Nobody wants the Trump regime out more than me but this won’t work. To win the Democrats must show grace and understanding. They must apologise and make convincing fundamental changes to their core values and strategy. To both win and rebuild a sense of shared enterprise in America the Democrats have to say “we are sorry we lost our way. We allowed the following to wreak pain on middle class Americans: globalisation, mass migration, identity politics, meritocracy (ref Sandel’s exposure of how Democrats allowed Michael Young’s dystopia to takeover the US establishment). And we hear your grievances and accept that Democrats must follow your legitimate democratic preferences for change”.
1. We will protect and promote US industry and manufacturing and create more well paid US jobs for non graduates
2. We will limit mass migration into the low pay economy and increase pay and security in those jobs.
3. We will prioritise social justice as an economic class issue in which all “minority” boats float higher on a rising tide. That includes the white poor, who we accept have been demonised by the highly paid white meritocracy.
4. We will give equal treatment to the virtues of American history and patriotism (there are many) and not wallow in and obsess about its mistakes. All cultures and philosophies make mistakes but the US has been overwhelmingly a force for good so we will eject the revisionist activist lobby who went to far turning the Vietnam protest culture into a permanent brand.
5. We will stop pushing the meritocratic fallacy that social justice is social mobility through graduate professional climbing and we will restore pride status respect and reward for all who do a good days work, by building a pay and wealth system where everyone who is in fulltime work can pay for a home, a car, phone, food, a holiday, and consumable that allow them to enjoy a decent life.
6. We will respect the reservations that the majority of socially conservative Americans have towards the over aggressive activism of movements supporting trans rights, race, climate, and a host of other graduate class issues that get in the way of real world everyday priorities: housing, traditional policing, jobs, pay, health, education.
Without these fundamental changes, that aim to reunite the country and culture the Democrats will continue to lose and the US will continue to tear itself apart - the stuff that Democrats stood for when they represented instead of lectured at the working and middle class.
Thank you for sharing, Ken. I don’t think we’re talking about different things—compassion, kindness, and understanding are all central to my post. So is inclusion, which Gen Y and Gen Z deeply value.
That said, I don’t believe apologizing for something that didn’t happen—just because MAGA claimed it in their propaganda—is the answer. Our focus should be on moving forward with the solutions I outlined.
I’ll give more thought to your comments, but the last thing I want to do is reinforce a false narrative by suggesting we did something wrong when we didn’t. This wasn’t about our policies—it was a messaging failure by us, and a misinformation campaign by them.
It’s not just the Dems. It’s a common factor across western liberal democracies. At one point J D Vance seemed to articulate it. Not now of course. BTW, my personal road to Damascus moment on this was 2009 when showing my daughter (who was about to start at Oxford) around DC calling on the institutions of the Washington Consensus to ask the question can America rise again! We were on the Hill when it was cleared for Obama to make his healthcare speech. On the Saturday we witnessed the Tea Party march. Mingling with the crowd I thought “this is not the far right, this is the disenfranchised and moribund. This is Richie Cunningham’s Mum and Dad”. The penny dropped. We (liberal graduates) let them down and opened the door to Trump, Brexit, Wilders, Le Pen, Orban, the ADF. Until we accept that we won’t win them back (even the young ones) - however clever our use of modern media gets to be.
There’s right and wrong and truth and justice. What’s happen and what we’re experiencing is the result of decades of manipulation. Hopefully we can turn things around.
It's less about teaching candidates to use social and more about backing younger, more progressive candidates that already do. The counter propaganda of the Meidas Touch is working. We more of that more decentralized.
Please quit assuming that our democratic institutions are still standing. If we have free and fair elections going forward, does anyone believe this regime will honor unfavorable (to them) outcomes?
The memo:
Quit chasing every manufactured outrage like dogs on a lure course and Benghazi the hell out of Signalgate!!!!
Everyone who serves or has served in the military can understand how bad this is and will be able to see the lies for what they are. I did not (wish I had), and I understand how bad this is.
US Citizens detained by ICE and held for hours without the enforcement action being documented? Were they using signal for that action - is that why documentation is missing?
Missing service members? Are they missing because their movements were discussed on Signal?
_____ outrage: how does it relate to Signal? Frame it that way.
Signalgate is akin to the abusive man getting caught inviting his wife into a groupchat with his swinger friends. Many MAGA women understand this all too well.
Would you prefer that as a lawyer with a large global audience I instead say nothing at all? I'm sharing constructive thoughts and ideas. I'm trying to add value. Why is that a bad thing?
Nobody wants the Trump regime out more than me but this won’t work. To win the Democrats must show grace and understanding. They must apologise and make convincing fundamental changes to their core values and strategy. To both win and rebuild a sense of shared enterprise in America the Democrats have to say “we are sorry we lost our way. We allowed the following to wreak pain on middle class Americans: globalisation, mass migration, identity politics, meritocracy (ref Sandel’s exposure of how Democrats allowed Michael Young’s dystopia to takeover the US establishment). And we hear your grievances and accept that Democrats must follow your legitimate democratic preferences for change”.
1. We will protect and promote US industry and manufacturing and create more well paid US jobs for non graduates
2. We will limit mass migration into the low pay economy and increase pay and security in those jobs.
3. We will prioritise social justice as an economic class issue in which all “minority” boats float higher on a rising tide. That includes the white poor, who we accept have been demonised by the highly paid white meritocracy.
4. We will give equal treatment to the virtues of American history and patriotism (there are many) and not wallow in and obsess about its mistakes. All cultures and philosophies make mistakes but the US has been overwhelmingly a force for good so we will eject the revisionist activist lobby who went to far turning the Vietnam protest culture into a permanent brand.
5. We will stop pushing the meritocratic fallacy that social justice is social mobility through graduate professional climbing and we will restore pride status respect and reward for all who do a good days work, by building a pay and wealth system where everyone who is in fulltime work can pay for a home, a car, phone, food, a holiday, and consumable that allow them to enjoy a decent life.
6. We will respect the reservations that the majority of socially conservative Americans have towards the over aggressive activism of movements supporting trans rights, race, climate, and a host of other graduate class issues that get in the way of real world everyday priorities: housing, traditional policing, jobs, pay, health, education.
Without these fundamental changes, that aim to reunite the country and culture the Democrats will continue to lose and the US will continue to tear itself apart - the stuff that Democrats stood for when they represented instead of lectured at the working and middle class.
Thank you for sharing, Ken. I don’t think we’re talking about different things—compassion, kindness, and understanding are all central to my post. So is inclusion, which Gen Y and Gen Z deeply value.
That said, I don’t believe apologizing for something that didn’t happen—just because MAGA claimed it in their propaganda—is the answer. Our focus should be on moving forward with the solutions I outlined.
I’ll give more thought to your comments, but the last thing I want to do is reinforce a false narrative by suggesting we did something wrong when we didn’t. This wasn’t about our policies—it was a messaging failure by us, and a misinformation campaign by them.
It’s not just the Dems. It’s a common factor across western liberal democracies. At one point J D Vance seemed to articulate it. Not now of course. BTW, my personal road to Damascus moment on this was 2009 when showing my daughter (who was about to start at Oxford) around DC calling on the institutions of the Washington Consensus to ask the question can America rise again! We were on the Hill when it was cleared for Obama to make his healthcare speech. On the Saturday we witnessed the Tea Party march. Mingling with the crowd I thought “this is not the far right, this is the disenfranchised and moribund. This is Richie Cunningham’s Mum and Dad”. The penny dropped. We (liberal graduates) let them down and opened the door to Trump, Brexit, Wilders, Le Pen, Orban, the ADF. Until we accept that we won’t win them back (even the young ones) - however clever our use of modern media gets to be.
There’s right and wrong and truth and justice. What’s happen and what we’re experiencing is the result of decades of manipulation. Hopefully we can turn things around.
It's less about teaching candidates to use social and more about backing younger, more progressive candidates that already do. The counter propaganda of the Meidas Touch is working. We more of that more decentralized.
Yes!
Great Post @Mitch Jackson!!! All of my Dem peeps need to read this!!!
Thanks Larry!
Please quit assuming that our democratic institutions are still standing. If we have free and fair elections going forward, does anyone believe this regime will honor unfavorable (to them) outcomes?
The memo:
Quit chasing every manufactured outrage like dogs on a lure course and Benghazi the hell out of Signalgate!!!!
Everyone who serves or has served in the military can understand how bad this is and will be able to see the lies for what they are. I did not (wish I had), and I understand how bad this is.
US Citizens detained by ICE and held for hours without the enforcement action being documented? Were they using signal for that action - is that why documentation is missing?
Missing service members? Are they missing because their movements were discussed on Signal?
_____ outrage: how does it relate to Signal? Frame it that way.
Signalgate is akin to the abusive man getting caught inviting his wife into a groupchat with his swinger friends. Many MAGA women understand this all too well.
Would you prefer that as a lawyer with a large global audience I instead say nothing at all? I'm sharing constructive thoughts and ideas. I'm trying to add value. Why is that a bad thing?