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Michael Adelman's avatar

The words of warning at the end are really important. People like me - college-educated technical experts with unpopular liberal social values - are the most hated group in America. Voters hate us with a gravitational force so powerful it bends everything around it. My net favorables rival cancer and terrorism.

And as long as the Dem brand is tarnished by association with us, WE WILL LOSE. So the job of people like me is the following:

- Get over ourselves and face the reality that the public hates us and everything we represent

- Help our party recruit more Blue Dog style candidates in the mold of MGP and Rebecca Cooke

- Don't complain when Blue Dog style candidates throw us under the bus

- Don't get mad when Blue Dog style candidates say things about guns and immigration that working-class voters agree with

- Shut up and support them anyway

I remain quite bearish about Dem chances in 2026 precisely because I don't think high-engagement liberals understand the assignment. And "let's trigger those libtards!!!" will remain a powerful and winning campaign message for the GOP. Voters *may* give Dems a second look if they fear their jobs or Medicaid may be at stake, but they won't come back and vote for us unless we become MUCH less alienating and frankly we aren't close yet to where we need to be.

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KH's avatar
Apr 9Edited

Tbh if I were Hakeem Jeffries, I would secretly court Elise Stefanik to change the aisle - like “look what Trump did to you and he threw you under the bus after all the loyalty you showed to him . And now Tariff has kicked in, I suspect you might lose the election as a GOP person. Now is the time for you to mend the relationship with former college mates you burned the bridge with”

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