I registered as a Democrat in 1980, at the age of eighteen, largely to piss off my father who, were he alive today, would have worshiped Donald Trump. For the next forty-four years, I was a passionate Democrat, giving money, helping when and where I could, writing senators and representatives, signing petitions, joining clubs, the works.
On Wednesday, November 6th, 2024, I officially quit the Democratic Party.
I've had enough. When Democrats, especially top-level Democrats, started criticizing Kamala Harris' campaign, one that was as near-flawless a campaign as I have seen in my entire life, a powerful, beautiful, inspirational, aspirational, tears-running-down-my-face after watching the reaction of an entire packed arena as Kamala walked into it, "Freedom," blaring from the speakers campaign, I just couldn't take it anymore.
When the mainstream media decided to attack her instead of recognizing the obvious, glaring truth--that they had a huge hand in Trump's "victory," and the Democrats didn't fight back, I just couldn't take it anymore.
I can't take anymore the constant capitulation to Republicans, the constant cowering, the constant whimpering. I can't take Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi anymore. They are practically bending over backwards trying to accommodate Trump when they should be fighting him and his vile fascist incoming administration with everything they've got. They aren't. They're being appropriate and stuffy and stiff-backed and well coiffed and attired while they simper and smile like mannequins on the Sunday news shows.
And on and on and on.
It's too much! I can't do it anymore! For our country to survive, Democrats have GOT to do something that, as a collective, they have refused to do my entire adult life: get fierce. Get feisty. Get ANGRY. Get MEAN. They need to **actually** start fighting for the American working class, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities. Harris was going to do that! It was her entire frickin' platform! And so what did millions of Democrats do? Barring massive voter fraud (see above), they stayed home and gave Trump the White House.
Thank you for pointing this out! Every time the Democrats lose an election, the chattering class says the same thing about not connecting with working class (read “white”) voters. The other factors you mentioned explain the result, not the Democrats’ failure to propose policies and programs that would help these people. They absolutely did.
You were right on on every point here about what the problem was, except one. It was not just the Right wing media machine. Corporate media put clicks and profits above honest journalism back in 2015 when Trump should have been outed as an unfit candidate. And today, afraid of what they have created, they sanewash and wishcast.
In 2004 a senior advisor to President George W. Bush famously told journalist Ron Suskind that people like Suskind lived in “the reality-based community.” They believed people could find solutions to problems through careful study of discernible reality. But, the aide continued, Suskind’s worldview was obsolete. “That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” the aide said. “We are an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality— judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
- Heather Cox Richardson, 9/26/24
___
John, your Substack is part of a fast-growing ecosystem of reality-based information. We all, each of us, whether officeholders or not, must keep contributing to keep objective truth alive.
93 million people eligible to vote did not. 60 million of those people were registered voters, too. I believe many of these people are reachable. It's not fun fighting disinformation and delusion, but that is the task at hand.
You are correct. I think instead of information or misinformation we should call it what it is, LIES. LYING. Brainwashing and LIES unfortunately worked for a large segment of our population. They drank the Kool-Aid.
Propaganda works. Trump's strategy is right out of Nazi Germany. There, I said it. I'm rereading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich right now. It's almost a blueprint for what Trump is doing. I'm just waiting for his Reichstag fire and Kristallnacht. He's already had his Munich moment.
In 1964, way back when, a communications theorist, Marshall McLuhan said this (according to Wikipedia):
McLuhan uses the term "message" to signify content and character. The content of the medium is a message that can be easily grasped and the character of the medium is another message which can be easily overlooked. McLuhan says "Indeed, it is only too typical that the 'content' of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium".
The quote, basically, was “The medium is the message”. And the problem with the past campaign season was that three was no medium of communication which accurately and fairly reported Democratic messaging. In the 1960’s there were incredible writers who backed up the Kennedy and then the Johnson campaigns and presidencies. In those times the media were thirsty for great programs and the writing that described them. Alas, today, the media has abdicated its centuries old responsibility to report the news fairly and accurately. The biases which these outlets display are simply put, self-oriented, trying to maintain a business (nothing wrong with that) but sinking into trying to protect themselves from a would-be dictator.
As we move forward, unfortunately, things will get worse. Some have suggested that the traditional “legacy” media will fall by the wayside in favor of online outlets like SubStack and the new social media platform, BlueSky. I’m going to take a shot at making these alternate resources and outlets happen for me and I encourage others to do the same.
Thank you for this analysis. I've been trying to convince my fellow Democrats of the same thing. I also remind them that 93 MILLION eligible voters didn't bother to cast a ballot. The claim that he has a mandate is false. His numbers as the votes continue to be counted have dropped to below 50%.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You, John! “Kamala Harris and the Dems didn't fail America, they just exist in a nation where far too many people don't pay attention or care to understand what's actually happening.” SPOT ON !!!!!!!!
So true. You can have the best message, the most truthful, factual message, the most doable policies, the best media coverage possible, but there have to be ears that can hear. However, it appears that voter suppression was applied generously to the tune of millions of voters disenfranchised and/or uncounted, so even if we won, we didn't win. And there are still way too many uncaring misogynists, racists & zenophobes spewing their double-speak.
This article came out in 2017: Why facts don't change our mind.
It explained a lot to me about what have been happening that completely mystifies us. The "how can they not see through Trump?" question.
Bravo Dr. Pavlovitz! This is exactly what I've been saying since the election. We lost because of a fear of women and "the other", i.e. people of other color or ethnicity. Post Mortems have a place, but changing OUR morality to the Republican definition of it, is NOT the answer.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You, John! “Kamala Harris and the Dems didn't fail America, they just exist in a nation where far too many people don't pay attention or care to understand what's actually happening.” SPOT ON !!!!!!!!
I registered as a Democrat in 1980, at the age of eighteen, largely to piss off my father who, were he alive today, would have worshiped Donald Trump. For the next forty-four years, I was a passionate Democrat, giving money, helping when and where I could, writing senators and representatives, signing petitions, joining clubs, the works.
On Wednesday, November 6th, 2024, I officially quit the Democratic Party.
I've had enough. When Democrats, especially top-level Democrats, started criticizing Kamala Harris' campaign, one that was as near-flawless a campaign as I have seen in my entire life, a powerful, beautiful, inspirational, aspirational, tears-running-down-my-face after watching the reaction of an entire packed arena as Kamala walked into it, "Freedom," blaring from the speakers campaign, I just couldn't take it anymore.
When the mainstream media decided to attack her instead of recognizing the obvious, glaring truth--that they had a huge hand in Trump's "victory," and the Democrats didn't fight back, I just couldn't take it anymore.
There are irregularities with the voting in this election, folks. And the fact that top-level Democrats aren't demanding a recount is ludicrous, is egregious, is immoral. I just can't take it anymore. (Take a look at this: https://www.reddit.com/r/houstonwade/comments/1grgi0u/letter_to_kamala_harris_from_computer_scientists/)
I can't take anymore the constant capitulation to Republicans, the constant cowering, the constant whimpering. I can't take Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi anymore. They are practically bending over backwards trying to accommodate Trump when they should be fighting him and his vile fascist incoming administration with everything they've got. They aren't. They're being appropriate and stuffy and stiff-backed and well coiffed and attired while they simper and smile like mannequins on the Sunday news shows.
And on and on and on.
It's too much! I can't do it anymore! For our country to survive, Democrats have GOT to do something that, as a collective, they have refused to do my entire adult life: get fierce. Get feisty. Get ANGRY. Get MEAN. They need to **actually** start fighting for the American working class, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities. Harris was going to do that! It was her entire frickin' platform! And so what did millions of Democrats do? Barring massive voter fraud (see above), they stayed home and gave Trump the White House.
Want despicable? There you frickin' go.
Wow. Thanks for the links to the interview with Greg Palast and the free download of his documentary.
Thank you for pointing this out! Every time the Democrats lose an election, the chattering class says the same thing about not connecting with working class (read “white”) voters. The other factors you mentioned explain the result, not the Democrats’ failure to propose policies and programs that would help these people. They absolutely did.
You were right on on every point here about what the problem was, except one. It was not just the Right wing media machine. Corporate media put clicks and profits above honest journalism back in 2015 when Trump should have been outed as an unfit candidate. And today, afraid of what they have created, they sanewash and wishcast.
In 2004 a senior advisor to President George W. Bush famously told journalist Ron Suskind that people like Suskind lived in “the reality-based community.” They believed people could find solutions to problems through careful study of discernible reality. But, the aide continued, Suskind’s worldview was obsolete. “That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” the aide said. “We are an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality— judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.”
- Heather Cox Richardson, 9/26/24
___
John, your Substack is part of a fast-growing ecosystem of reality-based information. We all, each of us, whether officeholders or not, must keep contributing to keep objective truth alive.
93 million people eligible to vote did not. 60 million of those people were registered voters, too. I believe many of these people are reachable. It's not fun fighting disinformation and delusion, but that is the task at hand.
You are correct. I think instead of information or misinformation we should call it what it is, LIES. LYING. Brainwashing and LIES unfortunately worked for a large segment of our population. They drank the Kool-Aid.
If I remember correctly that advisor to George W. Bush was Karl Rove, a reprehensible person.
Thank you for saying it; your words ring true. Racism, Misogyny, and Ignorance. I want to think better of my fellow Americans. I’m naive.
Propaganda works. Trump's strategy is right out of Nazi Germany. There, I said it. I'm rereading The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich right now. It's almost a blueprint for what Trump is doing. I'm just waiting for his Reichstag fire and Kristallnacht. He's already had his Munich moment.
I've been saying the same thing for the last year. We are replaying Germany in the 1930s.
In 1964, way back when, a communications theorist, Marshall McLuhan said this (according to Wikipedia):
McLuhan uses the term "message" to signify content and character. The content of the medium is a message that can be easily grasped and the character of the medium is another message which can be easily overlooked. McLuhan says "Indeed, it is only too typical that the 'content' of any medium blinds us to the character of the medium".
The quote, basically, was “The medium is the message”. And the problem with the past campaign season was that three was no medium of communication which accurately and fairly reported Democratic messaging. In the 1960’s there were incredible writers who backed up the Kennedy and then the Johnson campaigns and presidencies. In those times the media were thirsty for great programs and the writing that described them. Alas, today, the media has abdicated its centuries old responsibility to report the news fairly and accurately. The biases which these outlets display are simply put, self-oriented, trying to maintain a business (nothing wrong with that) but sinking into trying to protect themselves from a would-be dictator.
As we move forward, unfortunately, things will get worse. Some have suggested that the traditional “legacy” media will fall by the wayside in favor of online outlets like SubStack and the new social media platform, BlueSky. I’m going to take a shot at making these alternate resources and outlets happen for me and I encourage others to do the same.
Excellent response.
Thank you. It was a centerpiece of some of my communications courses at the University of Washington.
Thank you for this analysis. I've been trying to convince my fellow Democrats of the same thing. I also remind them that 93 MILLION eligible voters didn't bother to cast a ballot. The claim that he has a mandate is false. His numbers as the votes continue to be counted have dropped to below 50%.
Yes!!!! Excellent piece!!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You, John! “Kamala Harris and the Dems didn't fail America, they just exist in a nation where far too many people don't pay attention or care to understand what's actually happening.” SPOT ON !!!!!!!!
This is the most accurate postmortem I have read
Thank you for speaking TRUTH! You are a blessing to me!
So true. You can have the best message, the most truthful, factual message, the most doable policies, the best media coverage possible, but there have to be ears that can hear. However, it appears that voter suppression was applied generously to the tune of millions of voters disenfranchised and/or uncounted, so even if we won, we didn't win. And there are still way too many uncaring misogynists, racists & zenophobes spewing their double-speak.
This article came out in 2017: Why facts don't change our mind.
It explained a lot to me about what have been happening that completely mystifies us. The "how can they not see through Trump?" question.
https://home.miracosta.edu/rfrench/documents/Why%20Facts%20Dont%20Change%20Our%20Minds%20_%20The%20New%20Yorker.pdf
Bravo Dr. Pavlovitz! This is exactly what I've been saying since the election. We lost because of a fear of women and "the other", i.e. people of other color or ethnicity. Post Mortems have a place, but changing OUR morality to the Republican definition of it, is NOT the answer.
I think the so called undecided voters decided this election. They sat it out for many reasons, mostly about the grocery bill and Gaza lies.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You, John! “Kamala Harris and the Dems didn't fail America, they just exist in a nation where far too many people don't pay attention or care to understand what's actually happening.” SPOT ON !!!!!!!!