“Rust Belt Insurgents Clinch Democrats’ House Takeover, Repair Blue Wall.” A little over a year from now, a headline like that will convey the state of the electorate—if Democrats prevail in the 2026 midterms.
Dan Osborn (I) lost his last Senate race, promptly set up a PAC and pays himself to be a perennial candidate. Democrats in Nebraska have endorsed him and are not running a candidate in the race. He fundraises through ActBlue with 90% of his donations coming from out of state. He agrees 100% with progressive policies. Voters aren't dumb: He is a Democrat.
Why not work for himself as a candidate. It doesn't take much income to be more than blue collar wages. Yes he gets money via act blue and I'd think mostly from out of state and Democrats would love to see him elected even if he didn't caucus with them. I'm sure once elected and voting they'd bring out the long knives (figuratively)
On the upside senators who are on the fence are often the deciders on legislation. They are that last vote needed to pass filibuster. I could easily imagine him voting for a Republican immigration bill as did congress critters Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Jared Golden of maine and 3 other dems.
Osborn won't reveal how he feels about immigration, or offer other concrete policies or specific solutions. He won't say who he would caucus with. Lots of platitudes (affordable housing, affordable medical care, etc.) but no specifics. How did I Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden vote on whether to shut down the government? Rep Perez opposed a shutdown but didn't vote and Rep. Jared Golden opposed a shutdown and is now being primaried on the left.
The above may well be correct, but the bottom line is not how these more relatable new Dem candidates will campaign, but how they will vote if Gavin Newsom sits in the WH.
Tim Ryan and Sherrod Brown sat in DC and watched Ohio middle class living standards deteriorate under Biden, at the speed of light. At one point Brown, supposedly a labor lion, was reduced to championing an Ohio factory staffed by a group of Haitian migrants. Their "good jobs" paid roughly $18 bucks an hour. Dems seriously bragged about Ohio factory work, for foreign labor, that paid less than $40K a year. In 1988, it was hard to toss a rock in Ohio and not hit a factory paying that, or something near it.
Neither Ryan or Brown, the latter who will ask voters to return him to DC at the spry age of 75, ever once insisted Biden close the border, or trim trillions in Green spending. For new candidates to really capitalize on being Dem fresh faces, they will need to disavow most of what transpired during Biden's term. It will be interesting to see if any will take the plunge.
Inflation will be the most important Midterm issue, but we are unlikely likely to reach the 2026 election, without other political Black Swans. In Texas rumors of Cartel bounties on ICE Agents abound. Biden handed Cartels people trafficking revenue of $13 billion dollars annually. They would like some of it back. Terrorizing ICE agents to cause resignations, is said to be part of the plan. This, as Pritzker refuses to allow IL law enforcement to aid ICE agents in IL. We will all be lucky, if the next few years do not produce an immigration Kent State, with Cartel members playing the role of Ohio Guardsmen.
Tip O'Neil is gone and most politics is national now. Democrats need to make an example of some of the worst. The homicidal maniac in VA would seem a good place to start but the Establishment is doubling down. Might actually work in VA but there will be a price nationally.
The giveaway is your use of the word "perception" which you suggest the liberals need to address. To quote a favorite: it's the reality. stupid. As long as the left arrogantly continues to believe that they are right about everything, they will refuse to consider that just might not be true, and therefore perception is not their problem at all. In fact, that attitude suggests that their detractors are too stupid to see their superior knowledge. It could also be said that the attitude is a good part of the problem, along with the dependence on lies and schemes and hoaxes....including an entire presidency! What is it about truth that is so scary to liberals?
“Connecting with the downtrodden and ignored shouldn’t be that difficult”. It sounds like you are referring to many of the commenters here, who have left the party. Might ask what it would take for them to again vote for a Democrat candidate.
For one thing, the Democrats would have to make good on their promises. Their 2020 platform said they would repeal Trump's 2017 tax cuts; the Democrats left them in place. The platform said the Democrats would raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hr; the Democrats left it at $7.25. The Democrats' platform promised a "21st Century immigration system," which turned out to mean 12 million more illegal aliens. The Democrats passed an Inflation Reduction Act which did not reduce inflation but spent 75% of its appropriations on renewable energy. The Democrats' campaign strategy seems to be "Promise the voters what they want, give them what they don't want, and hope they have short memories."
Trump closed the border already, without deportations it still an open border waiting for the magic words. When are Democrats going to come up with some ideas for things like a universal level of health care for everyone that isn't tied to the for profit medical complex model? The senate has shut us down over competing versions of screwing people over on health care. We need to tax and a lot of the people who will be taxed are Democrats who think anything below a billion dollars is poverty. What of a $20 min wage, a forty hour week, and paid holidays, a liveable pension?
Win or lose, change will come, the question is will the Democratic Party be able to avoid being part of that change for one more election cycle or not.
Healthcare is going to be a huge issue, because costs just keep climbing, and ER waits just keep getting longer. Until all healthcare prices are required to be posted like menus in Paris, and everyone has some financial skin in the game, we will never bend the cost curve down.
40% of Californians are now too poor for subsidized Obamacare, and are now enrolled on Medicaid. That stat should scare the rest of the US half to death. That is roughly more than 50% higher than US national average for Medicaid enrollment. What happens when more of the US is more like CA?
Nice glittering generalities about some Democratic candidates at least sounding less crazy Left on social issues. Some of them will tone down the rhetoric of their (self-preceived) moral superiority, but the likelihood is that the substance of what they really believe - and how they will vote in Congress if elected - will not change.
The current Democratic party is hardcore Woke. As the author noted, only a serious recession guarantees them a House majority after 2026. One sliver of hope for Democrats will be there through 2028: many people are repulsed by how Trump acts - even when they mostly agree with him on policy - that they won't for other Republicans no matter what.
Dan Osborn (I) lost his last Senate race, promptly set up a PAC and pays himself to be a perennial candidate. Democrats in Nebraska have endorsed him and are not running a candidate in the race. He fundraises through ActBlue with 90% of his donations coming from out of state. He agrees 100% with progressive policies. Voters aren't dumb: He is a Democrat.
Why not work for himself as a candidate. It doesn't take much income to be more than blue collar wages. Yes he gets money via act blue and I'd think mostly from out of state and Democrats would love to see him elected even if he didn't caucus with them. I'm sure once elected and voting they'd bring out the long knives (figuratively)
On the upside senators who are on the fence are often the deciders on legislation. They are that last vote needed to pass filibuster. I could easily imagine him voting for a Republican immigration bill as did congress critters Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Jared Golden of maine and 3 other dems.
Osborn won't reveal how he feels about immigration, or offer other concrete policies or specific solutions. He won't say who he would caucus with. Lots of platitudes (affordable housing, affordable medical care, etc.) but no specifics. How did I Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden vote on whether to shut down the government? Rep Perez opposed a shutdown but didn't vote and Rep. Jared Golden opposed a shutdown and is now being primaried on the left.
The above may well be correct, but the bottom line is not how these more relatable new Dem candidates will campaign, but how they will vote if Gavin Newsom sits in the WH.
Tim Ryan and Sherrod Brown sat in DC and watched Ohio middle class living standards deteriorate under Biden, at the speed of light. At one point Brown, supposedly a labor lion, was reduced to championing an Ohio factory staffed by a group of Haitian migrants. Their "good jobs" paid roughly $18 bucks an hour. Dems seriously bragged about Ohio factory work, for foreign labor, that paid less than $40K a year. In 1988, it was hard to toss a rock in Ohio and not hit a factory paying that, or something near it.
Neither Ryan or Brown, the latter who will ask voters to return him to DC at the spry age of 75, ever once insisted Biden close the border, or trim trillions in Green spending. For new candidates to really capitalize on being Dem fresh faces, they will need to disavow most of what transpired during Biden's term. It will be interesting to see if any will take the plunge.
Inflation will be the most important Midterm issue, but we are unlikely likely to reach the 2026 election, without other political Black Swans. In Texas rumors of Cartel bounties on ICE Agents abound. Biden handed Cartels people trafficking revenue of $13 billion dollars annually. They would like some of it back. Terrorizing ICE agents to cause resignations, is said to be part of the plan. This, as Pritzker refuses to allow IL law enforcement to aid ICE agents in IL. We will all be lucky, if the next few years do not produce an immigration Kent State, with Cartel members playing the role of Ohio Guardsmen.
Tip O'Neil is gone and most politics is national now. Democrats need to make an example of some of the worst. The homicidal maniac in VA would seem a good place to start but the Establishment is doubling down. Might actually work in VA but there will be a price nationally.
The giveaway is your use of the word "perception" which you suggest the liberals need to address. To quote a favorite: it's the reality. stupid. As long as the left arrogantly continues to believe that they are right about everything, they will refuse to consider that just might not be true, and therefore perception is not their problem at all. In fact, that attitude suggests that their detractors are too stupid to see their superior knowledge. It could also be said that the attitude is a good part of the problem, along with the dependence on lies and schemes and hoaxes....including an entire presidency! What is it about truth that is so scary to liberals?
“Connecting with the downtrodden and ignored shouldn’t be that difficult”. It sounds like you are referring to many of the commenters here, who have left the party. Might ask what it would take for them to again vote for a Democrat candidate.
For one thing, the Democrats would have to make good on their promises. Their 2020 platform said they would repeal Trump's 2017 tax cuts; the Democrats left them in place. The platform said the Democrats would raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hr; the Democrats left it at $7.25. The Democrats' platform promised a "21st Century immigration system," which turned out to mean 12 million more illegal aliens. The Democrats passed an Inflation Reduction Act which did not reduce inflation but spent 75% of its appropriations on renewable energy. The Democrats' campaign strategy seems to be "Promise the voters what they want, give them what they don't want, and hope they have short memories."
I'm not so sure the Democratic Party is likely to lose the midterms. I'm also not so sure if I want us to lose or not.
I'm reading more articles like the one from Timothy Shenk called "Democrats Are in Crisis Eat-the-Rich Populism Is the Only Answer in Sunday's NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/opinion/democrats-dan-osborn.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rE8.Wcw0.lzDP0UNpvETG&smid=url-share but I don't think they will make it through the bubble.
Trump closed the border already, without deportations it still an open border waiting for the magic words. When are Democrats going to come up with some ideas for things like a universal level of health care for everyone that isn't tied to the for profit medical complex model? The senate has shut us down over competing versions of screwing people over on health care. We need to tax and a lot of the people who will be taxed are Democrats who think anything below a billion dollars is poverty. What of a $20 min wage, a forty hour week, and paid holidays, a liveable pension?
Win or lose, change will come, the question is will the Democratic Party be able to avoid being part of that change for one more election cycle or not.
Healthcare is going to be a huge issue, because costs just keep climbing, and ER waits just keep getting longer. Until all healthcare prices are required to be posted like menus in Paris, and everyone has some financial skin in the game, we will never bend the cost curve down.
40% of Californians are now too poor for subsidized Obamacare, and are now enrolled on Medicaid. That stat should scare the rest of the US half to death. That is roughly more than 50% higher than US national average for Medicaid enrollment. What happens when more of the US is more like CA?
Health care is unfixable without running private equity out of town. Same with housing.
Nice glittering generalities about some Democratic candidates at least sounding less crazy Left on social issues. Some of them will tone down the rhetoric of their (self-preceived) moral superiority, but the likelihood is that the substance of what they really believe - and how they will vote in Congress if elected - will not change.
The current Democratic party is hardcore Woke. As the author noted, only a serious recession guarantees them a House majority after 2026. One sliver of hope for Democrats will be there through 2028: many people are repulsed by how Trump acts - even when they mostly agree with him on policy - that they won't for other Republicans no matter what.