Democrats told us they were the last line of defense. But after years of compromises and betrayals, have they already lost the fight? A conversation about what comes next.
So here for this energy! Even though I know I'm shouting into the void, every time a politician pops up in my inbox asking me for money, I reply telling them do something first, then I'll donate.
There are a few I do small monthly donations to. AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, etc. It's under 10 of them, I'm pretty sure.
I'm 75 years old, and even though I've been voting for Democrats pretty much my whole life, they've mostly always been like this. I've had such a love/hate relationship with them I can't even being to describe it!! But of course the Rs have been so obviously uncaring about people, only money, that they've been impossible to even consider, so I understand this current dilemma down to my bones!
I am all for a New Bull Moose Party! Let's call it the same thing and make it a new version!!
First full membership meeting tonight of our new community land trust whose purpose is to buy land and build truly affordable housing - I hope to be nominated for the Board of Directors. Have to start somewhere…
Both parties have been owned by the fat cats for a long time. The republicans were more in your face about the “job creators” nonsense. The democrats payed lip service to the working class and at the margins were better. The ACA was a step in the right direction. But even Obama was owned by Wall Street. It was no accident that Eric Holder never prosecuted even one banker for the massive fraud that lead to the financial collapse of 2008.
In 2020 the Tech bros supported democrats. They shifted to the right in 2024. Caught up in Curtis Yarvin’s notion that democracy was so yesterday, and that CEO rule was the way to go. Elon and Peter Thiel, with their acolyte Justa Dunce Vance were fully on board. So Elon bought the election for Trump.
The democrats have always carried water for their corporate owners. But things are so upside down now they don’t know what to do. Some have known that the game has been rigged for a long time. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and recently Chris Murphy. Others are catching up. I admire Mark Kelly, and others are starting to show a spine. The Schumerites need to be deposed.
We don’t need a new party. We just need to purge the Democratic Party of the ones owned by corporations.
Chuck Schumer and the spineless Democratic Senators that followed absolutely sold us out. I don't think a left populist movement is the solution though because we need everyone on board and I think leaning into what already exists, the status quo, is not going to work. We need a fresh take on American politics. It needs input from everyone being harmed by this authoritarian takeover and that includes Trump voters too. I also think many of them will move over if they see an actual movement that benefits them. They can be the last people to the party in that sense. We need convincing and compassionate leadership to make a new world a reality, not the SSDD tack of either party or this mutated clown authoritarianism.
I think one of the critical things this needs is a change in how we vote. Right now people are faced with a two party system, partly because they don’t want to waste votes or throw their votes away.
If we had ranked voting, you could vote for your actual first choice… without worrying that you’re just giving power to the opposition by doing so.
Well, I have deep identification with the Democratic Party, but I feel I’ve been lied to and boondoggled by them for years. I’ve thought of cancelling my membership. And of course third parties in America never win. But maybe the THREAT of it from enough people would jerk them into some major reforms.
That’s exactly what Teddy Roosevelt thought—which is why he went full chaos mode and started the Progressive Party. His goal? To kick the two corrupt parties (yep, the Democrats and Republicans) straight back in line.
INDIVISIBLE, seems like the ground work is there. All 50 states, been developing since 2016, has trust and grassroots support. In so Oregon D2 Indivisible is very active across a rural swath of Eastern and southern countries
There must be a third party, the other two have proven they care nothing for Democracy. America, no longer an example, is now both hated and feared by those who were our allies. We’re in a dictatorship and every day Trump is in office digs us in deeper. The fact that he’s moving so fast and recklessly shows he’s trying to do as much damage as possible before something stops him. He’s now simply ignoring court orders he doesn’t like and doing whatever he pleases. We haven’t had a representative government for a while now. Candidates from both parties run on lies, and once they’re “elected”, sell out to the highest bidder, with few exceptions. Thankfully, there are those who will not simply lie down for the oligarchs and their flunkies. Please, someone start another Bull Moose Party (or whatever) TODAY. It seems there are a ton of potential supporters out there, just waiting for a leader. Who will it be? I’m good with any of the Squad, personally.
Again your column is point on! I would even argue that not having a new populist movement is the root cause of much of our political woes because our two party system literally creates an 'us' vs 'them' mentality. Having something like a parliamentary democracy, although not perfect, forces coalitions, more compromise, and less extremism. Electoral reform in the US can't come any sooner.
Exactly what I've been thinking about. The two-party binary is just not working anymore. Actually, it's worse than not working because, as you note, it is actively splitting us in two, creating deep hatred within that "us and them" construct. Asking electeds who are thoroughly embedded and entrenched within that system to change and create something new may be beyond them--we need new players, at least to start the change.
I find your take to be negative and a fragmentation of the Dem party is the Last Thing we need right now. I see your point for the future perhaps but right now we have to hold it together and fight daily against the attack on our government. Because we are in an unprecedented situation we are all struggling with how our systems of government can protect us and I believe our Dem leaders are working with the right intention. I agree they need to get louder and tougher and I believe they will. Let’s keep up the pressure on all fronts and grow it.
I'll keep the pressure on, but I'm increasingly feeling the majority of elected Democrats are not up to the task at hand. The country is so broken and blame goes to both parties, albeit for different reasons. I have been a Democrat all my life and still hold fast to basic party values, but I'm fed up. I can't believe they didn't have a game plan ready for Trump 2.0! It turns out there are no norms, no guardrails, no enforcement of laws to protect us. We need revolutionaries, not middle managers right now.
Right. Maybe vetting our Dems better, demanding more of them. However that doesn’t expand the party to include alienated republicans, and i think we want to do that
Nope. Time’s up — too much time wasted waiting for dems to start doing what they should have done all along, which is represent us. We’re in a forced-choice situation which gives us only two bad choices. A people’s rights third party is the only workable answer. It would pull members from both existing primary parties.
I’m afraid that that may be an emotional response due to feelings we all have but right now, at this moment, we MUST stand strong together as a single protective wall against fascism.We have to be strategic - which is something Dems need to improve but fragmenting right now will kill us.There is not a Republican left in the party that would sign up. They have been bought by the property rights oligarchs TECHbros & THEObros and are dead to any care for human rights.
I hear you—standing strong against fascism is essential. But asking us all to rally behind the same Democratic leadership that just let our democracy collapse is asking too much. Yes, we have to be strategic, but that also means recognizing when a strategy is failing. The Democrats had years to prevent this, and they didn’t. They clung to the same outdated playbook, refusing to fight fire with fire, while the GOP dismantled our institutions in broad daylight.
We can’t afford to keep putting all our energy into propping up a party that refuses to evolve. If we’re serious about stopping fascism, we need new tactics, new leadership, and a coalition that actually represents the people—not just a desperate attempt to hold together a party that keeps losing ground. Staying united against the far-right doesn’t mean uncritical loyalty to a party that’s failed us. It means demanding better, right now.
People who are unswerving supporters of the dems are very concerning to me. I think they may be wonderfully loyal people who are unfortunately squandering their loyalty on the wrong group. Also, dems have used the fear of “fragmenting” warning for…well, forever. A third-party is not “fragmenting” if it has enough support. Whatever two-party fragmenting is done will also affect the gop.
I’m late I. Seeing this and can’t read the whole comment so I responded d based on what I feel the gist is. The facts are what we have to work with - we have only 2 political parties available at this time so … as often in life we must choose the lesser of 2 “ evils” ( though Dems are far from evil imo) I’m older now but see a time soon when this will change. But NOW our only struggle is to save the freedoms of democracy so that we all have the choice and power to create a new world in the future. So , I fight against the authoritarians now for a world I won’t live to see . For you
Problem is in a two-party system, the third party is a spoiler - and doesn't win.
The last time a new, third party won was the victory of A. Lincoln, when the Democratic Party split over slavery. Can we gamble on giving Donald Trump a third term? I don't think so.
Totally hear you—and I’m not talking about a vanity third party to siphon votes. I’m talking about a realignment. A populist party that actually represents working people. Lincoln didn’t just sneak in as a spoiler—he led a movement that reshaped the system. That’s the kind of energy we need.
So here for this energy! Even though I know I'm shouting into the void, every time a politician pops up in my inbox asking me for money, I reply telling them do something first, then I'll donate.
There are a few I do small monthly donations to. AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Jamie Raskin, etc. It's under 10 of them, I'm pretty sure.
I'm 75 years old, and even though I've been voting for Democrats pretty much my whole life, they've mostly always been like this. I've had such a love/hate relationship with them I can't even being to describe it!! But of course the Rs have been so obviously uncaring about people, only money, that they've been impossible to even consider, so I understand this current dilemma down to my bones!
I am all for a New Bull Moose Party! Let's call it the same thing and make it a new version!!
Thank you for listening, Wayne! The void has gotten smaller. ❤️
First full membership meeting tonight of our new community land trust whose purpose is to buy land and build truly affordable housing - I hope to be nominated for the Board of Directors. Have to start somewhere…
Oh Gretchen, this is terrific!! Keep us posted.
Downstate Illinois.
Seriously?? Where?
Both parties have been owned by the fat cats for a long time. The republicans were more in your face about the “job creators” nonsense. The democrats payed lip service to the working class and at the margins were better. The ACA was a step in the right direction. But even Obama was owned by Wall Street. It was no accident that Eric Holder never prosecuted even one banker for the massive fraud that lead to the financial collapse of 2008.
In 2020 the Tech bros supported democrats. They shifted to the right in 2024. Caught up in Curtis Yarvin’s notion that democracy was so yesterday, and that CEO rule was the way to go. Elon and Peter Thiel, with their acolyte Justa Dunce Vance were fully on board. So Elon bought the election for Trump.
The democrats have always carried water for their corporate owners. But things are so upside down now they don’t know what to do. Some have known that the game has been rigged for a long time. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and recently Chris Murphy. Others are catching up. I admire Mark Kelly, and others are starting to show a spine. The Schumerites need to be deposed.
We don’t need a new party. We just need to purge the Democratic Party of the ones owned by corporations.
Well said!
Chuck Schumer and the spineless Democratic Senators that followed absolutely sold us out. I don't think a left populist movement is the solution though because we need everyone on board and I think leaning into what already exists, the status quo, is not going to work. We need a fresh take on American politics. It needs input from everyone being harmed by this authoritarian takeover and that includes Trump voters too. I also think many of them will move over if they see an actual movement that benefits them. They can be the last people to the party in that sense. We need convincing and compassionate leadership to make a new world a reality, not the SSDD tack of either party or this mutated clown authoritarianism.
I think one of the critical things this needs is a change in how we vote. Right now people are faced with a two party system, partly because they don’t want to waste votes or throw their votes away.
If we had ranked voting, you could vote for your actual first choice… without worrying that you’re just giving power to the opposition by doing so.
I like your thinking.
Well, I have deep identification with the Democratic Party, but I feel I’ve been lied to and boondoggled by them for years. I’ve thought of cancelling my membership. And of course third parties in America never win. But maybe the THREAT of it from enough people would jerk them into some major reforms.
That’s exactly what Teddy Roosevelt thought—which is why he went full chaos mode and started the Progressive Party. His goal? To kick the two corrupt parties (yep, the Democrats and Republicans) straight back in line.
Couldn’t agree with you more.
I’ve been that person driving 8 hours a weekend to canvass in Poconos for Dems.
No more.
If they aren’t going to fight for democracy’s
I’m not fighting for Democrats
I was raised Catholic - so now I refer to myself as a recovering Catholic.
henceforth, I will refer to myself as a recovering Democrat
But a forever democracy activist. 🗽
I like that: “Recovering Democrat”!
INDIVISIBLE, seems like the ground work is there. All 50 states, been developing since 2016, has trust and grassroots support. In so Oregon D2 Indivisible is very active across a rural swath of Eastern and southern countries
Is Indivisible getting traction with rural Oregon?
Yes. OrD3 indivisible . From Medford, Ashland diagonal across the rural side of the state to LA Grand.
There must be a third party, the other two have proven they care nothing for Democracy. America, no longer an example, is now both hated and feared by those who were our allies. We’re in a dictatorship and every day Trump is in office digs us in deeper. The fact that he’s moving so fast and recklessly shows he’s trying to do as much damage as possible before something stops him. He’s now simply ignoring court orders he doesn’t like and doing whatever he pleases. We haven’t had a representative government for a while now. Candidates from both parties run on lies, and once they’re “elected”, sell out to the highest bidder, with few exceptions. Thankfully, there are those who will not simply lie down for the oligarchs and their flunkies. Please, someone start another Bull Moose Party (or whatever) TODAY. It seems there are a ton of potential supporters out there, just waiting for a leader. Who will it be? I’m good with any of the Squad, personally.
Again your column is point on! I would even argue that not having a new populist movement is the root cause of much of our political woes because our two party system literally creates an 'us' vs 'them' mentality. Having something like a parliamentary democracy, although not perfect, forces coalitions, more compromise, and less extremism. Electoral reform in the US can't come any sooner.
We MUST reform it.
Exactly what I've been thinking about. The two-party binary is just not working anymore. Actually, it's worse than not working because, as you note, it is actively splitting us in two, creating deep hatred within that "us and them" construct. Asking electeds who are thoroughly embedded and entrenched within that system to change and create something new may be beyond them--we need new players, at least to start the change.
I’m up for a third-party. The worker party the labor party whatever it’s called but the real people party.
I find your take to be negative and a fragmentation of the Dem party is the Last Thing we need right now. I see your point for the future perhaps but right now we have to hold it together and fight daily against the attack on our government. Because we are in an unprecedented situation we are all struggling with how our systems of government can protect us and I believe our Dem leaders are working with the right intention. I agree they need to get louder and tougher and I believe they will. Let’s keep up the pressure on all fronts and grow it.
Fair point. Maybe I’m too discouraged this week. ☹️
I'll keep the pressure on, but I'm increasingly feeling the majority of elected Democrats are not up to the task at hand. The country is so broken and blame goes to both parties, albeit for different reasons. I have been a Democrat all my life and still hold fast to basic party values, but I'm fed up. I can't believe they didn't have a game plan ready for Trump 2.0! It turns out there are no norms, no guardrails, no enforcement of laws to protect us. We need revolutionaries, not middle managers right now.
YES!!!
Right. Maybe vetting our Dems better, demanding more of them. However that doesn’t expand the party to include alienated republicans, and i think we want to do that
I do too.
Nope. Time’s up — too much time wasted waiting for dems to start doing what they should have done all along, which is represent us. We’re in a forced-choice situation which gives us only two bad choices. A people’s rights third party is the only workable answer. It would pull members from both existing primary parties.
I’m afraid that that may be an emotional response due to feelings we all have but right now, at this moment, we MUST stand strong together as a single protective wall against fascism.We have to be strategic - which is something Dems need to improve but fragmenting right now will kill us.There is not a Republican left in the party that would sign up. They have been bought by the property rights oligarchs TECHbros & THEObros and are dead to any care for human rights.
I hear you—standing strong against fascism is essential. But asking us all to rally behind the same Democratic leadership that just let our democracy collapse is asking too much. Yes, we have to be strategic, but that also means recognizing when a strategy is failing. The Democrats had years to prevent this, and they didn’t. They clung to the same outdated playbook, refusing to fight fire with fire, while the GOP dismantled our institutions in broad daylight.
We can’t afford to keep putting all our energy into propping up a party that refuses to evolve. If we’re serious about stopping fascism, we need new tactics, new leadership, and a coalition that actually represents the people—not just a desperate attempt to hold together a party that keeps losing ground. Staying united against the far-right doesn’t mean uncritical loyalty to a party that’s failed us. It means demanding better, right now.
People who are unswerving supporters of the dems are very concerning to me. I think they may be wonderfully loyal people who are unfortunately squandering their loyalty on the wrong group. Also, dems have used the fear of “fragmenting” warning for…well, forever. A third-party is not “fragmenting” if it has enough support. Whatever two-party fragmenting is done will also affect the gop.
I’m late I. Seeing this and can’t read the whole comment so I responded d based on what I feel the gist is. The facts are what we have to work with - we have only 2 political parties available at this time so … as often in life we must choose the lesser of 2 “ evils” ( though Dems are far from evil imo) I’m older now but see a time soon when this will change. But NOW our only struggle is to save the freedoms of democracy so that we all have the choice and power to create a new world in the future. So , I fight against the authoritarians now for a world I won’t live to see . For you
Problem is in a two-party system, the third party is a spoiler - and doesn't win.
The last time a new, third party won was the victory of A. Lincoln, when the Democratic Party split over slavery. Can we gamble on giving Donald Trump a third term? I don't think so.
Totally hear you—and I’m not talking about a vanity third party to siphon votes. I’m talking about a realignment. A populist party that actually represents working people. Lincoln didn’t just sneak in as a spoiler—he led a movement that reshaped the system. That’s the kind of energy we need.
Brilliant & so true!!! lol. I tell them the same thing when they stick their hand out
1000%