I mean, they kinda are. A bounty of popular ideas at least. When you poll issue-by-issue, the Dem position comes out ahead like 60-40 or even 70-30 on most issues. I can't recall the last time a Democrat lost a race because of policy.
I think there's a (cynical) strategic argument to make that Democrats are making a mistake by choosing popular policy to center this shutdown fight around. They are, in effect, trying to protect Trump's voters from the consequences of voting for Trump. They'd likely be better served electorally by letting it happen, and letting Trump eat the blowback.
It'll be interesting, as the farmer payments are now stalled due to the shutdown... that might put a bunch of farmers under.
When was the last they won a race based on policy? Because that isn't working either. Pulling aside some lady in a parking lot and asking her about abortion is not representative of policy. The average American could not tell you the platform of DNC because they just tried running an election without one. If they can manage to not act like retards about economics, which at this point involves not levying tariffs on trade partners, and not make inconsequential social issues the bedrock of decision-making, they can win. As in win every election for a few decades. I hate to say it, but they need someone like Hillary Clinton that has the political capital and name recognition to reset the entire thing.
Gavin Newsom recently went on the Shawn Ryan show. I think Newsom is one of the few Dems that's finally figured out they need to go into these spaces (Ryan, Rogan, etc) and show they aren't the looney toon that MAGA portrays them as. I am not a fan of Ryan, but unlike Fox News and other popular far right outlets that routinely cut off and shout over guests they disagree with; he and Rogan at least let their guests speak.
SOME of them aren't looney toon, just like some repuclicans aren't. There are several that just need to keep quiet and stay out of the news between now and 2028, or risk hurting their party's election chances by going too far left in front of a camera.
Do they have a female candidate - or male candidate for that matter - that can go toe-to-toe with MAGA’s next superstar, Erika “HOW DARE YOU ATTACK HER SHE’S A GRIEVING WIDOW” Kirk?
I feel like you may have to be at least partially brainrotted to get it, but "Right, but we're talking about voting, not head pats" just made my list of favorite political rejoinders.
I could write a gigantic post refuting all of this but I'm not going to waste my time. If you truly look at this situation and your first instinct is "the Dems need to be better", you'll never be satisfied with anything they do and that's a large reason why we are in this position in the first place, holding Dems to the highest standards while the Republicans drool all over themselves.
The Dems do suck but the gop is worse by far. However, what they have that the Dems don’t is a lockstep information sphere that works like a well oiled machine. To me, it’s the main reason why they are never held accountable for a single thing while the Dems have to be essentially perfect.
One of those "politically active" folks with deep parasocial relationships with politicians, who sees their vote as either a reward (if they cast it) or a punishment (if they withhold it) for that politician personally, who they are in the business of judging. The response characterizing this entire mindset (which they take very very seriously™) as "head pats" is the most condescendingly dismissive thing I could imagine, and wholly deserved. The responder dug deep into weeb lore to be like "you view politics like a fucking child, now back to the actual purpose of elections."
You dramatically misrepresented my point, not sure what you expect me to respond with. Even though you decided to flip your hair back and scoff instead of responding with anything, I'll attempt to clarify. Yeah, I'm holding them all to a higher standard. Why the fuck not? Give me a reason why I should lower my expectations for elected leaders. There's a long game Democrats need to play: an election in 13 months that they are on the back foot heading into. The American public doesn't trust them to not be fuck-ups after Joe Biden. If they want a shot at holding Trump accountable at all, dying on the subsidies hill isn't it. Their entire focus should be the upcoming election. Period.
Judge in that case scheduled an emergency hearing for 10 PM on a Sunday night with only a few hours notice. I can't imagine she's happy.