Have you noticed ever since the election, it seems as if the political world on the Democratic side seems a bit subdued. We haven’t seen too much of Biden, hardly anything from Harris, and even the usual outspoken Swalwell, Raskin, and Schiff have been much quieter than usual. The only voices I’ve really heard have been from AOC and Crockett.
It feels as if the Democratic leadership has essentially tucked their tail between their legs and gone into hiding. I would think this would be the time to be as outspoken, if not more so, than before the 2024 election. The risk to democracy hasn’t changed since then. If anything, based on the cabinet nominations and staff named, plus the verbal vomiting from Musk, the threat has increased exponentially.
Every day we have more of the oligarchs (formerly known as the billionaire class), bending the knee to the Musk/Trump presidency. These include, from what I been able to garner, mainly rich white men, visiting the Florida compound to kiss the ring. We even saw Disney bow down without a fight over the case Trump had brought against its subsidiary ABC due to true statements, statements a New York judge actually said, made by George Stephanopoulos. No push back, no standing up for the press, just an acquiescence to the authoritarian leader—Disney obeyed in advance. In doing so, they set a precedence that an authoritarian will dictate what can and can’t be published, even when the reporter, host, or journalist is citing facts. It puts the poor Des Moines Register in a hard spot, with less deep pockets, to defend the freedom of the press.
So far I’ve seen or heard little in the way of condemnation by the Democratic Party. Which to me, seems a bit like obeying in advance as well.
Yes, the Democrats lost in this last election. We all can fairly believe there was interference in this last election. Bomb threats to voting precincts, voter suppression by state Republican legislatures across the country, legacy media not reporting accurate information as a whole, mis-information, dis-information, the acquisition of voting machine coding, and the lies spread by politicians, social media influencers, and right-wing media are all examples of election interference. That aside, on paper the Democrats lost, as does happen in a democracy, but based on the above, I’m not sure I can agree with it being a free and fair election.
Losing an election doesn’t mean the Democratic Party needs to go into hiding or practice radio silence though.
Now is the time to clearly (in everyday speak, not elite speak) speak truth to power. Now is the time to provide concise comparisons to what it would have been like had Harris/Walz won in relation to the chaos of the incoming regime. Time for them to be honest and open about what having oligarchs running the country means to everyday citizens—Musk’s actions are perfect examples. Bezos, Cook, Zuckerberg, Altman, and Soon-Shiong’s actions before and after the election are more proof of what the now ruling class, the oligarchs, are planning for the natural resource called the United States of America. Case in point is how Musk stated he would back a primary challenger against any sitting Republican who dares to oppose Trump’s highly unqualified cabinet picks. This is not how a democracy, or a republic, operates. This is how an oligarchy works.
It is no longer a matter of if an American oligarchy exists. It is now a matter of how to we resist and take back our country from oligarchy rule.
This is also where the Democrats, any legacy media worth its salt, and any new media, along with independent everyday bloggers and social media influencers come into play. They must read Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny, and David Pepper’s books, Laboratories of Autocracy, Saving Democracy, and 2025. They must listen to podcasts, such as Gaslit Nation, Politics War Room, and #SistersInLaw. They must read Substack features by Sarah Kendzior, Ruth Ben-Ghait, and Heather Cox Richardson. They must watch the YouTube posts of Midas Touch and Politics Girl. These all offer great action steps, in everyday language, that must be taken if we the people are going to survive the next fews years, and our children and grandchildren be left a country in which they may live freely.
Most importantly, they—elected Democrats—must be willing and must take the action, to be on Fox News and other right-wing media on a regular and consistent basis (Pete Buttigieg should offer a master class about going on these outlets as he is a G.O.A.T. at doing so). They must be more vocal on new media than legacy media. Democrats need to recognize we’d stopped watching legacy media prior to the 2024 election, but even more so after. We, the everyday people get our news from Podcasts, YouTube, BlueSky, and for many younger voters, TikTok. These are the places Democrats need to be to spread their message of hope and support of everyday 99%’rs of the United States. Democrats, meet us where we are, not where you are comfortable being.
In order for us to survive the next two years and have free and fair elections for the “mid-term” Congressional elections, to win big and take back control of State Legislatures and Governorships, and then the big election, the presidential, we have to keep up the good fight, get into good trouble, and most importantly…
DON’T OBEY IN ADVANCE!
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 