A Reckoning is in Order

Democrats need to figure out how to reconnect with Americans in this new "America First" political era

Americans have decisively reelected former President Donald Trump while likely handing control of all three branches of government to the Republican Party.

In doing so, Americans rejected the Democratic Party - and the broader anti-Trump coalition it sought to unite. A reckoning is in order. 

The original reason for starting this Team Common Sense project was to address the fundamental brand weakness of the Democratic Party. My argument was that the Party was failing to connect with average Americans, while also failing to realize it. Personal dislike for Mr. Trump and the overturning of Roe v. Wade led to Democratic wins in 2020 and 2022, but it now appears those were short term victories against a broader, rightward shift of the American electorate. 

This election will be analyzed in excruciating detail, but big electoral shifts like this happen for simple reasons. Voters either accept or reject the big-picture ideas of each political party. The harsh reality for Democrats is that Mr. Trump’s “America First” vision has won, and I believe it will prove to be the guiding force of our new political era. 

The question for Democrats now is how to respond. One, inevitable response will be to blame the American electorate. It is already happening. On social media, people are calling our society “sick” and blaming “the uneducated population.” 

Democrats must resist the temptation to do this or they will face even more disastrous consequences. 

Over the past few days, I have knocked on doors, talked to voters, and held signs at a polling station in an economically depressed town that went for Trump by 20 points. I did not sense that these voters were motivated by hate. Many of them were frustrated and disillusioned but they were also kind and decent. 

Most Democrats genuinely do not understand how kind and decent folks could vote for Trump. That misunderstanding of the electorate must be the top priority of the Democratic Party.

The hardest part of that exercise will be admitting that Mr. Trump may have been right about certain things. He may be a narcissistic bully with little regard for liberal American democracy, but he showed himself to have a superior understanding of the goals and desires of the American people. 

Voters embraced his “America First” agenda. Now Democrats need to figure out how to rebuild their coalition in that new political landscape while staying true to their core values. It is no easy task, although one thing is clear: the core message can no longer be “we aren’t going back” or “Never Trump”. There must be a new, mission-driven vision that affirmatively charts a compelling path forward for American voters. 

Mr Trump will inevitably stumble on self-inflicted wounds and Democrats may benefit politically in the midterms, but that cannot be their political strategy. A deeper transformation of the Party must begin in earnest to have any chance of changing the course of this new political era.