Democrats need to figure out how we lost to a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist.

[boston bean]

I support democrats.

But damn it all to bits, something is seriously wrong.

No we weren’t cheated. Yes there are haters.

I don’t know what more we, their voters can do. They have got to figure this out.

[Walleye]

1. you know the answer, misogyny

[RJ_MacReady]

2. its more

Than that, although that played a part as well.

[Walleye]

3. Sure, it's more, but that's the main reason, you can't deny reality

Do you think women will ever achieve quality in this country? I don’t. I used to, but things have changed.

[boston bean]

4. I agree. That is probably why we should not have let Kamala go to the slaughter.

We needed to win.

And I know why she was picked but it was wrong choice in this environment. I would rather have the win and make slow progress with a democratic president.

[Walleye]

6. Probably, but what we "should've done" is a version of magical thinking

Should’ve, would’ve , could’ve are useless. I know it’s a human trait and maybe we think it’ll help us deal with the problem next time, but I don’t believe in it. Nobody knows what “would have happened”.

[boston bean]

10. We did something wrong as a party that is obvious. We know the environment.

It needs to be figured out now and we need to understand that we need Dems in power for democracy where we have a fighting chance of equality. These social issues that are wedge issues….we just need to trust the democrats and not try to split ourselves all up over it. We need to be a strong coalition that just knows democrats are better for us all. If not perfect, better and win these elections.

[Walleye]

11. You are absolutely right, and that is a very good attitude, I just can't summon it up right right now

[TheKentuckian]

19. About five seconds after white women decide equality is important then it will be so.

They only have to let white supremacy and class advantages go and it is well in hand despite anything men trying to have a say about it.

Men are not holding back equality though most sure try, it is the phony "sisterhood" pumping the brakes but it is easier to point fingers at an oppressor in futility than to achieve actual progress through solidarity.

[Walleye]

20. True, but giving into the man is often a matter of survival for the woman

[TheKentuckian]

23. If equality is the aim then no it isn't. Women can survive just like men do and like many other women do.

The notion is stating something different from equality is the goal by definition otherwise the expectation would be the ability to survive without a man and not being with a man you cannot survive.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. America is a white supremacy. Its institutions are built on white supremacy and by white supremacy in the service

of white supremacy to preserve white supremacy. Its citizens refuse to dismantle white supremacy, and so it continues to drive pretty much everything they try to do. That's it.

[Walleye]

7. Some cultures don't really have a race problem, but they still can treat women like shit

[LisaL]

9. Yep, in this case it would be a combination of racism and misogyny.

Hard to beat that.

[Walleye]

14. That's the shame of it, we all know these two things are what drives our culture, but we're ashamed to admit it

[Dem4life1234]

8. Russian interference

Misinformation

If she was a male, probably would have won as many cultures don't want women in power.

[newdayneeded]

12. Those monday night football

trangender commercials were a HUGE problem for us.

[malaise]

13. THIS

That is all

[Walleye]

15. Which is weird because nobody has actually suffered any hardships due to transgenders. They're not that prevalent

Why do these so-called small government people wanna stick their nose and everybody’s personal business. Why don’t they just let the sports leagues and the school districts decide eligibility for sports teams? It’s just a stupid argument for stupid people.

[malaise]

17. Power and wealth

Via white supremacy

[Walleye]

18. But a lot of transgenders are white. So it's not only race

For many macho men, the worst thing in the world would be to be mistaken for a woman. It’s really hatred of our sex

[TheKentuckian]

24. Conservatism requires out groups and "others" and the weaker the better.

No group makes an easier target to "other" so the white ones go under the bus too but when they are pressing the issue it is mostly going to be presenting someone less pigmentedly challenged surrounded by little white "victims".

[malaise]

26. Both

So sad

[lees1975]

16. I believe a lot of voters either didn't show up or didn't vote for Harris because she is a woman.

Strong, smart women in leadership are seen as a threat.

But, to be fair, there are other causes. The mainstream media spent four years campaigning for Trump. His name and face were in the news a lot more than President Biden, whom they more or less ignored. Even MSNBC couldn't resist talking about Trump, negative or positive, he was always there, always on the Sunday news programs, never ending cycle of inaccurate reporting, on and on. That's the consequence of losing a free press to a corporate media. Especially with a very inept and ineffective FCC.

We let them dig holes in our youth vote, Latino vote, even the black vote. Why? Where has the DNC been?

We had three weeks of confusion and panic following the debate. That was a huge problem and I think that probably cost us the election, given the margins we are now seeing.

Trump started planning and setting aside resources to get back in the day he left Washington. And while he did that, Merrick Garland frittered away the time and the energy to prosecute his crimes. That makes the term "American justice" an oxymoron. We don't send our criminals to prison. We elect them as President of the United States.

This will be the last time that happens. There will be no more elections.

[travelingthrulife]

21. They simply deny any of those charges are real.

It has all been made up by the MSM and Democrats they say.

[La Coliniere]

22. The perfect storm of

misogyny, racism, ramifications of the pandemic, inflation, MSM both siderism, sanewashing and not explaining the true stakes like the threat of Project 2025, the influence of right wing media (including Spanish language RW radio which is just as toxic as all those in English), the evangelical churches, the stupidity and self centeredness of “bro” culture, greed, misinformation and corporate billionaires going all in. This list is not exhaustive. Fuck

[Aepps22]

25. The Weakness of Our Coalition Was Revealed

For all of the talk about Latino men and Trump’s gains with other groups, the fact is that the bad guys vote more consistently than we do. As a result, the voting floor for their coalition is so much higher than the voting floor for our coalition. Our top end is potentially higher but it usually takes the country being in shambles (After Bush 1, After Bush 2 and After Trump 1) for our coalition to show up to vote in the numbers for us to win. I truly believe that many of the 2020 voters in the coalition didn’t care or recognize the stakes and just decided not to vote. We can say Biden should’ve done this or Kamala should’ve done that, but the relative stability of the last 4 years worked against us like it always does because when things aren’t insane, the bulk of our coalition just doesn’t vote. I wish everyone in our coalition believed that voting does effect change but we have to be more consistent to see that change and we have to be able to endure setbacks. The bad guys never seem to get too low after setbacks. They plan and strategize because they know that their voting floor is higher than ours and that their voters vote for party above everything while our voters need to be “motivated” and complain if we don’t fix everything in 4 years.

[valleyrogue]

27. You can't change them. Period.n/t

[Lovie777]

28. There are a lot of posters with low numbers posting here lately.....

anywho, the fight must go on.

[Nanjeanne]

29. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz were great candidates. But the old school beltway bubble consultants don't seem to

understand - even after losing voters that they used to depend on - they need to step away and engage with voters in a different way - in my opinion. When Walz was selected there was so much excitement. His responses when questioned about his "socialist" or "progressive" policies were wonderful. Then he was smoothed out, relegated to the back seat while Liz Cheney became the standard bearer for the Democratic Party.

My 2 cents for what it's worth. Stop chasing the illusive R/I voter and start by concentrating on the non-voters who feel nothing changes in their lives. Rs aren't going to vote for Ds in any big enough number that justifies a watering down of policies to convince them otherwise.

Swing voters are not moving R to D. Swings are non-voter to voter. And that can be done with a bold platform akin to FDRs that ignites a feeling of excitement and inclusion in the outcome.

Engage in transformative politics and stop with the transaction politics. Excite, Innovate, Big - not incremental and small thinking.

Try to build a media landscape that can compete with right wing propaganda

Don't just organize every 4 or 2 years. Build a year round organizing effort and build coalitions in rural areas recruiting local people to run locally and build a big bench.

Be FDR like - Attack corporate greed head on and understand the pain working people are experiencing. It’s Populism that works. Having a billionaire like Pritzker stand on the DNC stage and declare his billions are more real than Trumps isn't exactly a working man's dream. Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift are great advocates. They bring excitement to a rally. But declaring their endorsements as if it's going to swing a needle isn't the answer. We always talk about the middle class. What about the working poor? What about the people Rev. Barber is always working for. Those people have a hard enough time working their two or more jobs. Give them a reason to vote.

Call out "hate for profit" scheme of the rightwing. Don't be afraid. Don't be defensive. Stop apologizing. Biden didn't misspeak when he said Trump supporters were terrible. They are. Apologizing isn't going to make Trump supporters vote for Harris. Racists, hate mongers, anti-immigrant people are terrible. Stop apologizing for insulting them while shitting on core Dem constituents like young people, anti-war people, progressives.

It's time to leave behind the Clinton/Obama/Biden way of doing things. Embrace a new way forward. Please understand this isn't an attack on them. It's been done. It's not helping. World has changed. Our politics have to also. Honestly if I never hear we need a strong two party system or Republicans are our friends and we admire Reagan and Kissinger again, I’ll be a happy Democrat. Rs never say that.

Stop dumping on your base - young people, progressives, lefties . . . Rs play to their base. Ds run from them and continually expect they'll show up anyway. Well they aren’t. And their values are closer to ours than Dick and Liz Cheney. Stop chastising them and start listening.

Work with community activists.

Stop using the strategies that lost the last elections. Focus on new strategies (it can't be worse than what we have now). Stick to the hopeful vision we want to achieve. Develop a platform that is forward thinking - visionary - right for people - and then just stick with it.

Speak like a normal person. Engage in dialogue. Don't be a poll-tested robot.

Frankly, if one more Republican pundit gets on TV and says the problem is the left or the progressives or the young or the anti war crowd or whatever I think I'll scream. I never have cared what a freaking Rethuglican has said and I certainly am not interested in their tired same old same old plan for Democrats future.

Yeah. My two cents and hopefully this won't be construed as "anti" Democrat or "anti" Biden or "anti" Harris. I have been a Democrat my entire life. I've never voted any other way. I would like to see a Democrat in the White House again. I'd like to be proud of my country. I'm tired of trying to win over some white soccer mom who is too stupid to realize that her daughter is going to suffer from her vote or some ridiculous white businessman who hates Trump but sure likes his tax cuts and the chance to pollute the country. How about we win back the people tired of never getting ahead, never seeing a change in their pocketbook, their child's ability to get an education, the chance to take a two week vacation and rent an apartment and earn a decent wage? Paid Leave. Paid Sick Days. Tuition Free College. Medicare For All. Fair tax burdens. Living Wage. Negotiated Drug Prices for Everyone. Taxes that go to making our lives better - not wars. That's the Democratic Party I'm fighting for.

[lodownhodown]

32. Yes !

Stop apologizing. Biden didn't misspeak when he said Trump supporters were terrible. They are. Apologizing isn't going to make Trump supporters vote for Harris. Racists, hate mongers, anti-immigrant people are terrible. Stop apologizing for insulting them while shitting on core Dem constituents like young people, anti-war people, progressives."

[Alliepoo]

35. I can't even say how much I love

Everything you’ve said here, Nanjeanne!! 100% correct!!! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!

[Nanjeanne]

36. Thanks. Too bad the same useless consultants make millions on losing and just keep on.

[kevink077]

30. The Hitler playbook works

Fear and hatred are powerful tools

[mcar]

31. A small majority of voters

would rather have a convicted felon rapist man in the WH than an experienced, brilliant woman.

[Renew Deal]

33. Because we focused on the outrage and not the issues

Same as 2016

[SocialDemocrat61]

34. The question we should be asking is

Why did people vote for Trump, even with all his red flags?