Dems are losing their mojo again

[senseandsensibility]

I am starting to feel the way I felt immediately after the election. There was a complete vacuum of leadership and a lot of efforts to get along with trump. I was angry, but tried to be constructive.

For the past few months, though, I have felt more hopeful. Of course this administration continued to be appalling, but it seemed that Dems in leadership and even some of the corporate media were catching on....FINALLY. So I applauded all efforts, even while some here scoffed at them as not enough. AT LEAST THEY WERE TRYING.

Well, the media is done pretending to be fair and is covering Biden's health as a huge scandal, egged on and led by Jake Tapper. They continue to let trump lie with impunity. And the Dems?

Why can't they message worth #@@** when they have all the material in the world? Why can't they turn ridiculous questions about Biden's non- existent health cover up back to trump trying to take their healthcare away? And all to fund tax cuts for billionaires like Musk, who is extremely unpopular? Why are many of them going along with the bash Biden fake scandal?

I feel we are back to square one. The Dems had the American people on their side when they spoke out and stood up. That is too difficult and costly a lesson to keep learning over and over again!

[BoRaGard]

1. Whhhhyyyyyyyyy?

[senseandsensibility]

3. That's the frustrating part of it to me

Why go along with making Biden the problem? What is the possible upside? There is none.

[msongs]

2. when a democratic senator puts his ties to a convicted criminal above what's best for the USA one shudders. nt

[dutch777]

4. I feel your concern but I think some Dems are getting it. Today, I wish we would own the Biden health issue,...

....admit some level of mistakes and just move on. Hard to hang cover ups on Trump as he just does lawless s**t out in the open but I do think as you note there is plenty to negatively paint him, and more importantly for the 2026 midterms, the broader GOP with in response. Biden, family and close advisors made some poor choices given the apparent realities they could see in late 2023 and in 2024. We all do this at some point in our lives. If folks can forgive a felon, rapist and a serial liar, I think we should be able to spin this pretty easily as a good, well meaning man and a small supporting group that made some poor choices and we Dems as a whole then move on to the business at hand.

[DENVERPOPS]

22. Every Dem in the House and Senate

should be screaming from the rooftops, not just the few that have courageously ventured forth.......(Sanders AOC, etc)

My thinking is that also, there.has.been.no.leadership. in the entire Dem party. Not in the past decades and Not Now....

[dutch777]

40. We do seem to be lacking for vision. Amazes me that we had a losing platform with Kamala and it won't be...

...changed until the next Dem Presidential convention. So we are saddling our candidates with an out of date platform unless they want to go there own way. Which, thankfully, many are for 2026. And it is not that there are not lots of good things in the platform, they are just not prioritized or emphasized in a way that helps our candidates win elections. And in the end, if we don't win elections it is all just chatter. I am very interested to see how the DNC and other leadership deals with the "Biden cover-up" issue. Anyone who was associated with enabling that needs to be out of leadership or it will taint everything they do going forward. Not that we have to care what the Repugs do with it, but we Dems do need to care that the larger interests of the party are being served, not just of one candidate or his cronies and handlers that just want to keep their jobs.

[DENVERPOPS]

41. Exactly

what all these different Dem Politicians are doing is called "Freelancing" in the fire service.....

[crimycarny]

5. Just saw a GREAT article about this exact topic

Saw a great article by Noah Berlatsky (Aaron Ruper posted a free link to the article):

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/joe-biden-original-sin-tapper-thompson-trump

Here's an excerpt:

As you are probably aware, former president Joe Biden is old. If you were not aware of that fact, journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson have written a new book about how Joe Biden — who dropped out of the presidential race because of concerns that he was old — was, in fact, old.

This breaking news has led to much handwringing and scolding at high profile news outlets. Joe Biden, they have concluded, is old. Is this a scandal that will be a major issue in the 2026 midterms, and maybe even in the 2028 elections? Should Democrats spend time and energy focusing on the fact that Joe Biden is old?

I think you’ll agree, after some serious thought, that the answer here is NO, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!

[DENVERPOPS]

25. LOL

and those same outlets never mention: Biden was old, but qualified, and Trump is old, and UNQUALIFIED....

OF course you have to factor in that 95% of ALL media is owned/operated by Uber Rich Republicans, so what would you expect them to put forth...........??????????????

Trump read Hitler's writings continuously and idolized Hitler. One of the first things Hitler did was to control the Media........

At the rate we are going, Picture us in a few years......Our media will consist of FOX as the ONLY State Sponsored News like Pravda in Russia. All other media will be gone, JUST THINK OF WHAT TRUMP/REPUBLICANS JUST DID TO CBS, BUT ON STEROIDS.......
We have watched what Putin does to dissenter Journalists and others who speak out about him..........they disappear, get poisoned, or fall out the window of a tall building.

[senseandsensibility]

30. So here's my idea using your words

The next time a Dem like Ro Khana or Chris Murphy is asked about Biden's health "scandal" they could say "Yes, Biden was old but QUALIFIED, trump is old and UNQUALIFIED," then go on to list the way he's ruining our country. The pivoting to what you want to say and talk about is really politics 101 and the fact that they're not doing it is unacceptable.

[choie]

6. I don't know why the Dems can't say

“You’re complaining about Borden’s capacity during his presidency when we have a current president who is not only demented, but an anti democratic sociopath?” It’s pretty simple but…no cojones.

[RockCreek]

18. And presents clearly falsified medical reports

about himself.

[usonian]

7. I've posted before. Democrats have no enduring core of people who push what are core values.

People told me "well, there are liberal think tanks". Sure, but who even knows them or pays a microsecond of attention to them?

We have senior leaders, past presidents, who could be making the case every day of the year, like the Nazi Party does, but we don't.

OOOOH, that might interfere with the primaries. (or whatever bullshit excuse).

Well, Bernie and AOC are busting ass to spread OUR values, and are mostly alone in terms of visibility.

I got the following in an email from Bernie.
Why isn't EVERYONE purring this forth every day of the weelk, month and year?
We don't, and the clown act du jour gets all the attention.

People attending rallies in huge numbers are saying
YES to raising the minimum wage,
YES to expanding Social Security,
YES to guaranteeing health care as a human right,
YES to cutting the cost of prescription drugs,
YES to paid family and medical leave,
YES to equal pay for equal work,
YES to more affordable housing,
YES to making childcare and higher education affordable to all,
YES to taking on the existential threat of climate change.

And most importantly they are saying
YES to a government and an economy that works for all of us and not just the billionaire class and the Oligarchs.

It seems that between elections, the party goes out to lunch and doesn't come back until the next one, and the message goes unspoken, so personality politics take the forefront.

[LQ_Dem]

36. Slight amendment

I think we need to slant the "an economy that works for all of us" to "an economy that creates wealth for all of us." The former talking point is seen by Republicans as "handouts to undeserving people" while the latter can be seen as "hey, I want to build wealth too!" Both concepts cut into the giveaways the billionaires currently receive but the framing is different.

[usonian]

37. That could get to people on the margin

The cult is so driven by hate (projection) that they are willing to lose bigly to "own the libs" and people who "look different".




Flanders and Swann put it plainly

Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me, follow
Down to the hollow
And there let us wallow in glorious mud

Many people would rather wallow than work as a team.

Even some "smart" people would rather be "right" than successful. Success is a team effort. Even the damn rich need customers.

[tritsofme]

8. I'm not entirely sure I understand what you are expecting to happen?

Trump’s ratings continue to slide, Democrats continue to lead the generic congressional ballot.

There aren’t any rabbits to pull out of hats.

[senseandsensibility]

9. Lol

Show me where I asked for a rabbit to be pulled out of a hat, or anything unrealistic in my OP. I'll wait.

[newdeal2]

13. Number one: stop taking the bait

They keep piling on to this Biden sensationalism WILLINGLY.

[Greg_In_SF]

21. Actually

his approval rating has done nothing but go up all this month

[senseandsensibility]

24. That's what this is all about

The corporate media has their marching orders. Make Biden the problem.

[Greg_In_SF]

39. So damn

frustrating.

[crimycarny]

28. I believe the OP is asking Dems not to go down rabbit holes

Not asking them to pull rabbits out of hats.

Dems need to stop publicly relitigating 2024, even suggesting that our party can't "look voters in the eye" because of 2024. Why are we wasting energy going on talk shows or writing OpEds criticizing how 2024 went? Instead, go on those talk shows and criticize all the things the GOP and Trump are doing now. I don't see how "Gee, we really screwed up in 2024. We didn't know what we were doing." is a winning message for 2026 or 2028.

California Rep. Ro Khanna, for example, insisted in a statement to the Washington Post that “we should have had an open primary,” and then went on to assert that, “we must acknowledge this truth to regain trust with the American people.”

Former Rep. Joe Cunningham took a similar line in an interview with Politico, asking rhetorically, “How are some of these national frontrunners or people who are already barnstorming states like South Carolina or Iowa expected to look voters in the eyes with a straight face and say, ‘Trust me, even though I got the 2024 election so terribly wrong?’” He added that none of the prospective 2028 candidates are showing “courage” on the issue.

[DFW]

10. From a distance

The few thousand miles of Atlantic Ocean, anyway, we are seeing quotes all the time from Congressional Democrats listing and bashing Republican incompetence and sleaze. Rubio goes before a Senate hearing and gets his ass handed to him. If we and/or the media ignore everything that is happening and being said, shame on us, and shame on them. I see and heard a wave of resistance tempered only by the fact that we have no majority in any house of Congress or the SCOTUS. But no one seems to be keeping their mouth shut, at least, that appears to be the situation viewed from over here in EU-land..

[LauraInLA]

11. Thank you!!!

[senseandsensibility]

12. I appreciate your perspective

and envy that fact that you are not subjected to the American media's "take" on recent events, especially the situation with Biden.

[Self Esteem]

16. Meanwhile, Democrats just handed Trump another win by voting universally for no tax on tips...

I'm sure they'll cave too and help pass the budget so the government doesn't default.

But you're right: they're good at speaking up sometimes.

[TheProle]

14. People like to complain and blame

Good news and effective combat against the Trump agenda, when it does happen, is largely ignored in favor of the outrage du jour.

[Self Esteem]

15. I don't think Dems have had their mojo since the election.

[peggysue2]

17. Dems are losing their mojo again because . . .

They're feeding the Republican narrative that all bad things are Biden's fault (he has dementia, he was seriously ill and hid it, the entire Biden family was in on the 'fraud,' yada, yada. If Joe Biden did this horrible thing, what else did he do? According to Van Jones, Joe Biden irreparably damaged our Republic.

Really? I recall Van Jones was in near tears when Biden won in 2024 and the Trump reign of terror and bigotry was finally done.

Or at least we thought it was done.

Now, it's a free for all. The sharks are circling and a number of Dems feel compelled to join the hunt, find the smoking gun, lean back and feel self-satisfied while bearing their souls on air. They are pure; Biden was the 'problem' all along.

Total bullshit.

Buck up, grow a frigging spine and face the true horror: The Red Caesar and his Flying Monkey Brigade hellbent on destroying the country, our citizens and our future.

If you can't do that, then sit down and shut your pie holes.

The world is watching and listening.

[Tootbsb]

19. Turn it off.

[flamingdem]

20. NYT just posted an article about Trump losing interest in Ukraine

What kind of a take is that?! Our culture and media are corrupt/kaputt.

He's abandoning our allies and THIS is the headline:

Trump’s New Position on the War in Ukraine: Not My Problem

In a reversal, President Trump appears to have backed off joining a European push for new sanctions on Russia, seemingly eager to move on to doing business deals with it.

[senseandsensibility]

23. Thank you

for that. I agree completely that they are sanewashing trump, which is just another way of saying normalizing. Of course they've been doing that since before the election.

[Moostache]

26. Trump ran for office to avoid prison... he cares about literally NOTHING not directly related to HIS current condition.

And that condition changes minute-to-minute.

Having a self-obsessed imbecile with all kinds of mental capacity, capability and cognitive issues simultaneously is a recipe for utter disaster. Putting THAT thing at the head of a craven collection of bigots, zealots and freaks as are found in the GOP is gasoline for a fire. Add it all together and mix with a worthless press corp, cowardly law firms and greedy business leaders more afraid of lawsuits, quarterly profits or their own bonuses and you get the fall of the American Empire in fast-forward mode.

Doubt me?

Play a little media roulette tonight. Pick ANY news channel and watch it for 5 minutes. Grab a piece of paper and make slashes every time they mention Trump and Biden. One is an elderly man with dimminished mental capacity and health issues, and the other is Jo Biden. See how many "reputable press outlets" report things accurately at all. You will NOT find one.

[Oopsie Daisy]

27. Wrong. We need more loyalty and support...

... and fewer snipers in saboteurs.

[crimycarny]

31. More public loyalty and support for the party and for President Joe Biden

I agree that those Democrats who are going on TV or writing OpEds need to show more loyalty and support to the party, and especially President Joe Biden. Instead, many (not all) are going on talk shows and bashing President Joe Biden, relitigating 2024, and giving oxygen to the narrative that Democrats engaged in a huge cover-up. By engaging in these "when did you stop beating your wife" sort of questions from the media, they are allowing the media to frame 2026 and 2028 around a conspiracy theory

Those of us on DU who are voicing our frustration with the lack of cohesive messaging from public-facing Dems aren't being disloyal; we'll all still vote Democrat, but we're trying to get it across to our leadership that the circular firing squad isn't a winning message.

Just like they did with Senator Al Franken, then with Congressman Al Greene, then with President Joe Biden---for once I wish our Democratic leaders would circle the wagons and fight the other guy, not each other.

[senseandsensibility]

32. Very well stated

Thank you, crimcarny.

[wryter2000]

29. Again

Welcome back to Democrats never do anything right.

[crimycarny]

33. The Democrats do a lot of things right--but I think we can all agree messaging isn't one of them

No one is saying the Democrats never do anything right. It's ok to b*tch about wanting the Democrats to improve in an area they've always struggled in, which is presenting a unified message. I feel like the entire Democratic party needs a powerful PR team that can get them all on the same page.

I don't always agree with David Hogg, I'm still not sure about threats to primary Democrats, but I do like some of the practical suggestions he outlines in a fundraising email I just received:

We need to be taking pages out of Mitch McConnell’s playbook that he used for years to stop Obama, to stop Biden, and prevent Democrats from passing our agenda. Everything has to be on the table to stop and slow Trump.

On top of that, we need to be organizing against vulnerable Republicans and turning the screws on them. We have to make their lives as painful as possible and line up the incentives for them to oppose Trump.

[Iamscrewed]

34. Media Bias

Follow the money.

[Alice B.]

35. This is all "Why can't they message worth #@@** when they have all the material in the world?"

200%.

[Orrex]

38. Dems keep the dryest powder ever.

[elocs]

42. Again? When did Democrats have mojo? n/t