The Misplaced Blame Game
The narratives around the Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have gotten so absurd that they’ve forced me—someone currently frustrated with the party—to defend it. Somehow, in an era where Donald Trump and Republicans control the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court, it’s the Democratic Party that has become the primary destination for everyone’s frustrations, grievances, and anger.
“In a moment when Republicans control nearly every lever of power, Democrats are somehow blamed for everything wrong in the country.”
If you’re upset that Bernie Sanders (who is not a Democrat) couldn’t beat Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a Democratic primary, blame the DNC. If Republicans adjourn the House and shut down the government, blame the Democrats. Groceries, healthcare, and rent too high? Blame the Democrats. ICE agents terrorizing communities? Blame the Democrats.
Depending on your ideological lens, Democrats are either all-powerful political masterminds or hopelessly weak and ineffective.
Yes, Democrats Have Fallen Short
None of this is to say the Democratic Party is without fault or has fully risen to meet this moment. Merrick Garland should have held Trump accountable for his countless crimes long before the 2024 election. Democrats failed to eliminate gerrymandering, strengthen voting rights, and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Many Democrats did not speak out early enough against the genocide in Palestine. And the current Democratic resistance, led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, has been uneven at best.
“Democrats aren’t unpopular because Americans hate them — they’re unpopular because many Democrats are frustrated with their own party.”
A recent poll showed the party’s favorability at 28%, driven in no small part by disillusionment from its own base.
The GOP’s Collapse Goes Ignored
Lost in all the noise about Democratic shortcomings is the near-total collapse of the Republican Party as a governing institution. The GOP has become a right-wing authoritarian movement where the rule of law is optional, and power is the only goal. Trump has remade the party in his image, and they’ve embraced it.
“Republicans can’t govern — and no one expects them to.”
They can’t solve the nation’s problems, yet they escape real accountability. Meanwhile, Democrats are expected not only to govern, but to save democracy while doing it.
The Reality: Democrats Keep Winning
And yet, reports of the Democratic Party’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Just five years ago, Joe Biden won 81 million votes—the most in American history. In 2024, Kamala Harris received 75 million, only two million fewer than Trump.
Recent Democratic victories include:
· Recapturing the Virginia governor’s mansion
· Expanding control of the Virginia House of Delegates
· Retaining New Jersey’s governor’s office
· Zohran Mamdani winning NYC’s mayoral race
· Winning statewide in Georgia for the first time in 20 years
· Flipping seats in Mississippi, ending the GOP super-majority
· Holding the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
· Passing California’s Prop 50 to counter Republican gerrymandering
“When Democrats fight, they win.”
Democrats are also refusing to help Republicans raise insurance costs on millions of Americans — choosing principle over politics despite the pain it causes.
Imperfect, But The Only Pro-Democracy Party We Have
Democrats are far from perfect. The party needs new leaders, bold ideas, and a message rooted in freedom, diversity, and shared prosperity. But there is one critical truth:
“Democrats aren’t perfect — but they aren’t fascists.”
That matters.
Building the Party We Deserve
So, let’s focus on what matters: electing leaders willing to fight for every one of us — regardless of race, background, gender, or identity. Leaders who will speak truth and act boldly. If we want a Democratic Party capable of meeting this moment, then it’s on us to build it.
And the recent election results make one thing clear:
“If we build the movement and fight like it matters, we win.”
The narratives around the Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have gotten so absurd that they’ve forced me—someone currently frustrated with the party—to defend it. Somehow, in an era where Donald Trump and Republicans control the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court, it’s the Democratic Party that has become the primary destination for everyone’s frustrations, grievances, and anger.
“In a moment when Republicans control nearly every lever of power, Democrats are somehow blamed for everything wrong in the country.”
If you’re upset that Bernie Sanders (who is not a Democrat) couldn’t beat Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden in a Democratic primary, blame the DNC. If Republicans adjourn the House and shut down the government, blame the Democrats. Groceries, healthcare, and rent too high? Blame the Democrats. ICE agents terrorizing communities? Blame the Democrats.
Depending on your ideological lens, Democrats are either all-powerful political masterminds or hopelessly weak and ineffective.
Yes, Democrats Have Fallen Short
None of this is to say the Democratic Party is without fault or has fully risen to meet this moment. Merrick Garland should have held Trump accountable for his countless crimes long before the 2024 election. Democrats failed to eliminate gerrymandering, strengthen voting rights, and pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Many Democrats did not speak out early enough against the genocide in Palestine. And the current Democratic resistance, led by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, has been uneven at best.
“Democrats aren’t unpopular because Americans hate them — they’re unpopular because many Democrats are frustrated with their own party.”
A recent poll showed the party’s favorability at 28%, driven in no small part by disillusionment from its own base.
The GOP’s Collapse Goes Ignored
Lost in all the noise about Democratic shortcomings is the near-total collapse of the Republican Party as a governing institution. The GOP has become a right-wing authoritarian movement where the rule of law is optional, and power is the only goal. Trump has remade the party in his image, and they’ve embraced it.
“Republicans can’t govern — and no one expects them to.”
They can’t solve the nation’s problems, yet they escape real accountability. Meanwhile, Democrats are expected not only to govern, but to save democracy while doing it.
The Reality: Democrats Keep Winning
And yet, reports of the Democratic Party’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Just five years ago, Joe Biden won 81 million votes—the most in American history. In 2024, Kamala Harris received 75 million, only two million fewer than Trump.
Recent Democratic victories include:
· Recapturing the Virginia governor’s mansion
· Expanding control of the Virginia House of Delegates
· Retaining New Jersey’s governor’s office
· Zohran Mamdani winning NYC’s mayoral race
· Winning statewide in Georgia for the first time in 20 years
· Flipping seats in Mississippi, ending the GOP super-majority
· Holding the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
· Passing California’s Prop 50 to counter Republican gerrymandering
“When Democrats fight, they win.”
Democrats are also refusing to help Republicans raise insurance costs on millions of Americans — choosing principle over politics despite the pain it causes.
Imperfect, But The Only Pro-Democracy Party We Have
Democrats are far from perfect. The party needs new leaders, bold ideas, and a message rooted in freedom, diversity, and shared prosperity. But there is one critical truth:
“Democrats aren’t perfect — but they aren’t fascists.”
That matters.
Building the Party We Deserve
So, let’s focus on what matters: electing leaders willing to fight for every one of us — regardless of race, background, gender, or identity. Leaders who will speak truth and act boldly. If we want a Democratic Party capable of meeting this moment, then it’s on us to build it.
And the recent election results make one thing clear:
“If we build the movement and fight like it matters, we win.”
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