What did Democrats do wrong?

[Resume]

See!!

 

[Tero]

Not enough resistance happening. Not enough punch! Not enough socialism!

Even if a unifying opposition leader such as Magyar is not to be expected in the US system – not until we get a presidential candidate in 2028 – the Democrats are making a pretty poor job of kicking balls into that open goal. The 75-year-old Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, hardly resembles a prize striker. In opinion polls, they vie with Trump for unpopularity. Much of the energy is with democratic socialists like New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, but can they win in places like Michigan or Wisconsin? The New York Times columnist and podcaster Ezra Klein has toyed with the notion that this very diversity might be a strength: you need one kind of candidate in Kansas and another kind in Seattle. Horses for courses. But getting the wrong candidate in just a couple of the 35 Senate seats up for grabs this time seems likely to cost the Democrats their already slim chance of flipping the Senate as well.

The Democrats have one last chance to halt the erosion of US democracy – and it’s less than 100 days away | Timothy Garton Ash

American democrats need a Hungarian-style landslide to overwhelm Trump’s attempts to rig November’s midterm elections, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash

www.theguardian.com

 

[dann]

Don't worry, it's happening!

Trump's catastrophe, voter fury, dem socialism's rise & more (CNN on YouTube, Aug 1, 2026 – 19:27 min.)
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten runs the numbers, from Trump's plummeting approval ratings, to democratic socialism's effect at the primaries.
0:00 'Trump is heading for an electoral black hole'
2:33 Young voters are angry at Trump
5:51 Trump's net approval on inflation? -50%
8:42 'Democratic socialism is the name of the game' in primaries
11:45 GOP is still more trusted by voters on Iran
14:10 Trump's numbers are not great
16:30 Americans on the Save America act/Voter ID

Democrats Taking The Senate Is Now A Very Real Possibility (The Majority Report on YouTube, Aug 1, 2026 – 13:25 min.)

 

[d4m10n]

Weird twist in the official party autopsy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/us/politics/democrats-autopsy-2024-election-dnc.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

 

[The Atheist]

It looks to me as though the Democrats are determined to live up to Trump's "new" name for them.

Infighting, incompetence at the top of DNC, lack of leadership, lack of direction and an inability to wean itself off AIPAC.

If they screw this up, I'll be laughing, half in exasperation and the other half at how Americans can ◊◊◊◊ up the simplest problem.

 

[Emily's Cat]

There are some drawbacks to having a 4-year term for president and a 2-year election cycle for congress. I think our officials do more campaigning than working.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

That's the magic of having a Billionaire sugar daddy for fundraising and ideological think tanks for writing your legislation for you

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Hook and Squeeze

How Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations.

data4democracy.substack.com

Dems are pissing away the goodwill of their small donors by letting spammers prey on them, especially the Elderly. The methods are exactly like scammers, and most of the money raised goes into the pockets of the spammers, with some token political activity.

Democrats are going along, because they can brag about "x amount of small donations" even though they never see most of it. This gives them leverage with Big Donors.

 

[Random]

Hook and Squeeze

How Democratic consultants, committees, and party leaders built a fundraising spam pipeline that funnels money from a captive pool of elderly donors into their own operations.

data4democracy.substack.com

Dems are pissing away the goodwill of their small donors by letting spammers prey on them, especially the Elderly. The methods are exactly like scammers, and most of the money raised goes into the pockets of the spammers, with some token political activity.

Democrats are going along, because they can brag about "x amount of small donations" even though they never see most of it. This gives them leverage with Big Donors.

Democrats have created a massive data-driven tool that they can use to push out information to millions of concerned left-leaning voters... and they use it to beg for money.

 

[dann]

What's most despicable is the demographic they target. The elderly should be warned against all emails containing stuff like this:

Why stamp “FINAL ATTEMPT” on a message and warn that “the deadline is just hours away” if not to manufacture urgency? Why claim that Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Hakeem Jeffries have emailed you, then demand an answer to their “desperate pleas” if not to trigger guilt? Why warn that Social Security checks will be “SLASHED by $500/month?!” — up from the $460 in the email sent two days earlier — if not to stoke fear? Why tell someone they are “the only Democrat in your city who hasn’t responded” if not to single them out? Why announce a recipient’s “appointment to the Social Security Advisory Board” above a picture of a Social Security card if not to dress a solicitation as official business? Why the midnight deadlines, the countdown timers, the “400% MATCH” that applies only if you give right now, if not to force a decision before reflection can intervene?

Worthy of praise that this warning comes from 'inside the house':

I’m a political scientist who studies money in politics, but I’m also a lifelong Democrat. I believe my party is doing itself a disservice by following Republicans down this dark path.

It's no excuse that Republicans have been doing the same thing or worse for years.

 

[d4m10n]

It's no excuse that Republicans have been doing the same thing or worse for years.

Mind if I quote this fine insight in the cancel culture thread?

 

[Lukraak_Sisser]

There are some drawbacks to having a 4-year term for president and a 2-year election cycle for congress. I think our officials do more campaigning than working.

It's also a somewhat US thing. In the Netherlands we have 4 year cycle for the equivalent of the house and a 4 year cycle for the equivalent of the senate, staggered by 2 years, so in a way pretty similar. But large scale campaigning doesn't start for about 1 month prior to the election.

 

[ahhell]

It's also a somewhat US thing. In the Netherlands we have 4 year cycle for the equivalent of the house and a 4 year cycle for the equivalent of the senate, staggered by 2 years, so in a way pretty similar. But large scale campaigning doesn't start for about 1 month prior to the election.

The absurd length of campaigns is s direct result of the silly and rather unique primary system we have. Pushes everything forward in time. Nobody else let's just anyone chose a party's' leaders and representatives.