Democrat's "Brand Problem" Emerges in New CNN Poll
Any critique of polling data these days gets an almost immediate apologetic about how accurate they were in 2024. "Accurate" being quite the subjective term, depending on which poll is being used to support the information. Polls can be manipulated to support just about any contention the particular media brand using it wants to make and it is virtually impossible to check their accuracy, unless the election is imminent and the results are available within a week or so of when the data appeared. So take this information from CNN with an appropriate grain of salt.
I'll let some of the context clues left by the analyst speak to the accuracy of the poll, such as pointing out that while the numbers are low when it comes to job approval, they aren't necessarily a reflection of how Democrats might do in elections. Maybe that's because, in spite of the low approval numbers which mainly reflect how people feel about Democratic party leadership in Washington, those Democrats who have been involved in post-Trump inauguration elections have actually overperformed significantly, especially in red counties and red states. Personally, I'd answer a poll question about Democratic party leadership in Washington in a way that would likely reflect negatively on their approval, since I am not happy with them at all right now. But when it comes to an election, I'd never vote for a Republican.
Democrats that don't appear to be asleep at the wheel, playing the old status quo seem to be getting a lot of positive attention. In spite of criticism of her age and lack of experience--age not being a problem and lack of experience being refreshing when we need commitment to serve constituents rather than to protect turf, it seems difficult for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to get the old guard to acknowledge her place as more than a rising star, but as a real leader. Those who just won't cross that threshold are heading for a high measure of personal and political embarassment, since she and Bernie Sanders have launched a very visible, and extremely effective movement that I believe will capture the Democratic party and move it in the right direction in time for the 2026 midterms.
It's actually quite a contrast, the enthusiasm and the sheer motivation that is turning out numbers for rallies neither major party candidate has been able to get since well before 2016. Pay close attention, because their message will be the message of the Democratic party, especially if things keep going the way they are now.
I have personally discovered that one of the most articulate Democrats in the country, with a knack for developing a vision that resonates with voters, is DNC Vice Chair David Hogg. This is a man who is pointing to ways Democrats can win elections. Being critical is fine, it's a sign, the place where his critics are coming from only confirm he knows what he is talking about and what he is doing. Of course, there are some Democrats who aren't sitting on their hands, or asleep at the wheel, who are thinking about their constituents first, but I think this poll has caught onto an attitude that might be related to the fact that the party still seems somewhat baffled by its electoral loss in 2024, and is still trying to assign blame rather than take an honest look at the weak spots, and, like Hogg has suggested, bring some new life into the party.
So, Why Would Democrats be Frustrated?
Or, in other words, can we trust the results of this CNN poll to accurately reflect why they think there is a "brand problem"? Personally, I think their evidence is weak, and so is their conclusion, that the perception is Republicans have stronger leadership than Democrats, and that the Republicans have a slight edge when people are asked to state which party better represents the "party of change." It depends on how those questions are asked, and who answered them.
Their own analysts must think the results are weak, because they make note in their conclusion that these "brand problems" are not likely to affect the outcome of the mid-term elections at all, and that
not being Trump," is enough for Democrats to get back a majority in the House, since, according to the CNN article, "They have failed to make themselves into a more attractive alternative to the party in power."
Wow. It's been a long time since I agreed with a CNN analysis of anything. Even a broken clock is right two seconds every 24 hours.
There's still plenty of time, and a good chance, for Democrats to regain the confidence of enough voters to earn a majority in both houses, and a bigger one in the House than just the razor thin ones we've seen in recent years. Pay attention to what Bernie Sanders and AOC are doing, and to their message. Look at the energy and attention that's getting, especially from a lot of the resistance organizers in the various Indivisible chapters that are pretty well aligned with that messaging.
How do we get long term, well-entrenched party leaders who are used to setting the agenda, to realize that they aren't cutting it any more, and that, for the benefit of their constituents, they need to hand off leadership to someone who can then unify the party, resulting in a shift of political control back to the Democratic left? Well, it will take more than one poll, I think. But we can't afford to pay the price that will come with not winning the next election.
Let There Be One More Chance!
I've never had my loyalty and commitment to Democratic party values and principles shaken as much as they were by the failure to take advantage of the power we had when Biden was inaugurated. We controlled both houses, narrowly. We had the White House. We knew the threat Trump posed to our constitutional democracy, and we knew what he was capable of doing. We had the power to put a stop to it.
The Biden Administration made some remarkable legislative achievements. They did absolutely nothing to advance their political position, but they did a lot of good for the American people. Unfortunately, politics as usual no longer work when it comes to winning elections. We needed some political strategy. We needed an attorney general with some conviction and commitment, not afraid to make bold moves and use the power that he had to get indictments and bring the criminal to trial.
We needed some legislators willing to take risks and make some bold moves, mainly to neutralize the most partisan and corrupt Supreme Court in history. It would have taken a revision of the judiciary act, and breaking the senate filibuster so that a simple majority could create five new seats to pack the court, which would have brought about the overturning of Citizens United, the restoration of Roe, and the overturning of the ridiculous Presidential immunity ruling they had issued. This would also have expidited Trump's trials for the insurrection and for stealing classified documents. The packed court could even have issued their own verdict on his guilt for inciting the insurrection.
That was the last chance to stop Trump. We had four years and we failed.
Now, the 2026 midterms may be the last chance to save Democracy.
We must pay very close attention this time around about who is counting the votes. We got cheated, badly, in 2024. There were plenty of warnings, for years prior to the election about concerns that the Republicans were going to steal the election, they were going to suppress the vote and they were putting their people in place to get it done.
"We're on it!" was the response.
The evidence that their people were able to toss out millions of votes, based on false conspiracy theories about inaccuracy, is likely to have caused enough votes to be tossed out to have made the difference in the election. But we didn't want to make a fuss, because we sort of backed ourselves into a place where it would have looked hypocritical to accuse Republicans of cheating. Still, something should have been done to put the evidence together while it was still fresh, and could have mattered.
But we were not capable of this kind of boldness and risk. And so we are where we are.
This may be the last chance we have before we lose too much to build it back.
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