"He argues that Trump has squandered a golden opportunity to cement Republicans' gains from 2024 by instead choosing to pick unnecessary partisan fights that will turn off many voters—and that Democrats may be poised to capitalize on if they are smart."
Two problems here:
Trump is not a Republican, he previously pondered a presidential run -as a Democrat. In his politics, Trump is more akin to a parasite, which secretes hormones which alter its host's behavior to suit its purpose. Trump could have decided to infect the Democrats but, as this article states, there are so many highly (over?) educated Democrats that such a strategy would be unlikely to work. Trump's predatory style relies on ignorance and anger in its targets.
Had he been in a position to run forty years ago, the Democrats, filled with opposition to Reagan and his internationalism, and representing workers laid off as a result of the meltdown in US manufacturing triggered by oil price spikes, would have made a much better target.
Two: The Democrats need to decide which parts of their platform to jettison in order to succeed, and, having done so, what will be left of their party. I believe that they are in the right on many parts of their platform, but the voters don't want them to be.
To be truly effective at reducing carbon emissions, any "green" agenda will have to explicitly state that living standards will have to decline. Fewer, smaller cars. Much denser housing. Food rationing, less meat, etc. The Democrats haven't stated this, but the Republicans are not entirely off the mark when they accuse the Democrats of wanting to do this. There's no way to achieve carbon neutrality otherwise.
Abandon the fight for trans rights. It took two generations to get from the Stonewall Riots to the Obergefell decision. And a premature drive for full equality early in the Clinton administration triggered a backlash that set the movement back 20 years. We are now only about 10 years into the trans rights movement. As with gay rights, true progress and understanding won't happen until most families have or know an openly trans person.
If the Republicans are the party of angry old men, the Democrats need to steer away from being the party of angry young women. For every two college educated women frustrated by the patriarchy, there is one woman who feels that they are the reason that her husband/brother/son can't get a decent job or might lose his at any moment because of a foolish remark or some office politics. The same goes for race, gender, etc ... The Democrats may be right to champion oppeessed groups, but it is easy for others to see this as the creation of protected species, which fuels the very resentment that DEI policies were supposed to counter.
I could go on. But my point here is that the Republicans are very vulnerable on the basis of their incompetence and venality but, to exploit these weaknesses will likely require the Democrats to abandon, partially or entirely, some major pillars of their platform.
The American people don't want to buy what they have been selling.
Really, it is not one country. Pretending that it is means the best case is the constant flipping of control by narrow margins that you have decried elsewhere. Worst case is a lot worse.
"He argues that Trump has squandered a golden opportunity to cement Republicans' gains from 2024 by instead choosing to pick unnecessary partisan fights that will turn off many voters—and that Democrats may be poised to capitalize on if they are smart."
Two problems here:
Trump is not a Republican, he previously pondered a presidential run -as a Democrat. In his politics, Trump is more akin to a parasite, which secretes hormones which alter its host's behavior to suit its purpose. Trump could have decided to infect the Democrats but, as this article states, there are so many highly (over?) educated Democrats that such a strategy would be unlikely to work. Trump's predatory style relies on ignorance and anger in its targets.
Had he been in a position to run forty years ago, the Democrats, filled with opposition to Reagan and his internationalism, and representing workers laid off as a result of the meltdown in US manufacturing triggered by oil price spikes, would have made a much better target.
Two: The Democrats need to decide which parts of their platform to jettison in order to succeed, and, having done so, what will be left of their party. I believe that they are in the right on many parts of their platform, but the voters don't want them to be.
To be truly effective at reducing carbon emissions, any "green" agenda will have to explicitly state that living standards will have to decline. Fewer, smaller cars. Much denser housing. Food rationing, less meat, etc. The Democrats haven't stated this, but the Republicans are not entirely off the mark when they accuse the Democrats of wanting to do this. There's no way to achieve carbon neutrality otherwise.
Abandon the fight for trans rights. It took two generations to get from the Stonewall Riots to the Obergefell decision. And a premature drive for full equality early in the Clinton administration triggered a backlash that set the movement back 20 years. We are now only about 10 years into the trans rights movement. As with gay rights, true progress and understanding won't happen until most families have or know an openly trans person.
If the Republicans are the party of angry old men, the Democrats need to steer away from being the party of angry young women. For every two college educated women frustrated by the patriarchy, there is one woman who feels that they are the reason that her husband/brother/son can't get a decent job or might lose his at any moment because of a foolish remark or some office politics. The same goes for race, gender, etc ... The Democrats may be right to champion oppeessed groups, but it is easy for others to see this as the creation of protected species, which fuels the very resentment that DEI policies were supposed to counter.
I could go on. But my point here is that the Republicans are very vulnerable on the basis of their incompetence and venality but, to exploit these weaknesses will likely require the Democrats to abandon, partially or entirely, some major pillars of their platform.
The American people don't want to buy what they have been selling.
Really, it is not one country. Pretending that it is means the best case is the constant flipping of control by narrow margins that you have decried elsewhere. Worst case is a lot worse.