Am I alone in working hard every day to not be sad and angry 100% of the time. As someone who actively works to stay up-to-date on what is happening in the world, it is downright depressing a lot of the time right now.
There are those who get upset whenever someone says what is happening is the fault of elected Democrats. To be clear, I also do blame elected Trumpist-Republicans and those who voted for a felon, a divider, and a person who was honest about what the plan was if elected. This last part, the honesty about what would be unleashed on the United States if elected, is why no one really can say they didn’t vote for this Administration’s Plan. It is why I get angry at Democrats and non-voters a little more than Republicans at times. This administration is only fulfilling what was in Project 2025, which was out there for anyone to read.
On the other hand, the Democrats have continued to act as if what the Republicans are doing is normal. Democrats, broadly speaking, still think going on CNN, Meet the Press, MSNBC, or writing strongly worded letters, is standing up for democracy. Unlike the Republicans, they have not caught on to the fact legacy media is not their friend, that papers of record are aligned with the Republicans (as it often has been in modern history), and that most people do not get any of their news from TV or print.
Democrats also seem not to have gotten the memo that Republicans get misinformation and disinformation, and lies, out to their supporters quickly through a very closed system. Almost all Republicans appear to get a set of talking points they consistently spread through their closed ecosystem to where a message is repeated thousands of times a day. Maga, even though a very small proportion of even the Republican electorate, get the message on Fox “News,” blogs, YouTubers, newsletters, e-mail blasts, podcasts, and even radio, all day long, all with one consistent message. In doing so, it makes it look like the Maga movement is larger than it is. What doesn’t help is the moderate Republicans, possibly what one might call “True Republicans,” hear the same things, may not agree with, but will still vote Republican because of the “R” after a candidate’s name even when knowing nothing about that candidate or their platform.
Although I wouldn’t agree a closed ecosystem is good for democracy, one can’t argue it isn’t effective.
On the other hand, Democrats are not only missing the boat on messaging, they are often infighting or internally supporting people of an age who have lost touch with the reality of today’s world or end up dying in office. A couple of cases in point is not electing AOC or Jasmine Crockett to positions of power, or not endorsing Mandami for New York City mayor. Each of these young smart passionate people know how to capture people’s attention, in a good way, using digital media and thinking through messaging in new fresh ways. In the case of Mandami, he also was able to build a coalition of voters, in a primary no less, for which the Democrats have been clamoring after for a long time. He actually connected with young people in such a way that the 18-35 age group overwhelming turned out and voted for Mandami, beating his closest competitor handily even with legacy name recognition along with the Democratic establishment endorsements. I mean, how stupid can the Democratic leadership be in not seeing the winds of change and embracing it for the win.
Lately I’m not agreeing with James Carville, a Democratic strategist, but he does say one thing that all Democrats should resonant with for elections. He is straight up that nothing matters but winning. Winning elections is what allows politicians to help people.
Part of the problem is the Democrats are at a lose for leadership at the moment. Chuck Schumer doesn’t have a clue about what is happening around him and has totally missed that his Republican colleagues don’t give a rat’s ass about following norms, rules, or laws. Hakeem Jeffries may be holding his caucus together for the most part, but he is not the leader people took him to be. He, like Schumer, haven’t accepted that things are not normal or usual right now. Neither of them are as creative, politically astute, or have people around them who are creative or astute as the Republicans. They get their behinds kicked up and down the aisle with their lack of imagination and adherence to rules that no longer exist. They both should either hire better or step aside for those who know how to operate, still legally and ethically, in modern times.
The other part of the problem is two-fold. First is the lack of organization and courage by the Democratic National Committee (DNC). The second are the donor class, which admittedly is the millionaire/billionaires who have the means to fund initiatives, who can be, at times, part of a larger problem of haves and have yachts.
Everyone has seen the divide within the DNC, where Ken Martin stated he wasn’t sure he could do the job and openly fought with the young influential next generation of leaders like David Hogg. Democrats keep saying they need to have inroads into the next generation, especially males, and yet the DNC wouldn’t listen to Hogg, nor really with cochair at the time, Malcolm Kenyatta. With everything going on, the DNC needed a leader to hit the pavement running. It seems Martin will be as ineffective a leader as Jamie Harrison was during his tenure. For the life of me, I still don’t understand why two strong Black women organizers weren’t seriously considered for the role, Stacey Abrams or LaTosha Brown. These two women got more done than any of the male leaders in recent history.
I mean, as a blue dot in a red state, I have not seen any ads depicting the unlawful acts by this Administration. Nothing about the concentration camp in Florida, nothing about the masked National Guard and ICE—the American Gestapo—terrorizing neighborhoods and arresting old ladies or pushing pregnant women, nothing about the ignoring of due process, nothing about the harmful effects of Medicaid cuts to rural communities, nothing about the Epstein list and files, and the list goes on. In many cases the ads write themselves! It would be so easy to distribute facts and information across the many social and new media outlets. I mean, how many Democrats still think being on X helps them over being on BlueSky? How many think it makes for sense for a 30-second snippet on legacy media over a TikTok or Switch video? Many of these outlets are even free so the only cost is putting together an engaging message and uploading the content.
Which brings me to the second problem, the donor class. I bring up the donor class over the every day small donor because right now, small donors, like me, are disgusted with how the Democrats have failed to rise to the times in fighting for us, as they failed to do when they held both the White House and Congress. The donor class have so much money they don’t know what to do with it really—how many houses, trips, or yachts does one need?
The donor class needs to step up, unfortunately most likely with strings attached, to donate funds to hire experts in messaging, such as writers, storytellers, videographers, and the like. Although the distribution of ads and messaging can be free in many cases, there is still a cost to producing the content. The cost may be less so since there is so much out in print and media showing what the Republicans have said or done. There are already many liberal and young Democrats trying to get the message out in new and different ways. People like Politics Girl, Bryan Tyler Cohen, AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Aaron Parnas, Kahlil Greene, Adam Parkhomenko, Zohar Mandami, David Hogg, Danielle Moody-Mills, and many others.
Bottom line is, until the Democrats smarten up and address what is needed for the times we are living in, it will continue to be the Democrats fault.
I’ve often said we all need to be involved in saving democracy in the ways which fit our lives and our comfort levels. These can be blogging, reposting on social media, calling your elected officials, letters to the editor, donating to organizations, and/or marching in the streets. Nothing is too little or too much. Here are some ways to get involved whether from the comfort of your own homes, or on the streets, over the next few weeks:
- Call your U.S. Senator to demand they fight the Republican administration’s defiance of the court in following laws and the Constitution. The switchboard number is 202-224-3121. They will connect you with the correct senators. If you get their voicemail, which I do often, make sure to leave your name and address for your call to be registered as received.
- Join Good Trouble Lives on occurring on July 17.
- Sign up for General Strike and commit to participating.
- Download the app Five Calls to help let your elected officials know you are paying attention and don’t approve. Website: https://5calls.org/
- Join a local group of Indivisible.
- Participate in the action items of50501: 50 Protests, 50 States, 1 Movement.
- Continue to boycott companies who have bent the knee or no longer believe in equality. Don’t buy from national chains or companies, such as Target, Amazon, Tesla, Walmart and any others who are bending the knee and capitulating to authoritarianism and the billionaire class.
- Write letters to your local papers expressing your disappointment and tell your stories of how the Republican administration is harming our families.
- Please say thank you in some way to the universities, law firms, companies, and organizations not bending the knee and capitulating to the fascist-acting Republican Administration.
- Watch for and attend the next big nationwide protest when announced.
- Do something, anything, peaceful to fight back!
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 