This is one reason our party's approval is in the toilet [View all]

[EnergizedLib]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but I need to do some venting:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/dem-strategists-urged-party-trump-military-takeover-1235415635/

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National Guard outside of Union Station on Aug. 20 in Washington, D.C.
Astrid Riecken/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Donald Trump is waging a fascist takeover of the United States, siccing the Justice Department on his political enemies while deploying federal troops to “liberate” Washington, D.C., where crime has been steadily declining. Democratic politicians are responding the only way they know how: by heeding the advice of the wonks who helped get them into this situation in the first place — and whose advice is to avoid discussing what Trump is doing.

Blue Rose Research, the firm led by Democratic establishment darling David Shor, produced a memo earlier this month digging into the effectiveness of various messages related to Trump’s takeover of Washington, D.C. The firm advised that messaging around Trump’s “rising authoritarianism” was “highly unconvincing,” while messages that say Trump wants to “distract” from his damaging tariffs or horrifying Medicaid cuts were more effective. Meanwhile, Republican messaging about how Trump is clamping down on gang violence tested through the roof.

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Of course, kitchen table issues matter. Of course, healthcare matters. Both should be a focus, but you know what else should be a focus? Actually pushing back and fighting against trump's authoritarian tactics.

Look at the polls. The Big Beautiful Bill isn't popular. Even right-leaning polls don't have trump's approval numbers through the roof. He isn't doing JFK numbers, he isn't doing Bush Sr. numbers after Desert Storm, he isn't doing Dubya numbers after 9/11. Some people are far gone to the point of hopelessness, but there's a sense of hopelessness among us because we're frustrated our leadership isn't doing enough to call out and push back against what has by far been the closest America has come to a dictatorship in my lifetime.

This makes 2017-2021 look like a picnic, and that was abysmal with those four years that felt like an eternity.

No, we need to be a united party, and we need to unite our party against this bully, this tyrant - not backing down, not giving him our lunch money. It's why Gavin's numbers have increased in early 2028 polling because he's tried to give dear leader a taste of his medicine, it's why some people split ticketed trump and AOC of all things because some perceived both of them to be authentic.

I've voted straight blue for years. That will not change in 2026, but we're getting to a point where a shredded book has more of a spine than some members of our party do. Some of the leaders in our party seem to have less courage than the Cowardly Lion does.

If it were up to me, we'd hold the House, 435-0, we'd hold the Senate, 100-0, every presidential election would be 538-0 for us and our Supreme Court would be to the left of the Warren Court.

I'm inspired, I'm motivated. Not everybody is. More of our party needs to take the fight to authoritarianism. We're not going to agree with every Democrat on every issue, but we need to agree even the worst Democrat is better than the best MAGAt and we need urge these Democrats to focus not just on kitchen table issues, not just on healthcare, but also fighting tyranny.

If we fought harder against these maniacs, our approval might go up just a smidge.