Win the Middle, Save Democracy.
Win the Middle, Save Democracy.
By Democrats, for Democrats, this is a resource for those who want to see our party win a sustainable governing majority.
Democrats did better than expected in the midterms, but Donald Trump’s radicalized Republican Party still won the national vote share by three points and the country remains sharply divided. Even worse, Democrats are losing support among key constituencies, including Hispanic and working class voters. In order to break the stalemate, reverse these trends, and secure a durable governing majority, we must take a new approach.
It’s a scary political world out there. Some of the rules are unfair. Some people who are trying to help are actually hurting. Some of our favorite candidates aren’t worth spending our time and money on. But once we know the stakes and accept our reality, we can work together to win — and be the team people want to join.
1. Winning Under Today’s Rules
Where do American voters (and democracy) stand in 2023?
Before we dive into anything else, it’s important to agree on a set of facts about American democracy and the American electorate as it currently stands. When you look at these facts in totality, they start to paint a picture of our political reality — and the necessary path forward.
2. (Far) Left Out
How has the influence of today’s ascendant far-left hurt Democrats’ ability to win a sustainable majority?
Not only has today’s far-left activist faction made a big business out of rejecting political reality, but it has subsumed the Democratic Party, dominating its fundraising ecosystem, issue spaces, and political dialogue. In some cases, that’s fine — they can be left to advocate for pie-in-the-sky hashtags and are free to ignore swing districts without drawing unnecessary conflict. But, as the old saying goes, your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins. Once the far-left threatens the party’s ability to sustain a durable governing majority, intervention is warranted.
3. The Path Forward
What must be done for Democrats to win the middle?
Unlike in most organizations, there is no centralized decision-making apparatus in the Democratic Party — no C.E.O. or Board of Directors to define priorities, make tradeoffs, and allocate resources. This means “The Democrats” are simply whoever within the ecosystem steps up and does the work of organizing and investing. The far-left has leveraged this reality to achieve an outsized impact within the party and transform its brand. It’s time for moderates to organize and do the same in the middle.
