For a different perspective on Mamdani, check out Jennifer Rubin’s post this AM on The Contrarian. Washington Post readers will recall that Rubin, formerly a generic old-timey Republican, became the most prominent anti-Trump op-ed writer in the Post’s stable. She also was the first of a series of respected Post writers to resign after Jeff Bezos became too cowardly to oppose Trump. Check it out. Small subscription required, I think. Her theory is that NYC voters, the most diverse in the nation and increasingly dominated by millennials,etc, will elect Mamdani simply because he is a peer, a master of social media and unafraid of taking on the rich, old, white peer group that runs the city. It’s a good read from a different perspective.
The GOP are the radicals. They have formed the most anti-democratic coalition in American history including the neo-reactionary billionaire class, neo-confederates and neo-Nazis. From the violent insurrection at the Capitol to their attempts to steal the 2020 election to the trashing of the Constitution by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the GOP has mounted a multi-pronged assault on democracy. Yet Democrats have so far done little to make a case against the radical right. The No Kings protests revealed the fact that rank and file Democrats, Independents and even disillusioned Republicans recognize the threat posed by the radical MAGA GOP while the Democratic establishment lags behind, out of touch with the reality of the situation.
Lots of good in this article but key points demonstrate the exact reason democrats are losing - messaging like this! A guy from rural Maine that joined the military out of high school got a tattoo. The guy was a child and they do very dumb stuff especially when they are immersed in life and death situations. He has owned it. I have great respect for him. I grew up in rural America and it is nothing like Raleigh or Charlotte even 20 years ago. . If you’re looking for perfection in the age of social media then democrats are doomed because we’ll basically continue to sell out our own. Let’s face it every republican I know has had no problem with racism and sexism and their leaders are so emboldened now that the media just brushes it off as normal after republicans in most cases never apologize. They have no consequences but democrats do, no matter if they openly admit wrong. The other issue is we have clearly seen two types of socialism playing out with government funded supports, those for working class and poor and those for corporations. Unfortunately democrats can’t seem to find a way to make voters understand. MAGA knows exactly how to frame their messaging. Unfortunately MAGA will need to be in power for another decade or so and burn it to the ground like the Nazis because democrats aren’t capable of convincing voters that they are the better choice.
It’s long past time Democrats ask before an election, “Who wants to run for office?” and, instead, seek out, encourage and support individuals with true Democratic values and the viability to run a competitive campaign. That’s how we start winning again.
Lee Atwater said Perception is reality,” a phrase that underscores his belief in shaping public opinion regardless of factual accuracy. I see these two holding hands as poster boys for the Atwater rule.
The Tucker's changed defense is remarkable gaslighting. He's been telegraphing this trajectory for years, from the Great Replacement rhetoric to the Darryl Cooper interview to finally calling Fuentes the most honest popular historian. The Heritage Foundation didn't suddenly change either, they just ran out of plausible deniability. Your point about Democrats needing to learn from this is critical. The Maine Senate race with Platner is exactly the kind of compromise that turns into a crisis later. When the only options are a 77 year old with mid approval ratings or someone with a Nazi tatoo who thinks apologizing is enough, the party's vetting process has failed spectacularly.
This is good as usual but I have two points. First, on the subject of Maine I agree with you. The depressing problem is that I see this issue less about Planter and Mills and more about the nationalization of politics. Planter has good policies, and personal problems. But he is a major candidate in Maine precisely because he captured national attention and with it, national dollars. Mills is a former governor but her entree to the race was entirely at the urging of Schumer and the national party leadership.
And yet there are two other Democratic candidates in the race: Jordan Wood (who lives in Maine but used to work on the hill for Katie Porter) and David Costello (who appears to have run before). The nationalization of state politics means that outside money is making this a two horse race before any debates have been had and depriving the people of Maine, indeed all of us, of a broad choice. That same national money seems to be what drives people like Michelle Morrow as well since she can capture the zeitgeist online by promising executions without ever having the understand the state.
On the subject of socialism though I'm not sure I can agree. First, while the term may be broadly negative for many voters that is definitely not true in New York and that is where Mandami is running. You are right that his embrace of the label would be toxic in North Carolina, but unless or until he tries running in North Carolina I think that point is moot. No doubt the national Democrats do want him to avoid the label, but their presumption that you should run the most bland talking-point heavy abundatist everywhere lest you face a negative ad anywhere has never been a real winner. After all these are the same people who claimed that Harris' media approach would coast to victory, Hillary Clinton too. Neither one would have touched socialism with a rad suit.
Second, I don't think the term is as toxic as it once was. Mandami's kind of socialist policies (free busses healthcare etc.) are quite popular even with Republicans which is why you see even Trump touting some of it. At the same time younger voters are no longer opposed to it and since the last election voters 44 and below make up an equal share of the electorate to those above per the Census bureau. This is why Republican donors are rushing to capture media outlets like TikTok and Twitter so they can shape the views of the young. While younger voters currently approve of socialism and taxing the rich they expect that can be changed.
At this point I don't see Mandami's label to be the biggest threat to Democrats or to Democracy, or even Grahm Planter's tattoo. The threat I see is from weaponized algorithms and botnets of the kind A1Z is investing in.
For a different perspective on Mamdani, check out Jennifer Rubin’s post this AM on The Contrarian. Washington Post readers will recall that Rubin, formerly a generic old-timey Republican, became the most prominent anti-Trump op-ed writer in the Post’s stable. She also was the first of a series of respected Post writers to resign after Jeff Bezos became too cowardly to oppose Trump. Check it out. Small subscription required, I think. Her theory is that NYC voters, the most diverse in the nation and increasingly dominated by millennials,etc, will elect Mamdani simply because he is a peer, a master of social media and unafraid of taking on the rich, old, white peer group that runs the city. It’s a good read from a different perspective.
The GOP are the radicals. They have formed the most anti-democratic coalition in American history including the neo-reactionary billionaire class, neo-confederates and neo-Nazis. From the violent insurrection at the Capitol to their attempts to steal the 2020 election to the trashing of the Constitution by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, the GOP has mounted a multi-pronged assault on democracy. Yet Democrats have so far done little to make a case against the radical right. The No Kings protests revealed the fact that rank and file Democrats, Independents and even disillusioned Republicans recognize the threat posed by the radical MAGA GOP while the Democratic establishment lags behind, out of touch with the reality of the situation.
Lots of good in this article but key points demonstrate the exact reason democrats are losing - messaging like this! A guy from rural Maine that joined the military out of high school got a tattoo. The guy was a child and they do very dumb stuff especially when they are immersed in life and death situations. He has owned it. I have great respect for him. I grew up in rural America and it is nothing like Raleigh or Charlotte even 20 years ago. . If you’re looking for perfection in the age of social media then democrats are doomed because we’ll basically continue to sell out our own. Let’s face it every republican I know has had no problem with racism and sexism and their leaders are so emboldened now that the media just brushes it off as normal after republicans in most cases never apologize. They have no consequences but democrats do, no matter if they openly admit wrong. The other issue is we have clearly seen two types of socialism playing out with government funded supports, those for working class and poor and those for corporations. Unfortunately democrats can’t seem to find a way to make voters understand. MAGA knows exactly how to frame their messaging. Unfortunately MAGA will need to be in power for another decade or so and burn it to the ground like the Nazis because democrats aren’t capable of convincing voters that they are the better choice.
It’s long past time Democrats ask before an election, “Who wants to run for office?” and, instead, seek out, encourage and support individuals with true Democratic values and the viability to run a competitive campaign. That’s how we start winning again.
Lee Atwater said Perception is reality,” a phrase that underscores his belief in shaping public opinion regardless of factual accuracy. I see these two holding hands as poster boys for the Atwater rule.
The Tucker's changed defense is remarkable gaslighting. He's been telegraphing this trajectory for years, from the Great Replacement rhetoric to the Darryl Cooper interview to finally calling Fuentes the most honest popular historian. The Heritage Foundation didn't suddenly change either, they just ran out of plausible deniability. Your point about Democrats needing to learn from this is critical. The Maine Senate race with Platner is exactly the kind of compromise that turns into a crisis later. When the only options are a 77 year old with mid approval ratings or someone with a Nazi tatoo who thinks apologizing is enough, the party's vetting process has failed spectacularly.
This is good as usual but I have two points. First, on the subject of Maine I agree with you. The depressing problem is that I see this issue less about Planter and Mills and more about the nationalization of politics. Planter has good policies, and personal problems. But he is a major candidate in Maine precisely because he captured national attention and with it, national dollars. Mills is a former governor but her entree to the race was entirely at the urging of Schumer and the national party leadership.
And yet there are two other Democratic candidates in the race: Jordan Wood (who lives in Maine but used to work on the hill for Katie Porter) and David Costello (who appears to have run before). The nationalization of state politics means that outside money is making this a two horse race before any debates have been had and depriving the people of Maine, indeed all of us, of a broad choice. That same national money seems to be what drives people like Michelle Morrow as well since she can capture the zeitgeist online by promising executions without ever having the understand the state.
On the subject of socialism though I'm not sure I can agree. First, while the term may be broadly negative for many voters that is definitely not true in New York and that is where Mandami is running. You are right that his embrace of the label would be toxic in North Carolina, but unless or until he tries running in North Carolina I think that point is moot. No doubt the national Democrats do want him to avoid the label, but their presumption that you should run the most bland talking-point heavy abundatist everywhere lest you face a negative ad anywhere has never been a real winner. After all these are the same people who claimed that Harris' media approach would coast to victory, Hillary Clinton too. Neither one would have touched socialism with a rad suit.
Second, I don't think the term is as toxic as it once was. Mandami's kind of socialist policies (free busses healthcare etc.) are quite popular even with Republicans which is why you see even Trump touting some of it. At the same time younger voters are no longer opposed to it and since the last election voters 44 and below make up an equal share of the electorate to those above per the Census bureau. This is why Republican donors are rushing to capture media outlets like TikTok and Twitter so they can shape the views of the young. While younger voters currently approve of socialism and taxing the rich they expect that can be changed.
At this point I don't see Mandami's label to be the biggest threat to Democrats or to Democracy, or even Grahm Planter's tattoo. The threat I see is from weaponized algorithms and botnets of the kind A1Z is investing in.
Census source, see table 1
https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/voting-and-registration/p20-587.html
Yep. Conservatives have built themselves a real-life Frankenstein in the old pumpkin head running their lives.
Dems are running now on food, jobs, and healthcare. Beat the Repubs on the head with those.