To expect anything from the Blue Team other than subservience to the billionaires is to ignore history. The Blue Team has never been truly supportive of labor or anyone who isn't wealthy. Even FDR was only doing what he thought necessary to keep the general public from protesting and striking. There is no people's party in the US, just two corporate-owned parties that do the bidding of the wealthy. Americans need to wipe the idea from their minds that either the Red Team or the Blue Team is going to save them from the billionaires. If you want change, then people are going to have to start massive labor strikes along with massive protests. But that isn't going to happen with the divided electorate still clinging to either the Red or Blue Team in the hopes of a miraculous turnaround.
If you haven't read them, I recommend Howard Zinn's "A people's history of the US" and Stephen Kinzer's book "The Brothers" about the Dulles gang. In the US, both political parties have always been an amalgamation of wealthy business owners, politicians, major news outlet owners and spies all working together. They go to the same Georgetown parties (I got my PhD at Georgetown) and scheme about how they are going to smash down any opposition from the public. This explains why communism and socialism are the "greatest of all evils" because they threaten the revenue streams of the wealthy.
Thanks for writing this. I love the comparison of costs between the past and now. I agree with you. Get rid of the corporate consultants to the Democratic Party. I love Bernie Sanders and AOC's tours across the country. PS I'm an 83 year old Quaker grandmother, and slightly active
If the Democratic Party wants to do better in the polls, they should look to Bernie, who has never abandoned workers and who fills every venue he goes to, and then some!
I only have my little story to share, and it is anecdotal, but hear me out.
I started teaching French and Spanish in 1980. There, we always had a chapter on "la famille" or "la familia".
The buzz word, as women started joining the work force was: A "conventional family", meaning one where dad worked, mom stayed at home and took care of the kids, cooked meals etc.
In the 80s, practically everyone of my students said they had a "conventional family". [Only 5-6 "broken homes" where mom had to go to work to support her kids[ and there were quite a few "dead beat dads"
Around 1985, it was still close to 60% but the feeling [imbued with a lot of misogyny]was that most of the 40% working outside the home were just "bored housewives" who wanted to make a little mad money on the side.
By the 90s, less than half did, and some students also started having a job that sometimes took them away from their homework.
Around 2000, it kept getting worse, and some students would cut school; some companies [especially fast food companies] were caught keeping kids doing night work. Drug use, criminality, despair increased.
All along, we felt that the families were getting pulled apart. A lot of the blame was put on women, with men feeling less and less capable of holding a good paying job, with all the insecurity and resentment that goes with it.
But no. It was not "women" wanting more freedom, or "deadbeat dads" who could not keep up their end of the bargain.
Nope. All along, and we need to look at this one squarely in the face: It is the legislatures that create your economic weather.
It is the legislatures that refuse to raise the minimum wage, it is the legislatures that refuse to give us what most of the world has: Universal healthcare, it is the legislatures that bar unions, it is the legislatures that make all the decisions relative to your chance at prosperity, it is the legislatures that decides who gets taxed and how much, it is the legislatures that decide how freely guns can be obtained or whether we should have "prisons for profit".
Workers used to be great friends of the Democratic Party and Unions were a formidable ally. [Why do you think Republicans invested this much towards automatization and globalization that killed unions?]
Hillary Clinton famously said :"Who else are they going to vote for?" speaking of workers.
Putting the blame on "uneducated workers" for her loss only made it much worse. So Dems carry their share of the blame for their present woes. They need to make common cause with the workers again.
So let's put the blame where it belongs: on every legislature that makes decisions that do not favor us. Talk to your legislators, every day if you must. Demand your rights to be heard ... or lose them.
Since Reagan, we have lived under an austerity regime, whether it was headed by Rs or Ds.
Bernie has been funneling working class energy and feeding it back into the Dems because years ago he ran for office as an independent, split the vote with the Democrat and a Republican won as a result. That's what his experience taught him. He's a careerist politician that has capitulated not once, but twice. The first time to a woman who was kicked off Nixon's Watergate defense team for unethical behavior, called Black kids super predators in the 90s, a war hawk that Pat Buchanan could advocate for over Trump; and then Mr Biden, who in addition to bragging about working across the aisle with George Wallace, railroaded Anita Hill so he could seat Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, and how fortunate for us. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to be realistic. We are the people we've been waiting for. Not Bernie, and I say that as someone who donated the max to both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. If we're going to put our eggs in his basket, we're only being complicit in the demolishing of our future. The rhetoric may be there, but his actions speak otherwise. Dems are a party of racism, capitalism, imperialism, colonization. Bernie could have broken with them years ago and propped up the Green Party or a Socialist Party and refused to do so. I love him and I acknowledge he's a sell out. If we keep pretending we have a choice in this system between red and blue, we're lying to ourselves. The choice is between abolishing capitalism or pretending it's broken and just needs fixed. It's rooted in colonialist thought, in supremacy thought. The system isn't broken, it was built this way, it's functioning exactly as hoped for by the ruling class.
Thank you for this; I agree. The Bernie/AOC faction have been the only ones to consistently stay close to the ideals of the old-school Democrats, and yet they get demonized as "extreme leftists."
… not the sole problem or cause, but emblematic of the same. We’ve come to a point in society where money dominates all other needs, concerns, and values. Everyone must first bend the knee to money (even for their right to continue to exist) before anything else can be considered.
Democrats/Progressives largely have a responsible vision and values — they simply can’t be implemented within the current system.
The grand vision we truly need is that of a society where money (if it exists at all) is the servant of people, institutions, environment, and living systems, rather than their master.
Sadly, I just don’t think we can make such a transition at this stage — at least not without a Stone Age-level apocalypse.
In my comment above, I neglected to mention a pivotal destructive secondary effect of a money-centric society: It gradually turns each of us into lone agents who are predisposed to compete, mistrust, exploit — and in the worst case, sabotage -- each other in our drive to “get ahead” in life.
I have described the money problem as this: Once everything has been monetized, and it mostly has, you come to realize nothing needs to be monetized. Money, itself, should not have value beyond exchange and bookkeeping necessity. But that means addressing the issue of power: Everything is power and power must be handled wisely, yet none of that is taught.
Yes! I have long noted that money serves two opposing functions: it's both a medium of exchange and a store of value. The more it is used for one purpose, less is available for the other. And that's the problem. Money should be seen as a utility provided by the government to facilitate commerce. But a relative few unwell people feel compelled to hoard astronomical amounts of it – beyond all need a reason — thus depriving the rest of the country of its necessary use. Growing inequality, Inflation, recession, and depression are the result.
Excessive levels of wealth hoarding need to be discouraged with a progressive tax on wealth!
We will never be able to implement our priorities until MAGA is held to account for what they have done, and a strong enough message is sent to make them think twice about doing it again. Not just the Stephen Millers etc. Every corporation, law firm, school that caved, every official and law enforcement agent that violated human rights, every militia man must be held to account. MAGA is not going to go quietly or peacefully. Why would they if there is no accountability?
WHOA! I understand your anger, but this kind of focus could and would be destructive. Retribution or revenge?
I think the focus has to be building a system and country that focuses on the needs of the vast majority of Americans. Justice is in our good deeds as a government, not in a system of witch-hunting.
I posted this as a note the other day, I’ll add it here as a reply.
The Rule of Law, Will it be Our Downfall?
Is our respect for the rule of law our downfall? our fatal flaw? What happens if there is another election and we win? Will we decide we “don’t look backwards, we look forward”?
Will our respect for due process cause us to once again fail to hold the people who have nearly (or completely by then) destroyed our country accountable? Will we have endless commissions, investigations, and Mueller reports? Will we allow the Aileen Cannons to obstruct justice and the Clarence Thomases to grant immunities?
Will our commitment to free speech allow the Foxes, Newsmaxes, and podcasters to accuse us of being Nazis if we attempt to deliver swift and unequivocal justice?
At a time when leadership on our side should be working at planning how we will deliver justice, and putting infrastructure in place to ensure it, we see nothing more substantive than the strongly worded letter. Even Bernie and AOC seem to just want to go after billionaires, which is fine, but it’s not nearly enough and it misses the point.
How will we ensure that this can never happen again? We utterly failed at our first chance, we may get a second, and if we fail again…
I totally agree with Corbin and many other independent voices. However, they all go to great lengths to tell us what’s wrong and that it must be fixed. So far, it seems that NO-ONE is offering any ideas or possible solutions as to how to do that. Several prominent politicians have talked about forming a 3rd party, which is all well and good. Yet history has so far shown that 3rd parties just have not been able to get any traction. If anyone has read (or knows of) people who are offering solutions, not just bemoaning what’s going on now, please let me know!
I like your post. I agree with most of it. For me I’d tell them:
I’ve been a lifelong Democrat — over 50 years. I knocked on doors, made calls, donated, showed up to club meetings, and volunteered in every way I could. I believed in the mission, in the values, and in the promise that this party cared about people like me. But I don’t believe that anymore.
I watched the local Democratic club president shut down any honest discussion about Kamala Harris and the backroom moves that clearly came from the top. “We won’t discuss what’s in the news until Biden makes a decision,” they said — like we were schoolchildren. That wasn’t leadership. That was control, arrogance, and fear. And Harris? Her selection felt less like inspiration and more like calculation. Her messaging has been weak at best, and dismissive at worst.
When I was polled, I said it loud and clear: if Democrats keep pushing the “best economy ever” narrative while people can’t afford a home, we’re going to lose. And we will lose. The people I talk to — folks who aren’t hyper-engaged like I’ve been — say Trump’s messaging hits closer to home. Not because they love him, but because at least he speaks to their pain. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders act like nothing's wrong.
Then came the final straw: I watched the California legislature — a so-called progressive stronghold — pass one of the weakest campaign reform bills I’ve ever seen. A green light for money to keep corrupting our politics. That was it. I was done.
So I left. After 50 years, I walked away. And I’m not looking back. I’m working now with the Forward Party, building something new — something that actually listens. You don’t get to ignore the housing crisis, the wage gap, and the democratic decay — and still claim moral superiority.
Goodbye, Democrats. You’re a dead party walking. And if the GOP keeps playing their cynical games while letting working people drown, they’ll be next.
The era of blind loyalty is over. We’re building something better. Get ready.
Democrats can start by not emailing people with alarming information, then asking for a donation, particularly as a condition for accepting your input. This is an existential crisis. To treat our current climate like its business as usual (ie all about the money, we won't listen to you otherwise) is COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE at best. It sends the message they STILL don't get it, are still all about their power. Elected leaders and candidates must show they are going to listen to the people, not the corporations, and explicitly commit to passing bills that take the money out of politics. People need to make clear that winning their vote requires making this commitment.
Both parties are captured. We need an independent 3rd post-partisan force and voice in our public discourse that gives a clear transpartisan consensus voice for the pragmatically purple swing voter to wag the dogs. It’s what is emerging with such as bettertogetheramerica.org - local deliberative engagement to discern top CONSENSUS priorities, then to discern and advance top CONSENSUS solutions and policy - which altogether form a ‘People’s Platform’. One or the other candidates will fold towards this swing-sexy platform, forcing other top candidates to do the same. We win… before votes are even cast. No party. No need to play within the parties. Fuck the parties. I am … strictly ANTI-PARTISAN at this point. It’s all a waste of time. Competitive open elections are an invitation to pay to play - all seats have been purchasable since 1776. Get real.
Not disagreeing with anything you said but, even if Democrats actually had a bold vision and strategy for our future that acknowledges the severely cracked foundation of our present, would anybody listen? Where would people hear it? How can you have a bold media message when the media only wants to talk about Trump?
I think the media would cover it if the party proposed an NHS style healthcare system or billions in public housing or party primaries to oust failed leadership...
If the entire party got behind universal healthcare, I think that would get some headlines. And they got in front of a camera every day to speak about it. But they would have to be all together on this (something Dems are not known for). I think it could work...until Trump threatens to takeover Mexico or Antarctica or drill to the center of the earth (because he watched The Core over the weekend at Mar a Lago).
"Will Trump's Vision to Drill to the Center of the Earth Work" - The New York Times
I agree with Corbin’s argument that democrats need to more aggressively develop a plan for working people. After all, isn’t that what we all are? If you have a job and get a paycheck, you’re a working person.
But I also agree with Chris that the media really doesn’t cover party policies and they do not want to focus on any candidate who is fighting for the people. Look at the sparse coverage of Bernie Sanders and AOC. Look at the lack of coverage for Tim Walz who has also been drawing large crowds and giving speeches based on having a government that works for people, not the one percent. We also saw little coverage of President Biden’s administration which was based on working for people and building a government that was actively engaged in economic development of the country. The problem of people regaining control of the government is complex and will need time to achieve. I understand Corbin believes this is the time, but when I see how voters are impacted by disinformation, I don’t know how we can change the course of history. First we must somehow stop Trump and Musk.
They may not be listening (because who watches capitalist media) but I notice Bernie has been welcomed & seen on CNN & Fox more now than when he ran for President. So maybe the message other than Orange Man bad (and actual COMMITMENT and action) would gain traction. There's a great interview with Joan C. Williams in Jacbin that beautifully articulates the potential for alternatives. And if we COULD start a third party, we sure as hell SHOULD. The Status Quo duopoly is rotten to the core.
Democrats will NEVER serve the working class ever again. Come on, Clinton, Obama and Biden didn't, and that's a 30+ year track record. They are bought and paid for by our class enemies.
We can't vote our way out of this. We need a revolution of some sort, and that will probably require something like an effective general strike. An ILLEGAL general strike, which makes it revolutionary right there.
I agree with you. We need to be able to say as simply and directly as possible what we envision for the future and how to get there. I would welcome your stab at defining our platform!
Solutions to laissez faire, disaster capitalism? First start with the premise that 'party' politics is only for holding parties for those invited to network and schmooze. One and 0.25 ideas does not demonstrate the immense network of problem solving needed to create, let alone sustain, a community of 330+M persons who are not born from the same mother.
Capitalism is kleptocracy and tyranny rolled into a fat burrito. Looks good until you get the bill and taste the chile. Naomi Klein aptly states that this is now - 'they want all of it.' That no one can even pretend to comprehend what all of it might render is obvious. The psychologically needy know No Other Behavior.
So start with the rest of the pot - about 90-95 percent of the citizens, who cannot stand party politics unless they believe the lies more than their own discomforts and stresses. maga is not homogeneous, even if the senate and house look that way. Cowardice and graft go a long way when normalizing immediate gratifications.
I have begged for years, as a DTS independent and a former Green, that we need a movement of rainbow experiences, not a rusty bucket of D brand elites who might be nice to the bottom 70, as long as, as my dad used to say, 'whose ox is being gored.' independent voters are the clear majority, and then there are all the others who are too bored or cynical to vote at all. They still count, as the Harris misque showed. Greg Palast shows that voter suppression cost 4.7 million votes, but that only shows who could not vote, not who did not vote.
We are absolutely near the end of organized civilization. I am an ecologist, and what is going on is a disaster of proportions so huge the average mind just glazes over and shrugs it off, waiting for chance to render the inevitable. But they are concerned, but no one will reach out to them and propose radical changes.
Distress always invites radical change. People do not want, let alone need, top down pandering with platitudes and more credit card offers to engage with the barrage of propaganda advertising and manipulation they experience by the hour. If I were a prominent D, I would hit a de-programming clinic immediately, and then dare to ask any citizen who is not a party poll, what they think is going down, and what they need to stop being crushed by indifference.
It will be a new movement, a citizen movement, that embraces the most basic needs of all the variables that will show up. Begin with vigorous voter registration to counter the 4.7 wiped out AND a reality pitch to empower those too cynical to play rope-a-dope. They want a different country, not a kleptocracy of idiots who drink too much, ogle little girls, like to play mean bitch, and are essentially pornographic in their behaviors in public.
Slam the TFG disease constantly, loudly, accurately, and connect the dots between that cancer and the public's cancer. As any independent. Blind faith means you actually are blind.
To expect anything from the Blue Team other than subservience to the billionaires is to ignore history. The Blue Team has never been truly supportive of labor or anyone who isn't wealthy. Even FDR was only doing what he thought necessary to keep the general public from protesting and striking. There is no people's party in the US, just two corporate-owned parties that do the bidding of the wealthy. Americans need to wipe the idea from their minds that either the Red Team or the Blue Team is going to save them from the billionaires. If you want change, then people are going to have to start massive labor strikes along with massive protests. But that isn't going to happen with the divided electorate still clinging to either the Red or Blue Team in the hopes of a miraculous turnaround.
I do not see any way to contradict this article meaningfully.
Done Zinn but not Kinzer. Thanks for the recommend…
Ahhh … a principled reply! Well done, John R. Moffett. And thank you for an article idea.
If you haven't read them, I recommend Howard Zinn's "A people's history of the US" and Stephen Kinzer's book "The Brothers" about the Dulles gang. In the US, both political parties have always been an amalgamation of wealthy business owners, politicians, major news outlet owners and spies all working together. They go to the same Georgetown parties (I got my PhD at Georgetown) and scheme about how they are going to smash down any opposition from the public. This explains why communism and socialism are the "greatest of all evils" because they threaten the revenue streams of the wealthy.
Thanks for writing this. I love the comparison of costs between the past and now. I agree with you. Get rid of the corporate consultants to the Democratic Party. I love Bernie Sanders and AOC's tours across the country. PS I'm an 83 year old Quaker grandmother, and slightly active
in Indivisible and the Revolution group.
If the Democratic Party wants to do better in the polls, they should look to Bernie, who has never abandoned workers and who fills every venue he goes to, and then some!
I only have my little story to share, and it is anecdotal, but hear me out.
I started teaching French and Spanish in 1980. There, we always had a chapter on "la famille" or "la familia".
The buzz word, as women started joining the work force was: A "conventional family", meaning one where dad worked, mom stayed at home and took care of the kids, cooked meals etc.
In the 80s, practically everyone of my students said they had a "conventional family". [Only 5-6 "broken homes" where mom had to go to work to support her kids[ and there were quite a few "dead beat dads"
Around 1985, it was still close to 60% but the feeling [imbued with a lot of misogyny]was that most of the 40% working outside the home were just "bored housewives" who wanted to make a little mad money on the side.
By the 90s, less than half did, and some students also started having a job that sometimes took them away from their homework.
Around 2000, it kept getting worse, and some students would cut school; some companies [especially fast food companies] were caught keeping kids doing night work. Drug use, criminality, despair increased.
All along, we felt that the families were getting pulled apart. A lot of the blame was put on women, with men feeling less and less capable of holding a good paying job, with all the insecurity and resentment that goes with it.
But no. It was not "women" wanting more freedom, or "deadbeat dads" who could not keep up their end of the bargain.
Nope. All along, and we need to look at this one squarely in the face: It is the legislatures that create your economic weather.
It is the legislatures that refuse to raise the minimum wage, it is the legislatures that refuse to give us what most of the world has: Universal healthcare, it is the legislatures that bar unions, it is the legislatures that make all the decisions relative to your chance at prosperity, it is the legislatures that decides who gets taxed and how much, it is the legislatures that decide how freely guns can be obtained or whether we should have "prisons for profit".
Workers used to be great friends of the Democratic Party and Unions were a formidable ally. [Why do you think Republicans invested this much towards automatization and globalization that killed unions?]
Hillary Clinton famously said :"Who else are they going to vote for?" speaking of workers.
Putting the blame on "uneducated workers" for her loss only made it much worse. So Dems carry their share of the blame for their present woes. They need to make common cause with the workers again.
So let's put the blame where it belongs: on every legislature that makes decisions that do not favor us. Talk to your legislators, every day if you must. Demand your rights to be heard ... or lose them.
Since Reagan, we have lived under an austerity regime, whether it was headed by Rs or Ds.
Bernie has been funneling working class energy and feeding it back into the Dems because years ago he ran for office as an independent, split the vote with the Democrat and a Republican won as a result. That's what his experience taught him. He's a careerist politician that has capitulated not once, but twice. The first time to a woman who was kicked off Nixon's Watergate defense team for unethical behavior, called Black kids super predators in the 90s, a war hawk that Pat Buchanan could advocate for over Trump; and then Mr Biden, who in addition to bragging about working across the aisle with George Wallace, railroaded Anita Hill so he could seat Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, and how fortunate for us. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm trying to be realistic. We are the people we've been waiting for. Not Bernie, and I say that as someone who donated the max to both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. If we're going to put our eggs in his basket, we're only being complicit in the demolishing of our future. The rhetoric may be there, but his actions speak otherwise. Dems are a party of racism, capitalism, imperialism, colonization. Bernie could have broken with them years ago and propped up the Green Party or a Socialist Party and refused to do so. I love him and I acknowledge he's a sell out. If we keep pretending we have a choice in this system between red and blue, we're lying to ourselves. The choice is between abolishing capitalism or pretending it's broken and just needs fixed. It's rooted in colonialist thought, in supremacy thought. The system isn't broken, it was built this way, it's functioning exactly as hoped for by the ruling class.
Thank you for this; I agree. The Bernie/AOC faction have been the only ones to consistently stay close to the ideals of the old-school Democrats, and yet they get demonized as "extreme leftists."
What extreme leftists?? Leftist is what moderates call Bernie Sanders, and AOC. I need names of those “leftists” you’re referring to.
Two words: “Citizens United”.
… not the sole problem or cause, but emblematic of the same. We’ve come to a point in society where money dominates all other needs, concerns, and values. Everyone must first bend the knee to money (even for their right to continue to exist) before anything else can be considered.
Democrats/Progressives largely have a responsible vision and values — they simply can’t be implemented within the current system.
The grand vision we truly need is that of a society where money (if it exists at all) is the servant of people, institutions, environment, and living systems, rather than their master.
Sadly, I just don’t think we can make such a transition at this stage — at least not without a Stone Age-level apocalypse.
In my comment above, I neglected to mention a pivotal destructive secondary effect of a money-centric society: It gradually turns each of us into lone agents who are predisposed to compete, mistrust, exploit — and in the worst case, sabotage -- each other in our drive to “get ahead” in life.
I have described the money problem as this: Once everything has been monetized, and it mostly has, you come to realize nothing needs to be monetized. Money, itself, should not have value beyond exchange and bookkeeping necessity. But that means addressing the issue of power: Everything is power and power must be handled wisely, yet none of that is taught.
Yes! I have long noted that money serves two opposing functions: it's both a medium of exchange and a store of value. The more it is used for one purpose, less is available for the other. And that's the problem. Money should be seen as a utility provided by the government to facilitate commerce. But a relative few unwell people feel compelled to hoard astronomical amounts of it – beyond all need a reason — thus depriving the rest of the country of its necessary use. Growing inequality, Inflation, recession, and depression are the result.
Excessive levels of wealth hoarding need to be discouraged with a progressive tax on wealth!
It should be self evident that a "democracy" in whch the few are getting rich at the expense of the many is not functioning as a democracy.
We will never be able to implement our priorities until MAGA is held to account for what they have done, and a strong enough message is sent to make them think twice about doing it again. Not just the Stephen Millers etc. Every corporation, law firm, school that caved, every official and law enforcement agent that violated human rights, every militia man must be held to account. MAGA is not going to go quietly or peacefully. Why would they if there is no accountability?
WHOA! I understand your anger, but this kind of focus could and would be destructive. Retribution or revenge?
I think the focus has to be building a system and country that focuses on the needs of the vast majority of Americans. Justice is in our good deeds as a government, not in a system of witch-hunting.
I posted this as a note the other day, I’ll add it here as a reply.
The Rule of Law, Will it be Our Downfall?
Is our respect for the rule of law our downfall? our fatal flaw? What happens if there is another election and we win? Will we decide we “don’t look backwards, we look forward”?
Will our respect for due process cause us to once again fail to hold the people who have nearly (or completely by then) destroyed our country accountable? Will we have endless commissions, investigations, and Mueller reports? Will we allow the Aileen Cannons to obstruct justice and the Clarence Thomases to grant immunities?
Will our commitment to free speech allow the Foxes, Newsmaxes, and podcasters to accuse us of being Nazis if we attempt to deliver swift and unequivocal justice?
At a time when leadership on our side should be working at planning how we will deliver justice, and putting infrastructure in place to ensure it, we see nothing more substantive than the strongly worded letter. Even Bernie and AOC seem to just want to go after billionaires, which is fine, but it’s not nearly enough and it misses the point.
How will we ensure that this can never happen again? We utterly failed at our first chance, we may get a second, and if we fail again…
I totally agree with Corbin and many other independent voices. However, they all go to great lengths to tell us what’s wrong and that it must be fixed. So far, it seems that NO-ONE is offering any ideas or possible solutions as to how to do that. Several prominent politicians have talked about forming a 3rd party, which is all well and good. Yet history has so far shown that 3rd parties just have not been able to get any traction. If anyone has read (or knows of) people who are offering solutions, not just bemoaning what’s going on now, please let me know!
Bernie Sanders has been telling us how to fix this problem for decades now.
I like your post. I agree with most of it. For me I’d tell them:
I’ve been a lifelong Democrat — over 50 years. I knocked on doors, made calls, donated, showed up to club meetings, and volunteered in every way I could. I believed in the mission, in the values, and in the promise that this party cared about people like me. But I don’t believe that anymore.
I watched the local Democratic club president shut down any honest discussion about Kamala Harris and the backroom moves that clearly came from the top. “We won’t discuss what’s in the news until Biden makes a decision,” they said — like we were schoolchildren. That wasn’t leadership. That was control, arrogance, and fear. And Harris? Her selection felt less like inspiration and more like calculation. Her messaging has been weak at best, and dismissive at worst.
When I was polled, I said it loud and clear: if Democrats keep pushing the “best economy ever” narrative while people can’t afford a home, we’re going to lose. And we will lose. The people I talk to — folks who aren’t hyper-engaged like I’ve been — say Trump’s messaging hits closer to home. Not because they love him, but because at least he speaks to their pain. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders act like nothing's wrong.
Then came the final straw: I watched the California legislature — a so-called progressive stronghold — pass one of the weakest campaign reform bills I’ve ever seen. A green light for money to keep corrupting our politics. That was it. I was done.
So I left. After 50 years, I walked away. And I’m not looking back. I’m working now with the Forward Party, building something new — something that actually listens. You don’t get to ignore the housing crisis, the wage gap, and the democratic decay — and still claim moral superiority.
Goodbye, Democrats. You’re a dead party walking. And if the GOP keeps playing their cynical games while letting working people drown, they’ll be next.
The era of blind loyalty is over. We’re building something better. Get ready.
Democrats can start by not emailing people with alarming information, then asking for a donation, particularly as a condition for accepting your input. This is an existential crisis. To treat our current climate like its business as usual (ie all about the money, we won't listen to you otherwise) is COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE at best. It sends the message they STILL don't get it, are still all about their power. Elected leaders and candidates must show they are going to listen to the people, not the corporations, and explicitly commit to passing bills that take the money out of politics. People need to make clear that winning their vote requires making this commitment.
Both parties are captured. We need an independent 3rd post-partisan force and voice in our public discourse that gives a clear transpartisan consensus voice for the pragmatically purple swing voter to wag the dogs. It’s what is emerging with such as bettertogetheramerica.org - local deliberative engagement to discern top CONSENSUS priorities, then to discern and advance top CONSENSUS solutions and policy - which altogether form a ‘People’s Platform’. One or the other candidates will fold towards this swing-sexy platform, forcing other top candidates to do the same. We win… before votes are even cast. No party. No need to play within the parties. Fuck the parties. I am … strictly ANTI-PARTISAN at this point. It’s all a waste of time. Competitive open elections are an invitation to pay to play - all seats have been purchasable since 1776. Get real.
Not disagreeing with anything you said but, even if Democrats actually had a bold vision and strategy for our future that acknowledges the severely cracked foundation of our present, would anybody listen? Where would people hear it? How can you have a bold media message when the media only wants to talk about Trump?
I think the media would cover it if the party proposed an NHS style healthcare system or billions in public housing or party primaries to oust failed leadership...
If the entire party got behind universal healthcare, I think that would get some headlines. And they got in front of a camera every day to speak about it. But they would have to be all together on this (something Dems are not known for). I think it could work...until Trump threatens to takeover Mexico or Antarctica or drill to the center of the earth (because he watched The Core over the weekend at Mar a Lago).
"Will Trump's Vision to Drill to the Center of the Earth Work" - The New York Times
It would get better coverage, but more importantly in would get hugely noticed by millions of Americans.
I agree with Corbin’s argument that democrats need to more aggressively develop a plan for working people. After all, isn’t that what we all are? If you have a job and get a paycheck, you’re a working person.
But I also agree with Chris that the media really doesn’t cover party policies and they do not want to focus on any candidate who is fighting for the people. Look at the sparse coverage of Bernie Sanders and AOC. Look at the lack of coverage for Tim Walz who has also been drawing large crowds and giving speeches based on having a government that works for people, not the one percent. We also saw little coverage of President Biden’s administration which was based on working for people and building a government that was actively engaged in economic development of the country. The problem of people regaining control of the government is complex and will need time to achieve. I understand Corbin believes this is the time, but when I see how voters are impacted by disinformation, I don’t know how we can change the course of history. First we must somehow stop Trump and Musk.
I think they don't cover Dem policies because they are boring, complicated nad mostly maintenance policies. They cover MAGA policies.
They may not be listening (because who watches capitalist media) but I notice Bernie has been welcomed & seen on CNN & Fox more now than when he ran for President. So maybe the message other than Orange Man bad (and actual COMMITMENT and action) would gain traction. There's a great interview with Joan C. Williams in Jacbin that beautifully articulates the potential for alternatives. And if we COULD start a third party, we sure as hell SHOULD. The Status Quo duopoly is rotten to the core.
Democrats will NEVER serve the working class ever again. Come on, Clinton, Obama and Biden didn't, and that's a 30+ year track record. They are bought and paid for by our class enemies.
We can't vote our way out of this. We need a revolution of some sort, and that will probably require something like an effective general strike. An ILLEGAL general strike, which makes it revolutionary right there.
I agree with you. We need to be able to say as simply and directly as possible what we envision for the future and how to get there. I would welcome your stab at defining our platform!
Solutions to laissez faire, disaster capitalism? First start with the premise that 'party' politics is only for holding parties for those invited to network and schmooze. One and 0.25 ideas does not demonstrate the immense network of problem solving needed to create, let alone sustain, a community of 330+M persons who are not born from the same mother.
Capitalism is kleptocracy and tyranny rolled into a fat burrito. Looks good until you get the bill and taste the chile. Naomi Klein aptly states that this is now - 'they want all of it.' That no one can even pretend to comprehend what all of it might render is obvious. The psychologically needy know No Other Behavior.
So start with the rest of the pot - about 90-95 percent of the citizens, who cannot stand party politics unless they believe the lies more than their own discomforts and stresses. maga is not homogeneous, even if the senate and house look that way. Cowardice and graft go a long way when normalizing immediate gratifications.
I have begged for years, as a DTS independent and a former Green, that we need a movement of rainbow experiences, not a rusty bucket of D brand elites who might be nice to the bottom 70, as long as, as my dad used to say, 'whose ox is being gored.' independent voters are the clear majority, and then there are all the others who are too bored or cynical to vote at all. They still count, as the Harris misque showed. Greg Palast shows that voter suppression cost 4.7 million votes, but that only shows who could not vote, not who did not vote.
We are absolutely near the end of organized civilization. I am an ecologist, and what is going on is a disaster of proportions so huge the average mind just glazes over and shrugs it off, waiting for chance to render the inevitable. But they are concerned, but no one will reach out to them and propose radical changes.
Distress always invites radical change. People do not want, let alone need, top down pandering with platitudes and more credit card offers to engage with the barrage of propaganda advertising and manipulation they experience by the hour. If I were a prominent D, I would hit a de-programming clinic immediately, and then dare to ask any citizen who is not a party poll, what they think is going down, and what they need to stop being crushed by indifference.
It will be a new movement, a citizen movement, that embraces the most basic needs of all the variables that will show up. Begin with vigorous voter registration to counter the 4.7 wiped out AND a reality pitch to empower those too cynical to play rope-a-dope. They want a different country, not a kleptocracy of idiots who drink too much, ogle little girls, like to play mean bitch, and are essentially pornographic in their behaviors in public.
Slam the TFG disease constantly, loudly, accurately, and connect the dots between that cancer and the public's cancer. As any independent. Blind faith means you actually are blind.
Brilliant! Thank you.
71 yr old female... taught by my mother to respect people for their opinions, not their race.
My mother was born here, raised by a Transylvanian born father, and a Alsace-Lorraine born mother (when the territory was German).
Her father was a college-educated, jack of all trades, who helped found the first union at GE Schenectady.
I taught my son to respect people for who they were, not what they were.
I thank my mother every day, and my grandparents every time I learn something new. ❤️