Ok Dems/Progressives/Lefters - Time for Fantasy Football: Political Party Edition!
Note: Trump supporters, I respect your decisions and any disagreement with me, but this question is more for progressives who feel a bit rudderless right now, so feel free to comment but I don’t plan to argue why I think Trump is dangerous in this particular discussion. Feel free to start a new one and I will happily participate!
I’m hearing (and thinking) more and more that, yes, Donald Trump is running amok with power and it’s pretty scary, but … where are the democrats?! I hear/see no organized opposition or alternative ideas being presented. Gun to my head, I would not be able to tell you who is the leader (or even just, in leadership) in the Democratic Party right now.
I’m thinking back to 2012 when Mitt Romney lost to Obama, and Republicans were really at a loss to explain why. They commissioned that infamous Autopsy Report, in which it said Republicans should be more inclusive to minority groups, soften their cultural stances on things like abortion and LGBT rights, and just generally talk more about diversity and inclusion.
And look how that turned out!!! It got me thinking though. Here are my questions:
Are democrats really outmoded? For all intents and purposes I’d argue that the Republican Party of 2012 no longer exists. Does the Democratic Party of 2024 still have what it takes to reinvent itself but remain the same at its core, or should a new political phoenix rise from its ashes?
However you answered number 1, who would you like to see as both our leader and leadership in general? Keep in mind, our goal is to take back at least some power in the midterms and hopefully turn the tide by 2028, but keep the general idea of American democracy (peaceful transfer of power, etc) alive. So some militant antifa group willing to use threats of violence is probably not the way to go, regardless of what the other side is doing. I’d like to gain power AND still live in a democracy.
Firstly, I am interested in specific individuals - politicians or otherwise - who you think could lead us through the wilderness of the next 2-4 years.
But I’m also open to avatars from the past if you don’t know of someone living to suggest. This person would be like a template for who we should look out for (for instance, we need another FDR because xyz).
If not that, then perhaps a groundwork for finding appropriate candidates to raise us up and lead us. Be it another Autopsy report, some type of board who tries to find grassroots leaders to advance, or heck, I don’t know, a new reality show “America’s Next Top Democrat.”
I’m just ready to stop doomscrolling every time I get a notification about a new EO and start rallying around someone who knows what we should be doing next.