The Circular Firing Squad vs. Our Values:
Democrats’ Struggle for Messaging
If there’s one thing Democrats excel at, it’s self-sabotage. Right now, a handful of pundits, strategists, and elected officials are pointing fingers, turning what should be a constructive post-election analysis into a circular firing squad. Let me be clear: we need to look hard at this election. We need thoughtful analysis and honest introspection, not a race to assign blame. And yet, here we are, jumping to conclusions before the dust has settled.
Votes are still being counted in some states, but some talking heads have already decided who to blame. The damn body isn’t even cold, yet they’re ready to say they’ve completed the autopsy and pinned down the cause of death. I’m not a seasoned strategist or polished politician—I’ve run for office once and lost. But I’m a rural Democrat who pays attention, and that perspective counts. Like many of you, I’m watching numbers, news, and commentary with a mix of concern and exhaustion.
What we’re seeing is that no one gained new voters in the presidential race. Trump is pulling fewer votes than he did in 2020—and so are we. The difference? We’re losing more of our own. And it’s not that Trump won them over; our base simply didn’t show up. That’s a wake-up call we cannot ignore.
This isn’t just about strategy. Our candidate faced a nearly impossible timeline after President Biden exited the race late, under internal pressure. Debate all you want about whether Biden should have stepped aside sooner or if the pressure was misjudged—it won’t change the reality that this was no ordinary campaign year. We also had to contend with complex issues, like shifting Middle East policy, which fractured parts of our coalition.
Kamala Harris’s policies weren’t dramatically different from Biden’s. Polls consistently show that most Americans support what we stand for. But Harris got fewer votes, and that’s a problem. We must reckon with the impact of sexism, racism, and a shortened election cycle. Those barriers are hard to solve but ignoring them won’t help.
What won’t help either is a hard shift to the right. That would alienate progressives, make our party appear disingenuous, and abandon core principles when they’re needed most. Our problem isn’t our values—it’s how we communicate them. Democratic politicians often focus on decorum and statesmanship. But voters today respond to authenticity, urgency, and passion.
We must confront MAGA extremism head-on and learn to convey our message with strength and clarity. But in doing so, we cannot abandon our principles: liberty, justice, equality, and opportunity for all. And to those scapegoating trans and LGBTQ+ people, remember that they have stood with us. Turning our backs on them would be a moral and political disaster. It would cost us key allies, suppress voter turnout, and hurt down-ballot races.
Our values aren’t the problem. Our messaging is. Let’s regroup, refocus, and stand together. This fight isn’t over—not by a long shot.