The elders of the Democratic Party keep making the same mistakes while expecting different results.
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Democrats may be more progressive in their ideals than the GOP, but, as a party, they are not great at turning the page, learning lessons, or finding new leaders.
Too many times, the same aging politicians and consultants keep doing the same things they did in the past with the same predictable results.
All of these problems were on full display this cycle.
Obviously, it all starts at the top, where Joe Biden should have made way for a younger generation after the 2022 election. That would have allowed the base to decide who the next nominee should be and in which direction the party should be headed.
Of course, this wasn’t Biden’s fault alone. Too many Democratic lawmakers and aides for too long stuck with the story that the president was the best bet for reelection.
Once it was apparent that he was not, and the party elders (and we mean elders) rightly convinced Biden that he could not win, it was, as has now become obvious, too late.
With so little time to go, it’s impossible to say whether a “mini primary” that might have resulted in a different candidate would have made a difference (and Vice President Kamala Harris might have been selected as the nominee in any case).
What we do know, however, is that she relied too much on the same aides, consultants, and strategies in conducting her campaign.
After enjoying a big bounce and taking the lead in the race, she and her strategists decided to move away from the winning message of calling Donald Trump “weird,” and instead tried to run out the clock playing it safe.
Obviously, astute political observers know all of this, so why are we telling you?
Because these idiots are going to try to do it again.
Instead of turning to a younger generation more in tune with the voting blocs that are increasingly (and often inexplicably) supporting Trump and the GOP, those veteran Democrats want more of the same.
Instead of handing the reins to someone who wants to talk to voters and not down to them, they think the party does not have to change with the times.
Instead of looking toward people who actually had success this past election, they want to stick with the people who won a campaign or two a decade ago… in a completely different political era.
Because, apparently, stopping Trump and his MAGA movement is less important to them than a few consultants wringing four more years of fees out of the party and giving each other jobs.
Which brings us to “Democratic strategist David Axelrod,” who this week floated the idea of installing Rahm Emanuel as the next Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair.
Brilliant, Axe!
Here are some other ideas: Maybe Biden could run again. There are also a bunch of other former staffers of Barack Obama who could get involved. Or let’s bring back the members of Bill Clinton’s team who are still alive.
Actually, here is an idea that will just abbreviate the process of yielding the country to Trump instead of fighting for it.
Why not just make the next head of the DNC someone who checks all the boxes, who previously served as a vice chair of the party, has a history of winning congressional elections, has military experience, ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, and is undeniably popular with Republicans?
Of course, to take this job, Tulsi Gabbard would have to turn down Trump’s offer to become director of national intelligence.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
