What did Democrats do wrong?

[dann]

I am not so sure about that. While they tend to be not as out there as the Tea party, they would still prefer the return to a Bush-era status quo where they can still scream "communists" at progressives.

I just watched another video from The Bulwark, and Sarah Longwell is definitely one of those people:

Holy Cow, THIS Is How You Beat Trump! (The Bulwark on YouTube, April 20, 2026 – 22:45 min.)
Sam Stein and Sarah Longwell take on why two Democrats are breaking through, and what the rest of the party is still getting wrong. They look at standout appearances from Jon Ossoff and Pete Buttigieg, focusing on message discipline, authenticity, and why showing up in tough places matters more than chasing the latest podcast trend.

In the current situation, what she is looking for is somebody who can ensnare enough voters to win by using empty phrases like 'caring for working people', 'looking forward' etc. without being specific about what should be done. It's a little like Obama's "Yes, we can," a phrase that was also unspecific and basically meaningless but made people believe that it meant the same thing as when AOC and Bernie Sanders rally against the oligarchs and their tax exemptions, but unlike them it says and promises nothing. In this respect, it's similar to Trump's Make America Great Again, which was also bereft of any specific content, so people could persuade themselves to believe that he meant it as opposition to 'the elites' as if Trump would work for the 'little people'.

It is obvious why Sarah Longwell gets a hard-on for Jon Ossoff, who delivers the empty phrases she likes to hear, like in this video from MeidasTouch:

6:00--> The measure of our success is whether eachgeneration achieves greater health and prosperity than the last. and whether we live up to the promise of equal justice for all.
Georgia is ready to send a message that we will bow to no king. So, Augusta, are you ready to work? Are you ready to win? Let's get it done. Thank you so much, Augusta.
(...)
A wave is building.The kind that comes once a generation when people have been pushed too far and they decide all at once and all together that enough is enough.

He is only specific about the things Trump is doing that he knows have upset people, but he is never specific about what he intends to do about it. The implied solution is always: Vote for me! It's a typical vote-for-me speech.
He talks a lot about corruption, but it is not as if the oligarchs aren't also tired of having to pay for services rendered, but it's not something they'll complain about as long as Trump is in power. If Ossoff or somebody likes him wins, I'm sure they'll reward him handsomely, too.

By the way, I'm not surprised that Meidas falls for this crap.

 

[Donal]

They are a bunch of never-Trump former Republicans trying to find a party they can fit in.

Ya, that's what I said.

There are quite a few of us.

Not really. 2024 demonstrated how few there are.

 

[dann]

I've seen plenty of them, thank you.

Still rolls his eyes at real systemic change

He's very vocally a former Republican. That doesn't change what I said.

You mean mad at Trump because he didn't give them the job they wanted or some other personal grievance, unable to do any real self-reflecting about the role they played in getting us here, and still worshipping the likes of Ronald Reagan who played a massive role in getting us here, all the while demanding the Democrats pander to people like him despite not having any numbers or influence outside of beltway cocktail parties?

No thanks.

Definitely no thanks! I am just saying that the Republican renegades aren't an entirely homogenous group. Some of them would like to revive the Harris-Cheny coalition from 2024, others not so much, and it's not in all cases a question of personal gain. In today's video from The Bulwark, it funny to see them admire the AOC-Sanders cooperation from the perspective of strategy, kind of: 'We need to cooperate the same way they do, but without their politics!'

 

[dann]

Ya, that's what I said.

Not really. 2024 demonstrated how few there are.

The number of Republicans who pretend to have been Never Trumpers is growing.
It's a good sign.

 

[ahhell]

The number of Republicans who pretend to have been Never Trumpers is growing.
It's a good sign.

I radio show I used to listen to had a line, If you have dog that never comes when you call its name and it finally does, don't then punish it for not coming when called before.

I hope the never Trumpers, Dems, and lefties keep that in mind with the folks finally figuring out how bad Trump is.

 

[Donal]

No, these were grown ass adults who were well aware of what they were doing. Also, my dog not coming when I call doesn't lead to anyone's death or harm. Promising not to vote for him after he's hit his term limits is pretty ◊◊◊◊◊◊◊ hollow. they need to show they have actually grown and try to heal some of the the harm they chose to cause.

Should a battered wife take back her abuser because he's lonely?

 

[dirtywick]

that’ll be largely up to the individual. i would imagine if you spent the last decade actively arguing politics on social media or like disowned your pink haired liberal non binary offspring you’ll probably have an uphill battle with the people you spent all that time trash talking. people that don’t know you at all might show a little more grace

but it all starts with admitting you were wrong. which some people have a tremendously difficult time doing. if you’re jumping into politics discussions with the same garbage takes calling yourself and independent or centrist, well we’ve seen how that goes over already

 

[ahhell]

that’ll be largely up to the individual. i would imagine if you spent the last decade actively arguing politics on social media or like disowned your pink haired liberal non binary offspring you’ll probably have an uphill battle with the people you spent all that time trash talking. people that don’t know you at all might show a little more grace

but it all starts with admitting you were wrong.
which some people have a tremendously difficult time doing. if you’re jumping into politics discussions with the same garbage takes calling yourself and independent or centrist, well we’ve seen how that goes over already

More like most or all is more accurate. There's some research that demonstrates that folks forget they ever believed anything different from what they current believe, so even there, I think we need to have some grace if we want to actually have positive change. People literally forget they were ever wrong.

So, if in 2028 you vote against Vance, I'll just keep quite about the time you voted for Trump.

 

[Donal]

So, we should all just pretend the harm they caused didn't happen? That they gleefully did it when they were warned about it?

All you did was cement my idea about documenting all of their behavior and throw it back at them when they want to pipe up about anything.

 

[Beelzebuddy]

More like most or all is more accurate. There's some research that demonstrates that folks forget they ever believed anything different from what they current believe, so even there, I think we need to have some grace if we want to actually have positive change. People literally forget they were ever wrong.

So, if in 2028 you vote against Vance, I'll just keep quite about the time you voted for Trump.

Nah, we did that already. Remember that fella named Biden? Ran on a platform of unity, togetherness, restoring normalcy to the political system and suchlike garbage. I don't blame you if you can't recall him. He was okay. Solid B. Kind of the Sleepy Grandpa presidency.

Well, it turns out that all the voters you want us to think of as dogs because they lack moral reasoning and shouldn't be held accountable for their actions decided they were satisfied never having been wrong and wanted to not have ever been wrong back in the opposite direction again. This time it was over the price of eggs.

Incidentally, I've learned from personal experience that if a dog is sick in the backyard, you still have to clean it up because the dumbass is going to be right back out there lapping it back up as soon as he has a chance, and he'll just be sick again with added mud and grass.

Point is, we already had a chance to heal and put this whole sorry episode of flirting with fascism behind us. But now - NOW - people are going to say ohh, we made some real mistakes over the past literal decade this crap has been going on, what with burning down so many government institutions, and outright purchasing the justice system, and trying to get ICE to murder you, and the whole pissing away every scrap of integrity and goodwill this country ever had to satisfy the megalomania of a toddler with advanced dementia, without so much as a "totes sorry, our bad?" Yeah, no. ◊◊◊◊ that.

The path to fixing America, both domestic and our relations abroad, is going to depend on making it crystal clear this ◊◊◊◊ isn't going to happen again next election. Timidly shying away from challenging "former" fascists even to admit they were wrong doesn't send that message. The message it sends is "maybe next time."

 

[ahhell]

Well, if the body politic as a whole takes your attitude, be prepared for Vance as the next president.

 

[Donal]

There were so many things that we said "after this, how can anyone support him?" The racist tirade to start his candidacy. The Access Hollywood recording. Mocking the disabled reporter. The various bizarre, unhinged rants and aimless babbling during speeches and debates. Baiting reporters to advertise his new hotel by talking about Obama's birth certificate...oh ya, the whole Obama's birth certificate thing.

And that's all before he was ever elected. He only got worse. But they never stopped supporting him. They never stopped buying his ◊◊◊◊◊◊ merchandise, holding parades for him, worshipping him, building golden idols in his image, praying to him, cutting off friends and family in his honor, making their lives about him, and taking the rest of us down with them.

We're supposed to just...let them back in to our good graces?

 

[Donal]

Well, if the body politic as a whole takes your attitude, be prepared for Vance as the next president.

No, they don't need a reason to vote for him. Just an excuse. And if we don't give them one, they'll invent one. ◊◊◊◊ them all.

 

[Emily's Cat]

Nah, we did that already. Remember that fella named Biden? Ran on a platform of unity, togetherness, restoring normalcy to the political system and suchlike garbage. I don't blame you if you can't recall him. He was okay. Solid B. Kind of the Sleepy Grandpa presidency.

I mean... those are nice words to stick on to Biden, but that's not why they won in 2020. They won for the sole reason of Not Being Trump. Unfortunately, it seems like a fair number of people decided that maybe Trump wasn't the worst possible thing. Time will tell how wrong or right either side is.

 

[TragicMonkey]

No, they don't need a reason to vote for him. Just an excuse. And if we don't give them one, they'll invent one. ◊◊◊◊ them all.

See, now you're being mean to them! So they simply have to go full fascist next. It's your fault!

 

[Garrison]

I mean... those are nice words to stick on to Biden, but that's not why they won in 2020. They won for the sole reason of Not Being Trump. Unfortunately, it seems like a fair number of people decided that maybe Trump wasn't the worst possible thing. Time will tell how wrong or right either side is.

Time will tell? Have you been in a coma since January 2025?

 

[Reformed Offlian]

Well, if the body politic as a whole takes your attitude, be prepared for Vance as the next president.

Teeing up the whole: "Look what you made me do!" shtick in advance, I see.

 

[Reformed Offlian]

Well, if the body politic as a whole takes your attitude, be prepared for Vance as the next president.

Now that I think about it, I'm kinda hoping Vance *will* be our next President. Preferably in the next year or so.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

The one big reason why Vance would be better is because he is young enough to expect to be alive at the end of his presidency.
That will make him think twice about some things

 

[ahhell]

Teeing up the whole: "Look what you made me do!" shtick in advance, I see.

Just acknowledging reality is all. Make folks feel unwelcome and they won't come to your party.