Hello, friends.
By now, the news has settled: Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have suffered a historic defeat. Donald Trump is once again President of the United States, and Republicans have swept the House (I know this is TBD but really?), the Senate, and governorships across the nation. It is a defeat so profound that, for progressives, it feels like more than just a loss—it feels like an existential crisis.
Bernie Sanders, never one to mince words, has already issued his scathing post-mortem: the Democratic Party, he argues, has "abandoned working-class people," and now, predictably, the working class has abandoned them. In a statement that cuts to the heart of the party’s failure, Sanders said, "It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them." His words echo like a death knell for a party that once prided itself on being the voice of the American worker.
But this is not simply about a failure to connect with the working class. It’s about a failure to connect with the American people, period. For years, we Democrats have placed our faith in demographic trends, believing that a growing, diverse electorate would deliver a permanent majority. Democrats assumed that the rise of young, progressive voters, along with the increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the American populace, would secure their future. But that future has not materialized. Instead, Trump won the popular vote, and Harris received 10+ million fewer votes than Joe Biden did just four years ago. The demographic wave has crashed—and not in the way Democrats expected.
The recriminations have begun. Progressive voices like Daily Kos’ Yosef 52 are expressing despair, questioning whether there is any hope left for the Republic. "I guess I never really knew America," Yosef writes, in a sorrowful farewell. "Now it feels as if something inside of me has died."
This is not just an election loss—it is a regime change. The Republican Party, now fully in the grip of Trump and his MAGA movement, controls every lever of power in the federal government. This is not the kind of loss that can be easily adapted to, like a broken leg that will eventually heal. This is Reagan in 1980. This is Orwell’s 1984. This is a fundamental shift in the political landscape.
The Sanders Critique
Some have quibbled over Harris’ messaging but Sanders’ critique goes deeper than messaging. He argues that the Democratic Party has lost its way, that it has become too cozy with corporate interests and too disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Americans. "The American people are angry and want change," he said, "and they’re right." For years, Sanders has been calling for bold, structural reforms—universal healthcare, free college, a living wage. But the party, he says, has been too timid, too afraid of alienating the wealthy donors and corporate backers who fund its campaigns.
A Path Forward?
So where does the Democratic Party go from here? The path forward is not clear. If the party is to survive, it will need to do more than just retool its messaging. It will need to undergo a fundamental transformation—a shift in policy, philosophy, and organization.
Have a good day. See you all tomorrow.
