Hakeem Jeffries thinks the path back to power for Democrats is focusing on “kitchen table issues,” waiting for Trump to self-destruct, and avoiding challenging Trump on his increasing constitutional violations in immigration enforcement, the deployment of military to cities.
Thank you for this excellent post, Mike. For detailing exactly what is wrong with both of our two major parties. The inability to let go of the funding and stand up for what is right. To put our country over party. To uphold our oath as citizens and elected officials to support and defend our Constitution. My God! The 2026 midterms and the 2028 Presidential Election are exactly about Trump's and the current administration's contempt for and complete destruction of our constitutional republic. "Kitchen table" issues mean nothing if we no longer live in a free country. This is why I am an Independent. This is why I have been attending rallies in support and defense of our constitution and the rule of law since February 2025. Because I love my country!
May our constitutional republic be restored. May our country have a new birth of freedom.
I do not love our country. I hate what it has become-from a land of opportunity to a land of opportunists. I grew up with a distant father, but he did teach me a few crucial concepts. "Son, if you do something, do it right or don't do it at all." -Bernard Strum
What I have done, from cutting grass, to working in a laboratory, to become a physician treating cancer patients for the last 50 years, I do right. I place patient outcome before physician income. That is the old-fashioned work ethic that make America great. That is
just about gone now. Our world has become one of the quick and dirty, and it's all about greed based in Consumerism. Christianity is rare. Consumerism is everywhere. If we could resurrect Wordsworth, he would say:
"The world is too much with us, late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers,
Too little in Nature we see that is ours."
If you want perspective on how far we have fallen, and what we could do to start to change things for the better, read Wendell Berry's "A Continuous Harmony" or his "The Road to Ignorance." Those will turn you into Berry aficionados. Berry is 91. He lives in a small town called Port Royal, in Kentucky. That's a person with perspective. There's a man that like you and me and others that proposes constructive approaches to fix what we have destroyed in the US and in the world.
I have listened to Mamdani's speeches. I have not seen enough of his perspective in his 34 years of age to warrant what I would consider unbridled enthusiasm. I have learned also that the old adages are truths borne out by history. I realize their value.
“The Democratic establishment raises money from concentrated wealth.” You can largely thank Citizens United vs FEC for this; that ill-considered judgement should be hung around John Roberts’ neck and then engraved on his tombstone.
“The framework is dead. It died somewhere between 2008’s financial crisis response that bailed out banks while abandoning homeowners.” This was another nail in the coffin; it told the people in no uncertain terms that corporations were too big to fail, but the people could be allowed to fail en masse.
I agree completely with everything you wrote; is it OK if I send a link to my Democratic senators?
As usual, you are articulating what I think I am seeing, but providing a framework for that thinking. We need a vision of the future where the fair treatment of everyone matters. There is no reason children should go hungry, or families should forego health insurance or medicine because they can’t afford it. This is not just unfair, it is systematic injustice. All of us are part of a society — for some, they are able to make more out of what we have. But we all kind of chipped in to that success. It’s infuriating that rich people don’t want to pay an increased marginal tax rate of 2%. Which, of course, is easier to sell than a wealth tax — but it’s time we talked about how this country can work and, surely, it isn’t working now. We need to make our voices heard by electing the non-establishment Dems — or maybe we need a whole new party.
I think this is insightful and wholly correct. But, I think you omitted something that George Romero knew quite well. The dead cannot hear the living but they can still crush the life out of them.
Schumer and Jeffries may not be able to win against Trump. The Abundance crowd may never catch fire outside of the badge space. But they can still kill off many many promising candidates and promising paths by dropping insane sums on primaries, sucking up the ad-buy and convincing older Democrats to vote against their conscience for the sake of "victory".
Not to mix metaphors but our fight is against the dictator on the throne, *and* the army of darkness.
Mike, I'm with you in sentiment, but I can't wrap my head around how the Democratic Party could hope to compete against the amalgamated propaganda machine of the GOP without the money and help of rich donors. And I'd venture a guess the Democratic establishment can't wrap their heads around it, either. What's going to replace the party's infrastructure when donors stop donating? Do they not need as much money as they spend? Will they have any hope of countering GOP propaganda? How will they get their messages out, buy ads, get publicity (or q-score, or whatever the equivalent is now), hold events, knock doors, and do all the unglamorous work of party politics? The change you're implying here is too big for this little brain to comprehend.
Another spot on essay. When I was very young, my father told me that concentrated power always leads to a loss of freedom and opportunity for those not holding it. Whether the power held be financial or military or marketplace or governmental or judicial or religious or ideological…Diffusing overly concentrated power and disbursing it among a greater number of constituencies would allow so many more of us to participate in the dance of democracy…
I’ve been calling the congressman down here in San Diego, Juan Vargas. He’s invisible. I’ve been asking that he stay home and let someone else younger step up. To me, he lacks leadership for this moment. I don’t know how he “polls” but his committee assignments show me his level of involvement.
…they’re all corporate and protecting their jobs, more then half of the congress are fucking millionaires and have lobbyists as a fucking family members and two party system is only one step to autocracy - FACT
It would have been welcome if a large number of establishment Democrats had suddenly grown a spine, and securely in office for the moment, had said, “fuck it, I’m going to stand up for, and stand with, grass-roots dissidents, reaching out to them for funding, as well as other small donors. Now that I am here —having taken advantage of the donor class— I’m going to beca true Democrat.”
I can't see how the current US two-party system ever recovers. If the Trump regime falls, both the Republcian and Democratic paties fall with him. A multiparty system with PR seems like the only option.
Ranked-choice voting was the obvious reform pre-Trump, but it's basically setup to moderate a two-party system, as it does in Australia.
Thank you for this excellent post, Mike. For detailing exactly what is wrong with both of our two major parties. The inability to let go of the funding and stand up for what is right. To put our country over party. To uphold our oath as citizens and elected officials to support and defend our Constitution. My God! The 2026 midterms and the 2028 Presidential Election are exactly about Trump's and the current administration's contempt for and complete destruction of our constitutional republic. "Kitchen table" issues mean nothing if we no longer live in a free country. This is why I am an Independent. This is why I have been attending rallies in support and defense of our constitution and the rule of law since February 2025. Because I love my country!
May our constitutional republic be restored. May our country have a new birth of freedom.
I do not love our country. I hate what it has become-from a land of opportunity to a land of opportunists. I grew up with a distant father, but he did teach me a few crucial concepts. "Son, if you do something, do it right or don't do it at all." -Bernard Strum
What I have done, from cutting grass, to working in a laboratory, to become a physician treating cancer patients for the last 50 years, I do right. I place patient outcome before physician income. That is the old-fashioned work ethic that make America great. That is
just about gone now. Our world has become one of the quick and dirty, and it's all about greed based in Consumerism. Christianity is rare. Consumerism is everywhere. If we could resurrect Wordsworth, he would say:
"The world is too much with us, late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers,
Too little in Nature we see that is ours."
If you want perspective on how far we have fallen, and what we could do to start to change things for the better, read Wendell Berry's "A Continuous Harmony" or his "The Road to Ignorance." Those will turn you into Berry aficionados. Berry is 91. He lives in a small town called Port Royal, in Kentucky. That's a person with perspective. There's a man that like you and me and others that proposes constructive approaches to fix what we have destroyed in the US and in the world.
I have listened to Mamdani's speeches. I have not seen enough of his perspective in his 34 years of age to warrant what I would consider unbridled enthusiasm. I have learned also that the old adages are truths borne out by history. I realize their value.
"Vee Get Too Soon Olt Und Too Late Schmart!"
This is incredibly insightful and gets at the core of my hatred for the Dem establishment.
Thank you for plainly stating what is plaining unfolding. Now, action.
“The Democratic establishment raises money from concentrated wealth.” You can largely thank Citizens United vs FEC for this; that ill-considered judgement should be hung around John Roberts’ neck and then engraved on his tombstone.
“The framework is dead. It died somewhere between 2008’s financial crisis response that bailed out banks while abandoning homeowners.” This was another nail in the coffin; it told the people in no uncertain terms that corporations were too big to fail, but the people could be allowed to fail en masse.
I agree completely with everything you wrote; is it OK if I send a link to my Democratic senators?
…they’re all corporate, families with lobbyists and more then half of the congress are millionaires, career politician supposed to be an oxymoron
As usual, you are articulating what I think I am seeing, but providing a framework for that thinking. We need a vision of the future where the fair treatment of everyone matters. There is no reason children should go hungry, or families should forego health insurance or medicine because they can’t afford it. This is not just unfair, it is systematic injustice. All of us are part of a society — for some, they are able to make more out of what we have. But we all kind of chipped in to that success. It’s infuriating that rich people don’t want to pay an increased marginal tax rate of 2%. Which, of course, is easier to sell than a wealth tax — but it’s time we talked about how this country can work and, surely, it isn’t working now. We need to make our voices heard by electing the non-establishment Dems — or maybe we need a whole new party.
I think this is insightful and wholly correct. But, I think you omitted something that George Romero knew quite well. The dead cannot hear the living but they can still crush the life out of them.
Schumer and Jeffries may not be able to win against Trump. The Abundance crowd may never catch fire outside of the badge space. But they can still kill off many many promising candidates and promising paths by dropping insane sums on primaries, sucking up the ad-buy and convincing older Democrats to vote against their conscience for the sake of "victory".
Not to mix metaphors but our fight is against the dictator on the throne, *and* the army of darkness.
Mike, I'm with you in sentiment, but I can't wrap my head around how the Democratic Party could hope to compete against the amalgamated propaganda machine of the GOP without the money and help of rich donors. And I'd venture a guess the Democratic establishment can't wrap their heads around it, either. What's going to replace the party's infrastructure when donors stop donating? Do they not need as much money as they spend? Will they have any hope of countering GOP propaganda? How will they get their messages out, buy ads, get publicity (or q-score, or whatever the equivalent is now), hold events, knock doors, and do all the unglamorous work of party politics? The change you're implying here is too big for this little brain to comprehend.
We can do it by supporting non establishment candidates as small donors
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it". - Upton Sinclair
Spot on. The smell of their establishment carcasses comes through my TV and makes me physically ill.
Another spot on essay. When I was very young, my father told me that concentrated power always leads to a loss of freedom and opportunity for those not holding it. Whether the power held be financial or military or marketplace or governmental or judicial or religious or ideological…Diffusing overly concentrated power and disbursing it among a greater number of constituencies would allow so many more of us to participate in the dance of democracy…
I’ve been calling the congressman down here in San Diego, Juan Vargas. He’s invisible. I’ve been asking that he stay home and let someone else younger step up. To me, he lacks leadership for this moment. I don’t know how he “polls” but his committee assignments show me his level of involvement.
…career politician supposed to be an oxymoron
…they’re all corporate and protecting their jobs, more then half of the congress are fucking millionaires and have lobbyists as a fucking family members and two party system is only one step to autocracy - FACT
You’ve given me clarity on what is going on with the Dem leadership. Thank you for this post!
It would have been welcome if a large number of establishment Democrats had suddenly grown a spine, and securely in office for the moment, had said, “fuck it, I’m going to stand up for, and stand with, grass-roots dissidents, reaching out to them for funding, as well as other small donors. Now that I am here —having taken advantage of the donor class— I’m going to beca true Democrat.”
I can't see how the current US two-party system ever recovers. If the Trump regime falls, both the Republcian and Democratic paties fall with him. A multiparty system with PR seems like the only option.
Ranked-choice voting was the obvious reform pre-Trump, but it's basically setup to moderate a two-party system, as it does in Australia.
And they need to stop taking money from AIPAC the original corrupt donor organization.