Florida Democrats in Tuesday’s primary proved the scope of the party’s big tent, nominating centrist, staunchly pro-Israel incumbents such as Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (running in a redrawn district) and Jared Moskowitz — but also former Republican David Jolly for governor and left-leaning progressive Angie Nixon for Senate, who ran an insurgent campaign against establishment favorite Alex Vindman, getting outspent 16:1.
In these sorts of free-wheeling environments with combative primary races, Democratic minority leaders can easily wind up in a no-win situation. You can bet that corporate media figures and agitated corporate Democrats, alarmed at Nixon’s socialist affiliation (she joined the DSA in June, but it did not endorse her), will be looking to egg on intraparty fights.
Between trying to avoid gaffes, responding to unhinged lies from the White House (which helpfully generates non-stop backlash against MAGA lackeys), and refereeing factions of their diverse party, Democratic leaders can easily sound defensive or overly cautious just when the base is itching for boldness. And while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is among the most hesitant to get out ahead of his members, Democrats’ greatest risk is skittish failure to convey that leadership has internalized the base’s demand for bold change.
However, with Donald Trump collapsing in the polls and suffering one defeat after another, Democratic leadership and their surrogates are well positioned to project strength and avoid the trap of excessive timidity.
In this environment, Democratic leaders should not waste time on Sunday legacy media shows (whose aging audiences have dwindled), on which hosts recycle tired tropes (Dems in disarray!) and false equivalence. If Dems want to reach persuadable voters, they should recall a crucial 2024 election lesson: independent media, podcasts, and candidates’ own social media accounts offer a reach as large as — if not larger — than legacy media’s, allowing access to critical swing voters. Moreover, as Nixon (as well as Senate nominees in Maine, Michigan, and Minnesota) proved on Tuesday, high-energy grassroots campaigning must not be underestimated.
If Democratic leaders talk about “socialists’” role in the party (in part because some corporate Democrats fuel the left vs. center-left sniping by punching left rather than forging an anti-fascist common front), they should remember that voters do not agree on the meaning of “socialism,” let alone attach a negative connotation to the term. The party's leaders would be foolish to flyspeck the policy views of voters or candidates identifying as “socialists” who support the party’s basic agenda (e.g., extending healthcare access, halting the illegal war, upholding the rule of law).
Democratic leaders’ job now is not to act as gatekeepers, but rather to roll out the welcome mat for new coalition members.
As Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) said in his Atlanta speech on Sunday, Democrats need to present their campaign as a place “for everyone who craves sanity, competence, [and] quality public service.” Anyone irate that the Trump regime and its MAGA enablers make you “pay more for everything and took us to war on lies and spent most of last year trying to cover up for the world’s most famous pedophile while the crook president and his crook family rake[d] in billions” should feel right at home.
On policy, Democratic leaders need not get tied up in knots debating the details of issues that will not get resolved before the 2028 election (e.g., Medicare for All). Their present task regarding healthcare is stopping MAGA’s assault on Medicare and Medicaid and fighting to restore Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Democrats should also seize the chance to flip the script when, as often happens, Trump’s accusations turn out to be nothing more than projection. Trump hollering about “communism” is deeply ironic, given his own infatuation with the most ruthless communist dictator on the planet, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Regarding Trump’s order to cancel or curtail military exercises with longtime ally South Korea, the New York Times reported:
President Trump denounced [joint summer military exercises], dealing yet another blow to the seven-decade-old alliance between Washington and Seoul. Under Mr. Trump, bilateral relations have already come under immense strain from his punishing tariffs on South Korean exports. And his transactional diplomacy has frustrated South Korea, most recently when he appeared to put Saudi Arabia on the path to enriching nuclear fuel on its own soil, a demand Seoul has made for years.
In recent years, North Korea has not only expanded its nuclear arsenal but also repeatedly threatened to use it against South Korea, labeling its neighbor a “most hostile enemy.” Its leader, Kim Jong-un, has also forged a mutual defense treaty with Moscow, dispatching troops and weapons to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Despite these escalations, Mr. Trump, in a social media post, characterized North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful” while boasting of his “very good relationship” with Mr. Kim.
Between Trump’s latest gift to the communist regime and his suck-uppery to China’s President Xi Jinping (at Taiwan’s expense), Trump and his congressional enablers deserve every ounce of condemnation Democrats can muster for his facilitation of communist aggression.
In addition, Democrats can be much more explicit about their commitment to reform (e.g., a mandatory Supreme Court ethics code and term limits) and oversight. In vowing to hold Trump — as well as his family, cronies, and Cabinet — accountable for malfeasance and gross incompetence, Democrats can underscore Republicans’ acquiescence in unprecedented corruption and their tolerance of life-endangering incompetence.
Impeachment should remain on the table for the worst offenders. Since his confirmation, despite ample evidence of unfitness, Attorney General Todd Blanche showed up to campaign for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the GOP’s New York gubernatorial nominee. Blanche’s participation potentially violated the Hatch Act and was an outrageous breach of ethical norms expected from the top law enforcement official for all Americans. Blanche revels in his role as a political hack, while refusing to reassert the department’s independence (further highlighting the moral cowardice of Republicans such as Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who couldn’t bear to oppose his nomination).
Given that, plus Blanche’s ongoing flouting of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Democrats should remain committed to investigating his conduct and pursuing impeachment. While they’re at it, they should explicitly remind Justice Department employees of their ethical and legal obligations to the Constitution, the courts, and the public. Regardless of what orders their MAGA bosses deliver, they too will have to answer for their conduct.
Democrats must reiterate that Blanche and other flagrantly incompetent and/or dishonest Cabinet members (e.g., RFK, Jr., who destroyed our national health infrastructure, or Pete Hegseth, who bollixed the war and corrupted military promotions) will not get a pass for lying, malicious assault on the rule of law, or stomach-turning malfeasance.
In sum, Democratic leaders’ task is to sustain an aggressive attack on the MAGA menace while keeping the flaps of the big tent wide open for all who want to defeat fascism. They should avoid feeding legacy media horserace storylines designed to highlight intraparty conflict. Instead, they must work 24/7 to forge the broadest pro-democracy coalition in history and relentlessly attack MAGA’s reckless, pro-communist foreign policy; domestic policy disasters; and relentless corruption.
No. They need a Project November 2026. An action plan for when Trump subverts the election. If anyone has that plan, please, share it!
Thank you Jen. No room for subtlety in 2026.