Democrats Have to Stop Mansplaining Why Their Losing Strategies Are the Only Thing That Can Work

Thanks for your support: 30% off 💙 40% off 💙 50% off 💙 60% offIt’s becoming more clear that our task in this moment is to reeducate the general population. I’ve been talking about this often with the brilliant Deidre Keller. Our job isn’t to lecture but to teach.Unfortunately, every time I start to teach, I end up getting lectured by some indoctrinated member of Blue MAGA.“Well, the strategies that Mamdani used in New York would never work in the deep red south.”People say this as if it’s a truth that cannot be questioned. They’re appealing to established thought in the same way as any other patriarchal authoritarian. They position themselves so that if you even dare to question what they're saying, they can ridicule you.But notice how they used sanitized terms that are meant to distract rather than identify their true purpose.Press them on it. Make them tell you the exact policies that “aren’t going to work.” Is there something about the people in the south that makes them want to spend more on gas? Do people in deep red states like to have unaffordable housing? Do they celebrate when they go through medical bankruptcy?Make Blue MAGA specifically explain what it is about progressive policies that people in red areas are going to reject?When you put it this way, Blue MAGA begins to sputter. They begin to say things like, “You’re a very rude person.” In fact, you’ll see that they start to act exactly like the convict in chief.It’s because they’re wrong. Progressive strategies will work everywhere in the United States.Just look at what’s transpired in our country over the last dozen election cycles. Rich, pretentious, silver spoon Democrats slither onto television and claim that the grassroots candidates that are gaining steam in rural areas “can’t get elected.” Then they throw all their money behind some centrist jerk who nobody likes. But that candidate steals just enough support to win the primary, only to go on and lose the general election.Then the Democrats have the nerve to act like it’s a victory. “We only lost by 5 points. If we’d have run a progressive we’d have lost by 20!”Their entire philosophy relies on crystal ball thinking. Meanwhile they disregard the facts that disprove their narrative (which is a trait of white supremacy). Again, look at what we have right now! The GOP controls SCOTUS, the Presidency, and Congress. Cheating plays a big role in this, but so does the DNC’s failed strategy that they can only run centrists.Centrists lose!It’s getting to the point where I get triggered when I hear certain Democrat buzz words. Here are some concepts that are bigoted, racist, or simply a form of gaslighting.* Electability* The nation isn’t ready for a Black woman* We can’t make it into a purity testThat last one came up the other day in a way that was well-meaning but misguided. Again, I realize that the mass of Americans have been programmed and indoctrinated to think wrong about virtually everything. This is why it’s important to call it out when people use Blue MAGA buzzwords that are designed to deprive us of our power.We’re entering into an era where a lot of Republicans are abandoning the MAGA movement. That’s great. But I also think that we have to be very careful.We can’t go anointing every ex Republican as the next Democratic candidate for president. Instead of celebrating the redemption arc, why don’t we recognize the people who have dedicated their lives to saying and doing the right thing?I brought this up in the context of a former Republican who is running as a Democrat. I said that I’m willing to talk to him, but he has questions to answer. In short, he has to earn my vote.I was met by the oft repeated line, “subjecting candidates to a purity test is why the Democrats lose.”Again, this represents a casual effort to substitute words for the purpose of distracting from the true meaning. The candidate I was discussing is a former Republican, he’s a convicted felon. Yet, I’m not dismissing him. I’m willing to talk to him. I just refuse to offer my support until he proves his sincerity.I have progressive friends who have reasonable questions. Yet, these progressive friends who aren’t felons and who aren’t former Republicans, are the ones who are likely to feel the pressure from the DNC. “Oh, come on! He said he’s sorry! Why are you being so difficult!”Again and again and again, innocent people are subjected to scrutiny that’s much more intense than the former abusers who claim to have redeemed themselves.When the Democrats talk about “purity tests” that’s what they mean. Essentially, they’re telling progressives to shut up and allow the party to swing hard to the right.We’ve already seen how that works out.Bullies always try to bluster their opponents into silence. We all have to develop an instinctive reaction to certain trigger words. When somebody says “purity test” they have to be informed that the phrase is often used as part of the rhetoric of abuse.It’s gaslighting. It’s aggression. It’s manipulative.One of the main downfalls of the Democratic party is that they act as if they are entitled to our votes. They’re not. They have to earn our votes. They have to earn them not through pretty words, but with direct and immediate action.They have to act! Not “after the midterms,” not “after they’re sworn in” but now! They have to act today!Democrats have to act when the fellow members of their party defect and vote with the Republicans. Democrats have to go on podcasts. They have to talk to regular people. They have to organize protests at concentration camps.They have power and celebrity and a platform. They could be doing a lot for us.They sure as hell have to act when the voters come together and give them control of the Presidency, the House and the Senate like we did in 2020.But this generation of Democratic leaders fumbled the ball and allowed an insurrectionist to steal the levers of control. This generation of Democrats failed to shut down the government and allowed ICE to get its obscene funding. This generation of Democrats failed to stop the unconstitutional war in Iran when they had the seats but not the votes to restrict war powers on March 5th.This generation of Democratic leaders has failed over and over and over again, and it’s because the truths they hold to be self-evident are nothing more than a bunch of self-sabotaging lies.We have to stop allowing Blue MAGA apologists to deploy the dishonest phrases of neoliberal gaslighters. When they start in with their excuses, we have to demand results. When they try and tell us why something can’t be done, we have to shout at them why it can.Progressive policies can win in red areas. The only reason we haven’t seen that demonstrated is because the current generation of Democrats has always ensured that progressive movements are blocked.It’s time for a new generation of leadership. It’s time that we took down all the Blue MAGA lies, cleaned our house, and mounted an effective resistance to oligarchy and authoritarianism.We’ll remove them in the primaries. The time is now!Thanks for your support: 30% off 💙 40% off 💙 50% off 💙 60% offI'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe