Anyone else uneasy that the DNC is not holding a midterm convention? A fine tuning of planks seems wise NOW.

[dutch777]

Maybe it is just me but I feel we keep running against Trump and not selling ourselves enough on FOCUSED policy issues that can get down ballot more Dems elected. Certainly our candidates such as Spangberger, Sherrill and Talarico have been able to fine tune and articulate proposals in recent campaigns that have been successful. But wouldn't greater focus, messaging and alignment from the national level have value? The statement from DNC as to why no convention was about money. Seems like a missed opportunity to make a national level statement of values and priorities.

[MustLoveBeagles]

1. The other side gives us plenty of material to work with

[leftstreet]

2. Still waiting for the DNC's 2024 autopsy

That would be helpful

[lastlib]

3. Last night I had a chance to listen to one of my state's DNC members...

The DNC's consensus is that the cost is such that it will be better to spend that money on organizing and party infrastructure. Getting offices and recruiting in red areas will be a priority project nationwide. I'm persuaded that this is a better strategy, since a convention doesn't have an overarching purpose beyond getting attention that might not result.

[UpInArms]

4. I think all the meetings

should be focused on how to win, not what the platform looks like

that can be done at a less horrifying moment

[newdeal2]

5. The platform will be determined by the presidential primary

That’s my view. Right now there isn’t much broad consensus across elected Democrats which makes them sort of a weak opposition party. They just want to win.

[Ponietz]

6. The DNC waits until the Repuke brand becomes toxic and the billionaires jump ship

Then it uses their money (free speech) to push right-leaning candidates. Since money is speech the game is rigged.

[EarlG]

7. To me, this is the classic "don't interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake" situation

Republicans have a great deal of success when Democrats are in power by misdirecting everyone -- they distract from the good things that Democrats are doing, or want to do, by either making up a bunch of lies ("death panels," "open borders," etc.) or by nationalizing social issues that really only affect a small number of people (trans rights, etc.)

So I absolutely agree with you that Democrats need to do a better job selling themselves, and specifically in two situations: 1) defending their own record when they're in power, and 2) beating Republican opponents whom voters are not particularly dissatisfied with -- ie., convincing voters to switch to Democrats.

But right now, Republicans are screwing up all over the place, which makes things a lot easier. When you're a challenger running for office, voters can't tell whether a promise you make is going to come true or not. But voters CAN see what the people who are already in power are doing, and if they don't like it, then they will vote for "not that."

Right now Republicans are in power, and with all the absolute garbage they've pulled off in the last year or so, this new war in Iran seems to be the fiasco tipping point where even people they rely on as base voters are starting to get turned off and tune out. We're seeing through polling, special election results, and Republican elected officials quitting their jobs en masse, that a wave is coming. Many, many people have already decided that what they want in November is "not that," and they will vote for the alternative.

If your house is on fire, you don't call the arsonist who set it ablaze -- you call the fire department. So I say let the Republicans have their ridiculous midterm convention, because it's essentially going to be a convention of arsonists trying to convince America that they're the best people to put out the fire. IMO, it's just going to put a big spotlight on all the things they're doing that voters have already decided that they hate.

And having said all of that... I still agree that Democrats need to do a better job selling themselves. I just don't think a competing convention is necessary in the fall

[jfz9580m]

8. "Open Borders" isn't the Democrats

Last edited Fri Mar 6, 2026, 04:27 PM - Edit history (2)

It is a specific segment of a part of the left that is actually pretty decently populist in some ways, but doubles down on ott slogans like “Defund the police”, “Open Borders” much to the detriment of the left.

I am not American, but a rather difficult 14 years made my return to my own country India hellish by almost certainly, among other things, noxious immigration politics. It had a very Mitt Romney feel to it.

I struggled through it alone bullied by these groups in both countries solo. But now I am hopeful of escaping this parasitic crowd here in India and finding support from the decent people here as this gets enough exposure that I can drive back aggressive promoters of this bullshit out of Si Valley driving this race to the bottom.

This is one of the most disgusting pieces of writing I have ever seen, from the always awful Jacobin.
I would excoriate this as probably one of the worst pieces of writing ever -it is anti-environment and therefore anti-human, laden with cliches, cornucopian and extremely sexist:

https://jacobin.com/2025/02/birth-rate-decline-capitalism-migration

By contrast these are two good pieces, but Chris Ketcham’s pieces are always the best imo. We weirdly think very similarly although he is a white guy and I am an Indian woman. We are both capital g Greens and not mild. That is the thing I guess. I think many humans understand these things implicitly. Then junk like The Economist, Reason Magazine, The National Review overwrite innate common sense:

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/there-are-many-threats-to-humanity.-a-low-birth-rate-isnt-one-of-them

https://ketcham99.substack.com/p/population-toxification-part-i-6d0

The reality is that most of us are being colonized by market forces the msm (awful Yimbies like Ezra Klein & Yoni Applebaum of the execrable Atlantic, where David Frum/David Brooks etc who were instrumental to Trump in every way, now write pompous columns strategically jumping ship to distance themselves from a lunatic GOP they were a part of all along) won’t touch even in a do or die situation globally.

Its mechanical view of humans really fits what the very decent and cool Andy Nikiforuk got about all these mercenary market forces treating humans as legos.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2024/11/18/Reeling-Left-Must-Face-Great-Divide/
I love Nikiforuk..he reminds me a little of Joe Bageant:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/06/5

What I saw in America as an Indian woman from a middleclass but generally highly educated family angered me on behalf of Americans (white/rural/working class immigrant etc) and people like me from the global south (educated, shocked by overconsumption and the type of parasitic pseudo elite pseudo meritocracy that is Vinod Khosla, Mark Cuban, Bill Ackman, Reid Hoffman, Elon Musk).. the exploitation of white working class rage by parasitic grifters like Steve Bannon, Matt Walsh, Peter Thiel etc.
Joe Bageant is what JD Vance pretends to be.

I am from a podunk town in India, which prior to this disgusting and parasitic invasion by these tech companies and the Alex Pentlands of the world was not a creepy hell.
So yeah I get it..
I was in the US legally, but when the coup by industrial forces (Google etc) made itself palpable even in my own life as a publicly funded scientist, politics became very real. It was pure hell.

And I found nothing very helpful on the right or in the centre. I found lots that was useful on the left, but sadly mixed in with very impractical stuff where, as a vegan, Green, women’s libber and pretty much materially on the left in every way, I know you still have to communicate to people different from you in ways that are less utopian.

I was especially worried about having to have such lame scripts ascribed to me.

It is something that frustrates me about Nathan Robinson, whom I actually like a lot.
I saw a sadly rancorous debate between Alec Karakatsanis and Matt Stoller, where Alec made some real & decent points, but that part where he goes on to mimes really made me go..yeah no..It is unfortunate because a lot of his points are really good. And I agreed with Stoller about human nature.

https://equalityalec.substack.com/p/conventional-wisdom-and-popularity

I know from personal experience now how mechanical and truly robotic a human becomes when they try to buy into something they do not and have to try to. Today I have finally rejected a lot of the perverse programming Silicon Valley and something like a worldview manufactured in China (another awful enthusiasm of Robinson, Chomsky etc) tried to force me to accept as inevitable. Then the local creeps here in India also piled on.
But over time I have finally recovered and started to settle down more happily here, ferociously rejecting this ugly encroaching worldview from taking root here.

This is an ugly form of colonization by all an apolitical, mercenary fifth column (mostly war profiteers and technofascists and their brainless acolytes) in democracies like the US and India, which our creepy and right-shifted media would try to pin on the public sector, doctors and publicly funded scientists if it could, when it is more the sleazy economists and the tech sector pushing for pointless growth at all costs.

But too many are guilty of at least passively helping this abomination get normalized and entrenched and I am going to fight that tooth and nail on my land and in my life in India. Europe is probably more likely to implement legal safeguards that have a shot of not destroying democracy by turning it into a joke.

I may visit a civilized place for work some day in my field for short durations as travel does broaden the mind. I did learn even from this exploitative and demeaning experience. I am pretty hardy. But I am never migrating anywhere. A life of no pride and this collective cluelessness all around driven by a compromise between greed and prejudice with no dignity on any side is not for me.
All those people are a disgrace to humanity.

Sidelining the more holistically and logically more internally consistent populist instincts we Greens have has not worked out imo.
Gotta have a concept of homeostasis, regulation and sustainability and limits to growth. Only a cancer keeps growing as Dr Hern understands. These guys mimic super-fit cancer cells. Parasitically sucking away my resources year after year for unwanted “home Healthcare” as my sleazy Blackstone Inc owned hospital does, criminal gaming and street harassment as “art”…this is a tumor not development.

Adam Becker gets it too. But he is very mild like most scientists. I was actually very pleased to stumble upon Yasha Levine and Chris Ketcham. I had become a shell of my old self from constant slander, bullying, coercion and harassment. And victimhood and trauma just don’t fit. But when you are called crazy all the time for resisting hateful bullying, you kinda give up. I have a genuine fraternal bond with Yasha Levine and Chris Ketcham by now.
They restored me to my old self, along with an awesome vegan lady locally who sells vegan sweets for this company called Meethi Kahani.

(I have no tie-ins. Not an influencer. As a formerly publicly funded, now solitarily belligerent citizen scientist I am leery of conflicts of interest.

But it is the classic pattern which you as a small business owner can understand Dave.
This sleazy Amazon wannabe Vegan Dukan I avoid flourishes, but this decent vegan business VVegano, that treated it’s employees well died. I was so disappointed. Another decent vegan small business Piperleaf Chocolates also died. Only the assholes are thriving. Fuck that.)