Biden passed a bunch of legislation. And before his physical weakness became apparent it seemed many voters who normally would have voted for him turned on him. It wasn't all about the economy. Right now, Democrats have lost the oval office, the Senate, the House, the majority of governors, and the majority of state houses. All I can say is that there is something about the Democratic business model that ain't working. Maybe in a change election here and there after the Republicans have pissed folks off. But that's a weak business model to depend on a change election.
2026 Midterm Elections
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BillOfRights
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Mulberry Heel
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IMO, it's not the legislation that Biden passed that got Kamala defeated. She lost because six million Biden voters stayed home, not because Trrump's vote went up significantly. And they didn't stay home because of whatever legislation Democrats passed, they stayed home because she was a woman and because Republicans convinced people that the economy was awful under Biden and Kamala (remember the "inflation is way too high!" charges?) And the Democratic business model isn't working because of whatever weak legislation they're passing, it's because they can't message worth a damn anymore and because they're too often not giving their own base a reason to come out and vote. I doubt that anybody - including Republicans - can recall anything that Biden passed that incited significant numbers of them to turn out and vote in 2024 - it was nearly all about the economy, and based on a false message at that ("we'll get inflation down when we're elected!") That's turned out really well so far.
RockyMtnHoo
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I’m a gun owner and very pro 2nd amendment, but Joe Citizen doesn’t need an assault weapon. They’re meant to kill a lot of people quickly. I don’t consider that radical.
Mulberry Heel
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Nor, to consider most polls, do most Americans. Gun control is hardly a radical position - it's actually quite mainstream if polls are to be believed. A 2024 Fox News poll (!) showed that 52% of Americans supported an assault weapons ban. A 2022 poll showed that 51% of Americans supported an assault weapons ban and 32% opposed it.
Looks to me like three million stayed home while another three million actually flipped to Trump.
You got valid points. What amazes me is whether they flipped or stayed home, they knew what a disaster Trump was and that still didn't offset any misgivings about voting for the Democrat. That's the part that blows me away and makes me think there's a problem with the business model appeal........which actually is the same as messaging.
GoHeelsweeeehoooo
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If we are to ever get fair districts in North Carolina really need Anita Earls to win
All true. But you left off her color. Many Americans who would vote for a Dem will not vote for a woman, especially a woman of color. That includes black men. I saw this in GA where Warnock drew many more votes than Stacy Abrams, enough for him to win but for her (previously) to lose. It’s a sad fact. I’m convinced had the Dems run a younger white man in 2024, Trump would not be in the White House. The 2 races he won were against women.
Unfortunately, the majority of voting Americans want what Trump sells.
This isn’t new. See Nixon’s ‘72 landslide. See Carter squeaking by in ‘76. See Reagan’s ‘84 “Morning in America” bullshit.
See GHWB in 1988, Dubya in 2000 and 2004.
Stupid Americans believed in the “War on Drugs” and the “Global War on Terror.”
And yet the special election in Virginia experienced a 15% rightward swing after it passed.
What is an “assault weapon” again? Most Americans would be unable to define it.
RockyMtnHoo
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You tell me. You’re the one stating that banning new sales of them (already owned ones are grandfathered in) will cost Dems future elections in VA. But also saying most Americans (which I assume include Virginians) don’t know what they are.
Mulberry Heel
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Oh, yeah, I'm not discounting race as a factor as well. I was just replying to the notion that she mainly lost because Biden passed a bunch of legislation that pissed off enough "moderate" or "average" Americans (lol) that they surged to the polls to vote for Trump. I doubt 90% or more of voters in 2024 could recall a single damn piece of legislation that Biden got passed. What beat Kamala was her race, gender, the GOP's (and their media outlets) incessant yelling about inflation and how they would fix it right away, and the usual culture war bullshit about immigrant hordes overrunning (white) America and transgender something something.
Most polls show that most Democratic positions on culture war and economic issues are actually quite popular (in some cases very popular) with Americans. The problem is that too often they can't sell it - too many Democrats today could screw up the messaging for giving away free ice cream - and the GOP being able to hammer Democrats relentlessly on culture war topics with often little to no pushback from either Democrats or the media. Republicans all too often set the narrative in our campaigns and Democrats spend their time playing defense and catch up. They're not losing elections because of whatever bills they're proposing or pushing.
Mulberry Heel
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There are a multitude of reasons why that could have happened in a single, special election which typically features lower-than-usual turnout. It doesn't indicate a GOP wave in the entire state, or that "moderate" voters are turned off by a Democratic state government that just took office about three months ago. The people you're talking about that supposedly surged to the polls over this aren't moderates, they're already MAGA conservatives who were likely going to vote anyway. And I stand by my point that if Democrats live in fear of pissing off right-wingers and thus don't pass legislation that their own base supports then they'll be of no use to the country and will likely lose even more elections by not giving their own base a reason to come out and vote. As I posted above, most polls show that a majority of Americans support an assault weapons ban, so it's hardly a radical position.
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“… The 62-year-old said he is withdrawing his paperwork seeking re-election in Missouri’s Sixth Congressional District on Friday, a reversal that comes ahead of the August primary for his seat. He was first elected to Congress in 2000 and is leaving after 13 terms.
… There were already two other Republican candidates in the GOP primary, but more Republicans could jump into the race once Graves formally exits. Graves won the district with roughly 70% of the vote in 2024.…”
——
He is a licensed pilot and has been a valuable member in terms of air traffic and other transportation issues — pretty pragmatic on those items (rubber stamp Republican vote otherwise, but good in committee work).
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I suppose you lose political capital any time you pass something. So that's true. I'm just saying the business model has a weakness. Its evident by Democratic weak performance everywhere you look and over a long period of time. I could also argue the Republican business model is flawed as hell. But they have one key advantage. In the voter's mind, they are the party of "no". So the crossover voter is generally willing to go with them when they perceive they have two bad choices.
Business model may be the same thing as messaging. If what Biden got passed was great then it shouldn't be hard to message it.
Business model may be the same thing as messaging. If what Biden got passed was great then it shouldn't be hard to message it.
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update from Graham Platner who is running to defeat Susan Collins and add a Dem seat in the Senate.
Tonight, our campaign is holding its 50th public town hall. (Yes, seriously. Fiftieth.)
When I decided to run for the United States Senate against Susan Collins, I had a few rules for the team.
We weren’t going to take money from corporations or special interests like AIPAC.
I wasn’t going to compromise on supporting Medicare for All or forcefully calling out genocide. And we certainly weren’t going to throw trans kids or immigrants under the bus – ever.
And we were going to hold town halls across the entire state of Maine. Public events where anyone could come, questions wouldn’t be screened, and people could ask me anything they wanted. Held in every community at a time and place that was convenient for working-class people. Because voters in my small town of Sullivan, Maine, should be able to go meet their representatives in person to yell at them – without having to drive down to Portland or Augusta, or buy some ticket to a fancy fundraiser.
Susan Collins, by the way, has not held a single public town hall since Bill Clinton was president. And I’m actually not sure that my Democratic primary opponent has either.
Reporters ask me all the time how a first-time candidate is leading in the polls. How an oyster farmer was able to inspire 15,000 people to volunteer for his campaign. Why Mainers are flocking to our town halls by the thousands. My answer is simple: Because someone is finally running to represent them.
We aren’t going to defeat Susan Collins with another milquetoast Democrat, backed by the same DC corporate establishment that’s lost to her for decades. We’re not going to do it by just running black-and-white negative TV ads with scary narrators who sounds like they were generated by some AI-bot.
We’re going to inspire the people of Maine with a vision for big structural change. That understands we are in a war against fascism. That doesn’t just speak truth to power – but that actually organizes in the streets and the halls of government.
Our campaign is going to win and take back the Senate for Democrats because Mainers are done with Susan Collins. They are done with the billionaire Epstein class. They are done with scraping by, all the while hospitals close, masked armed agents murder people in the streets, and our democracy is torn to shreds.
I’m ready to go down to Washington and fight. For you, for your family, and for mine.
Tonight, our campaign is holding its 50th public town hall. (Yes, seriously. Fiftieth.)
When I decided to run for the United States Senate against Susan Collins, I had a few rules for the team.
We weren’t going to take money from corporations or special interests like AIPAC.
I wasn’t going to compromise on supporting Medicare for All or forcefully calling out genocide. And we certainly weren’t going to throw trans kids or immigrants under the bus – ever.
And we were going to hold town halls across the entire state of Maine. Public events where anyone could come, questions wouldn’t be screened, and people could ask me anything they wanted. Held in every community at a time and place that was convenient for working-class people. Because voters in my small town of Sullivan, Maine, should be able to go meet their representatives in person to yell at them – without having to drive down to Portland or Augusta, or buy some ticket to a fancy fundraiser.
Susan Collins, by the way, has not held a single public town hall since Bill Clinton was president. And I’m actually not sure that my Democratic primary opponent has either.
Reporters ask me all the time how a first-time candidate is leading in the polls. How an oyster farmer was able to inspire 15,000 people to volunteer for his campaign. Why Mainers are flocking to our town halls by the thousands. My answer is simple: Because someone is finally running to represent them.
We aren’t going to defeat Susan Collins with another milquetoast Democrat, backed by the same DC corporate establishment that’s lost to her for decades. We’re not going to do it by just running black-and-white negative TV ads with scary narrators who sounds like they were generated by some AI-bot.
We’re going to inspire the people of Maine with a vision for big structural change. That understands we are in a war against fascism. That doesn’t just speak truth to power – but that actually organizes in the streets and the halls of government.
Our campaign is going to win and take back the Senate for Democrats because Mainers are done with Susan Collins. They are done with the billionaire Epstein class. They are done with scraping by, all the while hospitals close, masked armed agents murder people in the streets, and our democracy is torn to shreds.
I’m ready to go down to Washington and fight. For you, for your family, and for mine.
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When Donald Trump screams Fight! Fight! Fight! it is patriotic. When Graham Platner says he will fight, it is radical.
ZenMode
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I don't think constitutional rights are about the government telling you what you "need".