.