Oh look, it’s May 2026, six months from the most critical election in recent history, maybe ever, and here’s a shocker, the “Dumbocrats” are still figuring out what they stand for. An incredibly insightful (eye roll) survey told them that “affordability” in and of itself somehow isn’t a platform. Neither is “we’re not Trump”, as evidenced by two previous elections. So they are supposedly having “listening” sessions throughout the party to get a clue. The obvious question is, who are they listening to, other than themselves? I have spent the last 6 years messaging every conceivable Democratic organization there is both nationally and here in NC trying to give policy suggestions from out here in actual America, without any elite IVY league university filter, and what do I get? Solicitations for funds period. I fully plan to vote Democratic, even though I am a lifelong registered Republican because the Republican Party has truly become the evil empire, interested in feeding the rich and the military industrial complex only and ignoring the publics’ need at large. The message from the blue side? Send us money and trust us we’ll come up with something to do with it.! Sure you will. Meanwhile, let’s make sure we don’t offend anyone.
Since they are obviously incapable of coming up with a coherent plan, here’s a short platform to consider:
- There may well be a Supreme Court opening shortly due to either Alito or Thomas having to retire or becoming incapable of serving. It is absolutely essential to control the Senate or else citizen rights of any type (voting, civil rights, lifestyles, freedom of speech or assembly, the right for women to choose or any others ) are gone forever. Rich, white privilege will be the only right we need. If you’re not white or rich you will lose.
- Affordability is absolutely important to the public. The problem? It’s just a word. What are you actually going to do about it? Not a thousand policy wonk specifics (no one reads that crap) but what are the top five things you want to make more affordable? My suggestion- food, electricity, gas, housing and insurance. These are killing people’s budgets. You need to be honest and tell people that it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s not really about inflation although feel free to bash the Republicans on this as it shoots up the next few months. It’s how are we going to get things that went up in cost the last five years to eventually come back to reality.
- Social Security is headed for a cliff in 2032 or 2033 depending on what version of pessimism you believe. People continue to say oh it won’t really fail, we’ll just cut back benefits. To all you seniors out there that rely on it for most or all of your income, how much can you afford to see it cut? NO ONE is working on this, because it’s hard. But the truth is even worse. Trump, Brylcreem Pete, Lindsay Graham and the rest of the war mongers want to jack up the Pentagon so we can play war constantly. Where do you think that money is going to come from? Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that’s where. Your platform should be make the Pentagon pass an audit before they get one more cent and fix the social safety net now before it’s too late. Publish a real plan.
- We are hostage to the price of oil. Isn’t that now obvious to everyone at the gas pump? Fossil fuels result in wildly swinging gas/diesel prices and are destroying the climate to boot. The only way to be truly energy independent is kick the oil habit. The hard reality is that will take 20-30 years to really accomplish and we can’t change direction every time the administration does. It’s time we explain the reality of this to the public and instead of proposing unrealistic “New Green Deals” or being opposed to anything other than renewables now as the answer, we need a real transition. EV’s were a good first step but they will take a long time and are the tip of the iceberg.
- AI is a huge existential threat regardless of what the Tech billionaires say. We are WAY behind the curve on regulation vs. the pace of technical advancement. Don’t fall for the “everyone else is going to do it” crap, or for the billions of dark money that are buying our government away from the people. The Trump administration approach of no regulation only full speed ahead will be catastrophic for our children and grandchildren. The risks are too numerous to list here.
- Get the flood of money out of politics. We absolutely need dark money and PACs, stock trading in Congress and revolving doors legislated out of politics. It’s a simple message to the public. We fought for independence 250 years ago. Why? Taxation without representation. That is exactly what is happening now to every single American that pays taxes. Our government is no longer “of the people, by the people or for the people”. It’s of the billionaires and corporations, bought by the billionaires and corporations and operates for the benefit of only the billionaires and corporations. You the people no longer matter. When are we going to take it back? When are they going to pay instead of take?
That is more than enough. There are many win-win scenarios in this, especially in energy/climate but the opposition is entrenched and funded beyond belief. The only path is to get the public behind you. Go out and talk to them. Get the hell out of Washington D.C., none of the input you need resides there. Use social media to reach the public that lives in media echo chambers. Use national referendums with fraud security built in to really show what the public thinks. Polls of a thousand or two people are completely unreliable, look at the last three elections. You need a platform for all Americans and you need it NOW.