The Autopsy of A Political Party:
INTRODUCTION:
It’s only 100 plus days in, aka the days of “shock and awe” as #47 bulldozes the government while what’s left of the Democratic party sit around with their fingers up their asses. My question to the dying party is and it might even be the answer, “Who or what are you afraid of?” Basically, you got your proverbial asses kicked by a bully and now you are kowtowering in the corner, awaiting a man/woman in a cape to save you. Wake up, there is no superhero in the wings. Oops, maybe I should have avoided the word “wake”, as your “wokeness” helped to beat you. Where in the news cycle is any Democrat’s serious response to anything???
For the last ten years, a full decade The Dems have based their entire political strategies in opposing one man. He, that man, aka #45 and now #47 is no longer an aberration, he is the real deal. He is the one who helped the GOP win in nearly every single demographic group. To make matters more dire the GOP have “the trifecta”,the control of the presidency, the House, and the Senate.
For the lackluster DEMS, two fronts must be confronted at one time. First, is the president himself aka #47. If the Dems party line is in be in opposition of any thing #47 is doing, they must stand up and confront it, loudly. Secondly, and more importantly, what is the party line besides confronting Trump’s agenda? The DEMS need someone to figure out exactly what went wrong and then normalize, modernize, and adapt their policies to the needs of the people, all the people.
The ELECTION of 2024 is over and the “autopsy” of the Dems should be focused on the midterm election (2026). Now is the time when past party mistakes or misdeeds must be punished or paid for; a testing time when the degree of one's success or failure will be revealed.
The question is “Are the Democrats finally waking up and realizing that woke is broke?” The party needs to find a policy, a platform which will normalize and be more relatable to the Democratic Party faithful, to modernize the party for a new era. Facts are that the GOP won a majority of white women, young men, and remarkable numbers of Black and Latino voters. More people ended up voting for #47, even though many didn’t like him, because they liked the Democratic Party less. Wokeness hurt. Democrats learned the hard way that mothers care both about abortion rights and having their daughters compete fairly and safely on the playing field. The DEMS hyper-political correctness alienated at least half the country.
White progressives hold views to the far left such as “racism is built into our society” while many Blacks and Hispanics Americans don’t feel that way as the exit polls showed. Most believe that “America is the greatest country in the world.” They don’t care about DOGE.
College kids trashed campuses. Rather than stating that this is unacceptable DEMS worried about alienating one or another cohort in their coalition. So they let it continue and worse, let it spread.
Biden aka Milk Toast Joe was a disaster. And with Harris as his running mate, this duo left little path for any resurrection when it was discovered that Joe had no chance of winning in 2024. Harris was considered too extreme and out of touch. The 2022 midterms should have given any astute politician a hint that Joe was a “one and done” president. He should have been given his walking papers at that time, then there would have been time for a true primary campaign that could have produced a different nominee, a different, hopefully more successful path.
That time for a more successful path has come…There will be a tomorrow…But who will lead the Democratic Party is the unknown?
Part One: MILK TOAST JOE :The Man from The Past, Not In The Present, and Certainly Not The Future.
If I was a leader of the DEMOCRATIC PARTY I would bluntly remind Joe Biden that he lost the election and tarnished the reputation of the party. He should stay secluded with his lovely wife, Dr.Jill, in their retirement home, avoiding all contact with the media. He should not, by any stretch of the imagination give any interviews. But alas, I am not a leader of the party and it appears there is no leader to tell the former president to “stand down” even though attempts have been made.
Example, on VE Day, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe, Joseph Biden, the only living president born during WWII gave an interview with the BBC. During this session after praising the “Greatest Generation” Biden attempted to define his legacy as president, adding a few snide comments about his successor.
Joe and Dr.Jill followed that interview by appearing on THE VIEW to which the former president commented, “I’m trying to figure out what’s the most significant and consequential role I can play, consistent with what I’ve done in the past”. My response would be…”Now, now, Joe, let’s rethink that, a loser on national television 100 days removed from your ouster.…”stand down”.
This past November Joe Biden was 82 years old, a true gentleman according to those who served from both sides of the aisle. Biden spent every moment from his humble beginnings as a New Castle County, Delaware Council Member for the 4th District in 1970 until he stepped aside as President of The United States in January 2025 in public service. Biden was in public life longer than some of his Democratic colleagues have been alive.
Joseph Biden was a Democratic stallworth, a loyal and reliable politician first appearing on the scene in 1970 as a 27 year old elected to New Castle County, Delaware as a Council Member for the 4th District. In 1972, he surprised Democrats by winning a long-shot Senate race at the age of 29, where he held that office for 36 years, Delaware’s longest serving Senator. During his tenure, Biden rose through the ranks of the party, serving twice as the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and once as the chairman Senate Judiciary Committee. He had many successes (The Brady Bill) and a few monumental failures(voting to invade Iraq/Clarence Thomas confirmation hearing).
In 2008, Barack Obama chose Joe Biden to be his running mate in the bid for President. January 20, 2009 they were inaugurated, forming a successful partnership and what appeared to be a trusting friendship for the two terms. Biden was disappointed when Obama supported the nomination of Hillary Clinton as Obama’s successor as the Democratic candidate. NOTE: Biden had twice earlier run for the presidency, failing in 1988 and 2008, to gain the nomination of his Democratic party.
TRUMP loses the general election but wins the electoral college vote to become President #45. Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden fade into the background for the time being, with the party knowing that Hillary was a “one and done” in her attempt.
After four years of TRUMP, Joe Biden gains the support of the party in an attempt at winning back the presidency. He would be a “transitional” president, a one and done serving only four years as the party searched for a younger candidate to succeed him. Biden’s VP would be Kamala Harris. NOTE: Both had roots in county governments.
Biden’s presidency was rocky with fallout from CoVid, Russia invading Ukraine, the economic threat of China, rising inflation at home, and not dealing effectively with the border. His rating dropped dramatically.
Throughout the first two years (up to the midterm elections) questions arose regarding Biden’s mental capacity. His support staff issues numerous denials as if everything is “AOK”. His ratings dropped (NYT poll-July 2022) to where 64% of Democrats didn’t want the 79 year old (the oldest president in US history to run again. Age was the key factor.
A report from special counsel Robert K. Hur when investigating allegations that Biden mishandled sensitive documents after he left the vice presidency in 2017 describe Biden as “a well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory”.
At this juncture in time the true leaders of the party should have stepped in to demand Biden “stand down. But alas, as some tried privately (Obama, Pelosi) the stubbornness and pride of Biden led him believe he could “do it again”, succeed as a second termer, even though that was not the original plan. The results were/are disastrous. The GOP have “the trifecta” with the control of the presidency, the House, and the Senate. The future of the party can not move on while Biden makes headlines. Again, he should stand down, avoid the spotlight. I am sure there is not one Dem candidate willing to hitch a ride on Biden’s legacy as they head into the midterm elections.
Part TWO: The Next Group Up…Who Could It Be?
Too many Dems have ties, either directly or indirectly with the presidency of Joe Biden. These ties can and probably will be used against the candidates as they seek office or re-election in the mid-terms. One example was Kamala Harris who was given only 100 days from Biden stepping down until election day where she could not and basically would not separate herself from Biden. This next group up needs to present a new identity, that is, who are they, what they stand for, and how are they going to effectively represent the wishes “of the people” not the politician wishes of a dying party. The GOP will nominate a follower of Trump, they will stand pat with what Trump offered and will proudly align with him.
The Election of 2024 quickly shifted from a “milk toast” incumbent versus a man who had influenced the GOPs for at least a decade. Joe finally stepped down or was pushed aside changing the contestants to a former talk show host/ president (#45) against a woman who “turned black”. The outcome was stunning, not just who became the 47th President of The United States but what the voting data actually revealed. THE DEMOCRATS are in a shambles, blaming each other or MILK TOAST JOE for losing the PRESIDENCY. There appears to be no direction for that party’s recovery. From November on to this date the Democratic Party autopsy continued…Jon Stewart correctly commented “The country felt like government wasn’t working for them, and the Democrats in particular were taking their hard-earned money and giving it to people who didn’t deserve it as much as them. And so the Democrats got shellacked.” However, in the theory that the DEMS choose “wokeness” he said, “Those are the Democrats,”… “They didn’t talk about pronouns. They didn’t say ‘Latinx.’ It was the opposite.”…“They didn’t do the woke thing. They acted like Republicans for the last four months…”
The DEMOCRATIC PARTY needs a new voice, a new direction, possible with a new beginning. BIDEN was not the answer, nor was or is Harris. The tide has changed with increased numbers of eligible voters, their ethnicity, geographic location, and of course their age. TRUMP has been on the political scene since announcing his desire to be president in 2015. That means Trump is no longer the aberration. Young voters of 18, 19, 20 have lived with the Trump news cycles since they were 8/9/10 years old and they buy into his programs. The Democratic “resistance” has disappeared, the already defeated Democrats are cowering in their offices. The DEMS have their highest “unfavorable” rating (57%) ever… They talk about reaching across the aisle yet they have little/next to nothing to offer to make a deal. The DEMS or rather the ones left standing after the GOP trifecta, are no longer howling at the occurrences of what is happening. They, the DEMS are more afraid of losing more ground in the next midterm than they are of confronting the reality of the moment.
The party needs a figure head to arise, not soon but now, someone who is…hmmmmm, let’s see who is out there…
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aka AOC: We all know who she is. At 35 years of age coming off of a tour with Bernie Sanders it appears AOC has been handed the baton as the runner for “left”. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will have some resistance from the mainstream of the party. But just maybe, she, a true progressive is what is needed to shake the foundation of the party. Realistically, I think she will have a difficult time getting the voters of Michigan or Pennsylvania to hit the lever in her direction but having her, a left-wing Latina from New York City on the campaign trail, in the primaries, and during any debates would prove enlightening.
Then there are the “governors” as in Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania, a key state), Gretchen Whitmer( Michigan, a key state), Gavin Newsom (California, a key state) and on the horizon is a young 46 year old Wes Moore, Maryland’s first Black governor. As a voter and to take a look at their positions one only needs to peer into what was/is happening in their states. My question is…Do the Dems really want another governor ? Also there is Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
Throw in a true hit with ‘the “youngsters” there is Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Others who might joint the early festivities are Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, and lest we forget Obama’s buddy Rahm Emanuel who has been reestablishing himself and let’s not forget Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
But I ask…do any one of these Democrats offer a newer avenue, offer any new ideas or just a rehashing of what the party offered last few outings and lost, substantially? “It’s a whole new opportunity for Democrats to get excited about a totally new slate of people,” said Adrienne Elrod, a party strategist who has worked on four presidential campaigns. “We got a deep bench who is ready to rock ’n’ roll, and I think a spirited debate and a robust primary will be a very good thing for our party.” No doubt it could be a good thing because it is a needed thing.
It is 2025, a unique time for The Democratic Party to “re-invent” itself. There is no president seeking re-election (God forbid), no sitting VP (Harris will be a one and done) seeking the job, and not a past presidential nominee waiting for another turn. And reminding what I wrote earlier: For the last ten years, a full decade The Dems have based their entire political strategies in opposing one man. He, that man, aka #45 and now #47 is no longer an aberration, he is the real deal.
It is time for a true Democrat to stand up, become vocal, call out the injustices, speak out against the corruption and most importantly plot a new course of action, one in line with the needs and wants of The American people.
Oh, Ye, gentle mistresses and most distinguished gentlemen, and others… The opinions and observations are solely my own views, and I take full responsibility for any errors of fact, not to mention any predictions that prove to be wildly inaccurate.
