While Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are strong candidates for the 2024 election, their electoral prospects may suffer without proper support from the Democratic Party. The party must marshal broad support from progressive liberals, minorities, youth, and the working class if they want to stave off MAGA authoritarianism. In the light of the growing authoritarianism, voter suppression, and deliberate efforts to disenfranchise minority voters by Republican-led states, the Democrats have no margin for error. Republican efforts include actively challenging voter registrations, voter suppression, and recruiting a large volunteer army to harass voters at the polls.
To counter such tactics, the Democrats must focus on driving voter turnout to unprecedented levels.
However, voter turnout requires more than just rhetoric. The Democratic Party needs to build coalitions beyond its core supporters, including progressives, liberals, minorities, young voters, and the working class. The Democrats cannot take the support of these factions for granted, and without the support of these factions, voter turnout will be depressed. Historically, the Democratic Party has hesitated to fully embrace substantive nonperformative policy addressing issues important to these factions, such as affordable housing, electoral reform, fair wages, and affordable goods. The Democrats will alienate voters, further depressing voter turnout if they continue to avoid addressing these issues.
The Democrats must stop resorting to the usual traditional, centrist-leaning strategies they usually employ if they want to fend off authoritarianism. They must engage in policymaking and legislation that addresses the problems and issues important to most voters. Coalition-building and mobilizing these factions of the voting public are the keys to driving substantial voter turnout. Failing to do so will seriously jeopardize the Democrats’ chances of winning the presidential election in the 2024 election, not to mention suffering severe losses in the House and the Senate.
The dilemma facing the Democrats in the 2024 election represents a broader struggle within the party. There is a tension between maintaining its traditional centrist approach and responding to the evolving demands of a more progressive, diverse base. While Harris and Walz are strong candidates capable of appealing to different factions of the Democratic electorate, their candidacies alone are not enough to overcome the structural challenges that lie ahead. For years, the party has relied heavily on a “big tent” strategy, attempting to balance the interests of moderates and progressives while maintaining broad appeal. However, the party cannot afford to alienate or take for granted the very groups that form the foundation of its electoral coalition.
Additionally, the Democrats face external threats that extend far beyond voter suppression tactics. Disinformation campaigns, often amplified through social media, are a growing threat to electoral integrity. In 2016 and 2020, Russian interference and domestic disinformation played a significant role in shaping public opinion and undermining trust in democratic institutions. These tactics target vulnerable voters and exacerbate divisions within the electorate. The Democrats will need to be proactive, not only in combating these disinformation efforts but also in building a narrative that counters the cynical politics of fear and division that have become a hallmark of right-wing authoritarianism.
It’s essential to recognize the challenge facing the Democrats. The Republican Party has been successful in mobilizing its base through grievance politics, framing the election as a battle for the future of America. With the conservative majority in the Supreme Court upholding voter ID laws and weakening protections for minority voters, the Republicans are working within the system to tilt the scales in their favour. Populist figures within the GOP continue to stoke cultural and economic anxieties, using nativism and fear of the “other” to drive voter loyalty. Conservative news outlets further reinforce this narrative and energize their base to vote in unprecedented numbers.
In response, the Democrats must offer a compelling alternative rooted not just in opposition to Trumpism or authoritarianism but in a clear, values-driven vision for the future. Addressing issues like healthcare, education, job security, and climate change will resonate with everyday Americans. Democrats must articulate what they stand for and how their policies will tangibly improve people’s lives.
The Democrats also need to address their history of policy compromises. The party has often positioned itself as a status quo defender, focusing on moderate, incremental change rather than the sweeping reforms the left demands. This approach has alienated many younger voters who are frustrated by inaction on climate change, student loan debt, and racial justice.
The Democrats’ success hinges on their ability to inspire enthusiasm, especially in swing states with razor-thin margins. States like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Wisconsin will be battlegrounds again, and turnout is critical in these areas. Driving turnout requires sustained, grassroots organizing and direct outreach to voters. Driving turnout also means going beyond conventional political ads and speeches and investing in community-led efforts that speak to voters where they live. Local organizations, activists, and leaders must be empowered to drive engagement, particularly among historically disenfranchised communities.
Without driving substantial voter turnout and having effective, voter-relevant policies in their platform, the Democrats risk losing the 2024 election. The Harris-Walz ticket has the potential to unify the party, but only if they can inspire the Democratic Party to confront its past failings and embrace the future. If Harris-Walz cannot get the Democrats to stop ignoring the needs of the voting public, they will be fighting an uphill battle against a resurgent Republican Party.
The problem is that as Cenk and Ana have pointed out many times during their live stream, the Democrats are pathetic and weak. The truth of the matter is that the Oligarchy in this country have a tight grip on most of our politicians, Republicans and Democrats, at the Federal, State and Local levels of government. As such, they control our politicians as marionettes to carry out their will while giving the illusion that we have a government representing “We the People”. That’s an obvious lie.
Only a handful of our elected politicians do not accept handouts from these mega wealthy corporate donors, but they are the minority and are always ignored. I’m not affiliated with any political party. I have voted throughout the decades in my life for politicians of both parties, including for Trump in 2016 but not in 2020. It was not until I started to watch TYT and other progressive voices on YouTube that I fully understood the inner workings of how our system was extremely corrupt. I had a general idea of corruption but did not know of the extent to which dark money and contributions (bribes) influences our government.
When I voted for Trump, like many at that time, we were sick and tired of getting our hopes up with many promises of legislating for issues that would benefit the average middle class and take care of the poor, while still supporting the wealthy who create jobs. Trump spoke the language of the average people who were feeling the despair and hopelessness of “the establishment”, therefore, many like me, thought, “what the heck, let’s give Trump a chance”. Sadly, it did not take long to see what a mistake that was. Then came Biden, promising once again all sorts of progressive agendas to win over Bernie Sanders massive supporters. Turned out to be another failure. Nothing changed for my family and many others who I speak to, who are hard workers, yet are being “choked” by the greed of those who price gouge us for everything we pay in goods and services. Then towards the end of the year, after everything goes up in cost by 20 to 50%, the government produces this manipulated “CPI” to justify a ridiculous COLA increase which is an insult and demeaning to the working class and retirees. COLA should be no less than 10% or more each year to try to close the huge gap between the extremely high inflation and low income/benefits. A freeze on prices for goods and services should be mandatory to allow for the COLA adjustments to catch up with the actual cost of living expenses. Not doing so, COLA adjustments are meaningless.
Both parties like to brag about the economy that Wall Street claims is in record numbers. Yes, that is true, but it only benefits the wealthy. If a similar and separate economy chart were made for the average working middle class, I have no doubt the numbers would be in the red. Doing so would require honesty and transparency, which is something the GOP and DEMS, including legacy media, would never do.
I share Ana Kasparian’s frustration with our duopoly political system. Being forced to vote for a corporate sellout candidate from either party is unfair. We are scared into voting for one of them with fear mongering, such as democracy is on the line. I say to that, “what democracy?”. Democracy in this country (USA) is completely gone. Our politicians are only serving their own interest to make themselves millionaires, which is why they never want to leave their cozy jobs, doing absolutely nothing for the people. We the people have no true representation. Even if Trump were to win and become the dictator he says will be, the wealthy and the powerful in our government will do fine. They will be part of the club. The rest of us will be like those in many countries with dictatorships, in that we will have to scrape for food and barely survive once we are stripped of everything including our dignity.
So, in my humble opinion, saying that “the problem is not getting the word out” is false in a sense. The word not getting out is intentional. Both parties know that regardless of which administration is in the White House, which party controls the Congress and with our seriously corrupted Judicial system, the outcome will be the same. They will all continue to mass more power, wealth and we the people will have to settle and beg for the crumbs we get and be happy about it.