I’ve been tough on the Democratic Party this week to the point some may wonder whether I’m a Republican. I’m not. I’m an independent. Not right- or left-leaning. Just pretty much straight down the middle. I think each party has some things right. I think each party has some things wrong. Working on this site the past few years has only reenforced that for me which is why, even though the winner of this election tried to steal the last one and even though his running mate called me a latent sociopath, I’m being hard on Democrats.
Because this loss was foreseeable. Maybe not the extent of it, but certainly the reality of it. And if it was foreseeable, it was avoidable. Ruy Teixeira, co-author of 2004’s “The Emerging Democratic Majority” and its recent anti-sequel “Where Have All the Democrats Gone?” has been begging his party to focus less on progressive priorities and more on voters’ concerns for years. Prior to Trump’s resurgence, A.B. Stoddard was doing the same (one such column of hers was an inspiration for this site). But, with a few notable exceptions, the party didn’t listen to them. President Biden singlehandedly forgave billions in student debt, a move that undoubtedly infuriated blue collar parents who had just finished paying their kids’ college tuition at the expense of their own retirements. Democrats in Congress passed and Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which in a private setting Biden admitted was misnamed because it had nothing to do with fixing inflation. Here’s a tip. Not even a pro tip. Just a goes-without-saying tip. When voters say, “Fix this problem,” don’t slap “Problem Fixer” on unrelated legislation and expect voters to swoon with gratitude. Also, don’t tell them the border isn’t an issue when it is, high prices are a vibes problem when they aren’t, and the president is fit to run for office when you’re scared someone might see him walking. None of this inspires trust among the electorate.
Democrats thought they had voters cornered because the only alternative was Trump. But if your pitch is you’re the honest adult in the room, you have to be the honest adult in the room. Democrats didn’t live up to that, and now they’ve been shown the door. It didn’t have to be this way.