So, we lost.
Truthfully, I thought I would be writing a thinkpiece on who Kamala Harris should pick for her cabinet by now, but the stars didn't align.
Sure, I could go on and on about a man who has 34 felony convictions and is simply a deplorable human being, but we have heard it all before. Trump has been running for President since I entered the 5th grade, and now I am almost 21. We don’t need to tell Americans who he is, they know him real well. Enough to vote for him and give him the pseudo-award of the popular vote for the first time out of his three presidential campaigns.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them.”
A line from Senator Bernie Sanders after the election reigns true, and it’s not the first time he has raised these concerns. A man who has fought for a progressive future since he resisted arrest in 1963 during a Civil Rights protest, Sanders just gets it. He ran both in 2016 and 2020, becoming increasingly popular in the primaries with his progressive and left-leaning populist stances that many working-class people flocked to.
But hey, let’s put Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in those nomination spots, nothing could go wrong! Right? Right..?
None of the last 3 Democratic candidates were marketable to the working class, which is a big reason why I’m not writing that think piece right about now. But it was so much more than that.
We can’t focus on the past, and what could have been (even if I really want to). Except, that's exactly what the Democrats are doing. Instead of focusing on the incoming Trump administration or changing their messaging in time for the 2026 midterms and 2028 election cycle, they would rather play the blame game and come out with their qualms about this election cycle to the NYT, CNN, and even FOX News for some odd reason unbeknownst to me.
From Denial to Affirming
As Democrats take to the media to discuss the loss, they keep claiming they “saw things coming” that indicated trouble for the party in November.
So, why was this not addressed? Where was this last August when Biden announced his pursuit for reelection and the Democratic party demonized people like Dean Phillips or Cenk Uygur for saying he shouldn’t run? Or when prominent progressive content creator Hasan Piker or Hollywood's rising star Chappell Roan both declined to endorse Biden/Harris due to their stance on Israel, sparking immense backlash from Democrats? Why did they choose to stay silent, stay “loyal”, or deny the concerns of others when they claim they had internal concerns the whole time?
I guess what I’m trying to get at here is: Why did no one do anything?
The concerns surrounding the Democratic campaign were well broadcasted over the past two years. Coming out now about them is just a sad attempt to save face for the people who stood idly by that did have the power for reform. A chance to say “I knew she would lose because of Gaza!” or “I knew her messaging on the economy wasn't enough!”
No Accountability
Now you have people, like the literal Harris campaign advisors who appeared on a Pod Save America episode, blaming everything from the voters to podcasts for why Harris lost.
First off- you never blame the voter. This is Campaign Strategy 101- and it seems the Harris campaign forgot to attend this course. The electorate is not to blame for you losing, you didn’t captivate their attention enough to make them want to vote for you, and that is entirely the fault of the campaign and candidate.
Cowering to the media, funnily enough on a podcast, to denounce any sort of blame on your strategy or tactics, or even your candidate, is a surefire way to continue to be out of touch with the American public. Democrats are already seen as elitist, now you want to be seen as delusional?
The Demonization of the Left
On top of everything else, the main consensus many within the party have reached is the same as in 2016: blame the left.
This is the thing that makes me the most angry at the Democratic Party. Third-party voters and Bernie Bros did not lose you the election then, and they surely didn’t lose you the election in 2024.
I’ll scream it from the rooftops: Progressive policies are popular policies, hence why multiple red states voted to enshrine abortion rights but also gave their electoral votes to Donald Trump. Despite this, Democrats want to blame the left for being too “woke”. Tackling to the center-right on issues like crime, immigration, and the economy alienated the Democratic base while also pushing away progressives who the democrats NEED. We didn’t need another Republican in the race, and that is essentially what Harris became.
What is most disheartening is that certain Democrats are taking to the media to demonize minority groups after the loss. Politicians like Representative Seth Moulton, who said, “I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat, I’m supposed to be afraid to say that” and Representative Tom Suozzi who stated, “I don’t want to discriminate against anybody, but I don’t think biological boys should be playing in girls’ sports. Democrats aren’t saying that, and they should be.” are leading the charge. These are stereotypical right-wing attacks commonly made on transgender individuals that do nothing but harm the community that typically votes majority blue down the ballot.
Yes, the Democratic Party has a problem with identity politics. However, you can combat that with effective messaging and education, rather than shifting right-wing on issues like the LGBTQ+ community. Transgender individuals make up only a minuscule 1% of the U.S. population, yet we think this is the way forward. Give me a break.
Then, you have establishment liberals coming after progressives, like Nancy Pelosi on Sander’s comments about the working class, on television and through social media. Party in-fighting will get us nowhere, and if all of the establishment libs would wake up and realize that their way of doing politics is, and has been, long gone, maybe the Democrats wouldn’t be in the position they are now. However, that would require them to listen to up-and-coming progressives, and we all know how much Pelosi despises AOC.
The Future
I criticize the Democratic Party as much as I criticize the Republican Party because I want them to do better. Trust me, there is nothing more I would love to do than become a Democratic Party shill and fight the good fight alongside them, having something to be proud of, but that just isn’t the reality right now.
Democrats, as a party, have to reconstruct from the inside out. This includes a new DNC chair, alongside new party leadership. This also includes less taking to the media to demonize minority groups, call out progressives, and express concerns after the fact. While we’re at it, it would be nice if they could take some responsibility for the loss, too.
Until there is significant reform within the party, it's a Dem-eat-Dem world, and we're all voting for it.
Photo Credit:
[1]- Yuri Gripas | Reuters
[2]- The Sanders Institute
Sources:
[1]-
[2]-
[3]-
[4]-
[5]-
[6]-
[7]-
[8]-
[9]-
[10]-
[11]-
[12]-
[13]-
[14]-
[15]-
[16]-
Comments