National Democrats
An Old Doctrine
Politics just gets stranger and stranger. Trump ordered around 200 Tren de Aragua gang members deported – the ACLU filed a lawsuit, told a judge five of the deportees weren’t Tren de Aragua gang members. All Trump had to do was prove the ACLU was wrong. But he didn’t. Instead his lawyers said he had…
Read MoreBernie and AOC
Are Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez too far left? Many Americans think they’re right. An astounding 86,000 people turned out in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico last week for “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies starring the 83-year-old Senator and 35-year-old Congresswoman. “We will not allow you to move this country into an oligarchy,” Sanders thundered to Trump.…
Read MoreThey probably won’t…
Whoever heard of a Washington politician voting to shut down the government? A bone-deep Washington politician, Chuck Schumer tore into Trump’s ‘continuing budget resolution,’ called it a bad bill then voted for it – to keep the government open. Trump thanked Schumer. Democrats howled. Tap-dancing Schumer threw up a smoke screen. Back when Trump first…
Read MoreWake Up, America
A dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, locked down during COVID, he called, surprised me asking: ‘Ford beat Reagan in the first 5 primaries in ‘76 – how on earth did Reagan beat Ford in North Carolina?’ The day we lost the Vietnam War mothers and fathers who’d lived through World War II, watching Russian tanks roll into Saigon,…
Read MoreHope
I have hope – despite what Trump is doing. I have hope because of what he’s doing – and what he promised to do but isn’t doing. I have hope because, in politics, the pendulum always swings back. I’ve seen it all my life. We had JFK and LBJ, then Nixon, then Carter, then Reagan…
Read MoreHow Democrats Win Again
The shouting, sign-waving and cane-wielding by congressional Democrats at the State of the Union isn’t a winning strategy. Senator Elissa Slotkin’s serious, substantive and straightforward response is. Put her on the list for President in 2028. Democrats need to be disciplined in our messaging. We need to put forward our best messengers, not the loudest…
Read MoreThe Unknown
A legend in politics, with a sneaky streak but a kind heart, Paddy sat down in my office – clear-eyed, practical, thinning black hair, he sees Trump’s flaws but the moment he hears Trump’s voice a kind of supernatural power grips his heart and values he’s cherished for years fly out the window. Poking him,…
Read MoreAnything Goes…
Back when Rod Blagojevich ran for governor of Illinois, Obama endorsed him and Trump gave his campaign money. After Obama got elected president, Governor Blagojevich got caught on tape trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder. He got impeached, booted out of office. Then got indicted. Before his trial he starred on…
Read MoreDoes This Work?
Does a message about “workers,” “working families” and “working-class voters” really work for Democrats? Or does it heighten the perception that we see Americans as identity groups, instead of individuals? Ken Martin (photo), the new national Democratic Party chairman, obviously thinks “working class” works. This week, he sent a 2,000-plus-word memo that used some form…
Read MoreOut of Touch
I’ve resisted the temptation to rail every day about Trump’s cruelty, corruption and incompetence – and the cowardice of Republicans who know it’s wrong, but go along. Instead, I’ve tried to understand how Democrats could be so bad that voters elected Trump again. I’ve searched for lessons to learn. I’ve waded through a flood of…
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