Squabble Up!
No More Kumbaya or Respectability Politics
As a proud Democrat, the last seven months have been stressful and exhausting. When Donald Trump was elected last November, I knew a major fight was ahead of us. The initial disappointment of losing turned into anger, then stress and worry. The road ahead seemed bleak because we had just been met with a whitelash at the ballot box. Trump said he would go after DEI, undocumented immigrants, federal workers and the transgender community. His tariffs were bound to ruin the economy and, sure enough, inflation and unemployment have spiked. We warned he would act like a wanna-be dictator, a tyrant and usher in fascism. Well, fascism arrived this week when the White House federalized Washington D.C.
Every horrific thing Trump has done, thus far, was mentioned during his campaign. It was detailed in Project 2025 and Kamala Harris warned what would happen if Trump were elected. Even so, 90 million Americans didn’t bother to vote and 6 Million fewer voters showed up to vote for Kamala in 2024 vs. Biden in 2020.
77 million Americans proudly voted for Trump. Many now have regrets because they believed his lies. His approval rating average per the New York Times is 44%.
We are literally in hell because of voter apathy, complacency and, frankly, stupidity.
So how do we get out of this mess?
The solutions are not easy and will require us to come together to neutralize Trump and his reckless administration.
Here is what I think Democrats need to do:
Unite – Stop the infighting. We aren’t going to agree on everything, but, if you are attacking Democrats not Republicans, you are part of the problem. We have a big tent party and sometimes it gets messy, but for the sake of democracy, we have to finally move on from the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections. The grudge-holding is out of control. The factionalization needs to be stopped. We should have one goal: stop the f*#%$ fascist in the White House. I don’t care what your affiliation is or what you label yourself. The division has to stop and normie Dems are becoming as insufferable as leftists. To defeat Republicans, we need Democrats, Independents, Never Trumpers and non-politically-engaged people to get out and vote for Democrats.
Fighters not Folders – Tell the truth and shame the devil. Throw the old respectability politics playbook in the trash. People want to see elected officials fighting for them, not acquiescing to Republicans or donors. No more Kumbaya Politics!
Bravery – Texas Dems left the state in order to stop Republicans from gerrymandering the congressional map at the request of Trump. This is brave. They left their families and careers to stop Texas Republicans from cheating. Eventually, they will have to come home, but they have shown courage and have galvanized the Democratic base.
Match Energy – California legislators said, If you wanna redraw the Texas congressional map, so can we. And they did. They will put the new map on the ballot in November and have voters approve it. New York, Maryland, Illinois and other blue states should do the same when TX passes their new map. We must fight fire with fire.
Lead – Gov. Gavin Newsom is now the resistance leader of the Democratic Party like it or not. This doesn’t mean he will be the next president or even win the nomination in 2028. It means he is taking control of the narrative and leading on messaging. He leads the largest, most populous state and has an impressive digital team. Gavin is no pushover; he is a fighter. Other Governors, Congressional members and local legislators have stepped up as well.
Expectations – Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Leader Chuck Schumer have shown they don’t know how to fight fire with fire rhetorically. Stop expecting or asking them to do so. Some elected officials are just not built for this moment. It’s about their mindset vs. age. Schumer should step down as Leader. He is not up to challenge. Jeffries, on the other hand, just needs to work on his communication style. He is still too laid back for most Democrats.
Clap Back – Gov. Newsom’s team has shown elected officials how to effectively troll Trump. Sometimes you have to bully the bully back. Don’t let Republicans get away with lying. Rapid Response is critical right now because lies travel faster than truths via social media. Legacy media is also not prepared for this moment. They are useless and perpetuate right wing narratives.
Win, Win, Win – Governorships are on the ballot in 2025: Virginia and New Jersey. We must win these races. In 2026, 36 gubernatorial races are up for re-election; 18 are held by Democrats today. All politics is local and we need to focus on winning. Representatives must have a clear agenda. Go talk to your constituents. We need old school retail politics. Democrats must win back trust.
Take Back The House – In 2026, every single House seat is up for re-election. Republicans are trying to cheat to gain more seats. They only have a 5 seat advantage now. We must win or democracy is over. We cannot sugar coat this anymore. Senate races will be crucial as well.
Support Content Creators – Lastly, legacy media is dead. Support the people doing the work. I have two shows that I co-host. “The Big Three” with
and on YouTube. Join us Wednesdays at 10pm ET live. Support our show, content and advocacy. I also co-host “Fired Up Fridays” on Substack Live bi-weekly on Friday’s with . Support the work she is doing with her Advocacy Arena Network on here and YouTube.
There are so many great people doing amazing work on this platform and others. Political advocacy is tiring and can be unrewarding. But we must stay focused as I said in my video yesterday (see below).
Our goal is very straightforward: Neutralize the fascists and win elections.
Republicans’ greatest fear is Democrats winning because they know, when we vote, we win. Their goal is to keep Americans divided, apathetic and complacent. We must stop the bleeding.
I agree with all of this! Democrats need to get on board! Things are not the same!!
I agree with the stop the infighting, but I still can’t stand Bernie, lol