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ABE WON'T BE SILENT - If I hear one more know-it-all Democrat spewing nonsense on social media, prattling on and on about “what the Dems need to do next” or better yet—how to resist—I will scream. The most insufferable suggestion that so many bloviators are hawking has to be “the Democrats need a rebranding.” Like they’re the Ogilvy & Mathers of Wednesday Morning Quarterbacks. This isn't a Pepsi Cola situation. In fact, it’s more like a New Coke catastrophe in the making.
The issue with the Democratic Party is much bigger than a simple rebrand, which would not even begin to solve the problems of this case study, “The Dismantling and Rebuilding of Humanity Through Humility.” College courses will study this phenomenon for decades to come. Yes, our politics are void of “humanity”. No, you can’t only blame Trump and his heinous minions. I, of course do, but WE mustn’t. All the finger pointing in the world won’t change the Democratic Party.
What’s brutally ironic is how the Harris-Walz campaign was all about, “We’re not going back”. YET, what we must do—actually—is go back to what the Democratic Party has always stood for—the working people. Talk about a misstep.
Think about it, TEN million less people voted for Kamala than they did for Joe Biden. Why were voters—with so much at stake—in theory—so apathetic towards Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the final analysis? Sure, it’s never one thing and we know now there’s plenty of reasons why. Perhaps the biggest reason is that Harris represents the establishment and there was no tolerance for cronies in this fraught political moment. The people spoke. Say what you want about Trump—I do all the time—but he is an anomaly while Kamala represents the status quo.
The good news-bad news about the Democratic Party being a “big tent” is the diversity. It’s almost like a no-win situation because you will never make every constituent happy. This election Dems lost ten million people because Kamala was accused of being too woke, too centrist, too genocide-y, too female, too black or too not black enough, depending who you asked. With these odds, what should the Dems do next? Promote a candidate who is a white, progressive, male, construction worker who is anti-Israel and pro eat the rich? They will lose a different ten million constituents who won't show up to support that candidate. It could be a potential wash….aka another loss in 2028.
[SIDEBAR] We’re at a crossroad—kinda like that moment with the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy doesn’t know which road is best to the Emerald City. Needed to throw in a “Wicked” reference for the fun of it. So, if the word wicked applies, look no further than all the Democratic operatives and lobbyists who got us into this mess.
Additionally, if I hear one more Gen Z content creator—I HATE THE TERM INFLUENCER— pontificating about AOC for president in 2028, I will scream. These kiddies believe in their helicoptered, little hearts that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the Dems only hope—like Obi Wan Kenobi—which might be all the reference most Gen Zers have in their emotional arsenals. I can’t with them—AND they helped elect Trump! To be clear, I have been saying since 2016, and again in 2020, and most recently in 2024, “If we’re relying on Gen Z to save us…we’re screwed.” As in the pooch.
(ABE GURKO is the executive producer of a documentary “Won’t Be Silent,” about the extraordinary Women of Protest Music. He's an Opinionator who hosts a podcast, "Won't Be Silent," engaging in conversations from the edge of democracy. Abe is a contributor to CityWatchLA.com. [email protected].)
