Frustrated Democrats near their Tea Party moment: 'This is not okay'

www.newsweek.com Frustrated Democrats near their Tea Party moment: 'This is not okay'

Over a decade ago, conservatives reformed the GOP from the inside out in a way that presaged the rise of Trump. Will liberals find a way to their own uprising?

Summary

Frustrated by Democratic leaders' failure to counter Donald Trump’s swift policy changes, grassroots liberals are pushing for a Tea Party-style insurgency within their party.

Anger is mounting over leadership’s lack of urgency, ineffective messaging, and perceived disconnect from voters.

Activists and strategists argue Democrats must shift from defending institutions to telling human-centered stories that resonate emotionally.

Some are calling for primary challenges and new leadership to counter Trump's influence. Reform efforts are already underway, as progressives seek a more aggressive and responsive Democratic Party.

BrainWorms @lemm.ee

DeadWorld @lemm.ee

1d ago

Frustrated Democrats near their Tea Party moment: 'This is not okay'

www.newsweek.com /democrats-frustrated-tea-party-moment-trump-2027952

65 16

You're viewing a single thread.

44 comments

The Tea Party movement was a hostile takeover of the Republican party be the far right that didn't complete until Trump in 2016. They literally had a guy who created a pledge for Republicans to sign that said they'd never vote for new taxes.
Progressives and other democrats that are further left NEED a Tea Party moment. The base is done being taken advantage of and we need to reshape the party and do a country wide approach. And progressives and others on the left need to actually get out to vote in the primaries in 2026 to be able to do this. Kick out the old guard, they've repeatedly failed. We can do so much better
And for those that say go for a third party, it is far easier to remake the Democratic party, an existing party with an existing infrastructure, than it is to convince people to vote for a third party that is either new or has existed for a while and never been successful. The green party, the PLS, are distractions. Put that effort into changing the democratic party.
Always remember that the only time in American history the left had significant power was under FDR because we were consistent voters for the Democrats and voted for New Deal Democrats instead of the old guard. If we want to be taken seriously, pull a Tea party.
/Rant over
- I don't know how we refom a party that chooses their "leader" to be Mr."there are good and bad billionaires. We'll refuse bad billionaires money but we will take good billionaires money."
  So as long as Boeing says they like gay people and don't refute climate change then we'll continue to take their ~~bribes~~ donations, but will also take their direction on what we're allowed to vote on. Status quo, but with morally "clean" billionaire funding. :/
  
  By voting in the primaries. The RNC didn't want Trump, they didn't want all the shit that happened originally. It happened because people voted to put specific Republicans in office during primaries and in the general who helped change their party into the Trump machine it is today.
  We can do the same. You reform by actually voting in primaries.
- And for those that say go for a third party, it is far easier to remake the Democratic party, an existing party with an existing infrastructure, than it is to convince people to vote for a third party that is either new or has existed for a while and never been successful. The green party, the PLS, are distractions. Put that effort into changing the democratic party.
  By my quick scanning of this page there’s are <45 members of state legislatures around the country, out of >7,500 total state legislators. And 2 out of 535 US Congress members.
  
  What this government is showing me is that there already a third party and they're in control. They gave us the two party system so we can point fingers at each other and get tired trying to bring about change.
  There is only one rule to follow these days and that's FOLLOW THE MONEY.
  
  Well I won't really argue with that. But, which wing of which party is actually trying to use the powers of Congress to fight back against things like Citizens United? If we can all rise up and get more of them in Congress, then we can expect to see a shift away from the oligarchs.
  
  45 members out of 7500 is .006%. While that is a tiny amount of success, increasing that to a majority will take decades. The "third parties" in Congress are Independents which is not a formed party like Greens or the PLS like I was talking about. No actual third party has been elected to congress since 1937, according to your very link you provided. Of course I'm not counting Lieberman because his "Third party" was the Connecticut for Lieberman which was literally just for him.
- And for those that say go for a third party, it is far easier to remake the Democratic party, an existing party with an existing infrastructure, than it is to convince people to vote for a third party that is either new or has existed for a while and never been successful. The green party, the PLS, are distractions. Put that effort into changing the democratic party.
  Strongly disagree, they’re a controlled opposition party owned by capital. You can’t fix that, you have to fully replace it.
  
  While I get that, building the infrastructure of a new third party, or increasing an existing third parties infrastructure to the right size, is next to impossible unless you convince every single Democrat voter to move to the next one. That's just not gonna happen. Statistically speaking, third parties will never win. And if you work on building that infrastructure, that will just guarantee Republicans winning until you convince enough people to abandon the Democrats which could take decades.
  So then what's the logical next step if those people want to be represented in government? You remake the Democratic party. The Republicans were remade post tea party in 6 years into the Trump party. The Democrats could be remade into an actually consistent and willing to fight far more effectively progressive party in 4 if we just work towards it and vote in the primaries in all elections over the next 4 years. It's far more possible and a far quicker possibility. As long as we have elections going forward, that is, Trump could just cancel them.
  
  The next logical step is a second American Revolution, not being pussies and “remaking” the bought and paid for Democratic Party.
  I swear to god I’m so fucking tired of progressive activists herding people back into the failed Democratic Party.
  
  So does that mean overthrowing the government? Does it mean starting a Civil War to establish a new Union? Would it mean the country splitting off into their own grouped together countries? What would a Second American Revolution look like? Because we have an idea of how you can remake the Democratic party. A second American Revolution in modern day needs an image of what it should look like if it is going to work.
  For what it's worth, I personally think you either remake the Democratic party, or the country will split.
  
  The country will split. How it ends nobody knows.
  The democrats have been controlled opposition for decades and are irredeemable. Look at the “opposition” they’re putting up right now. And you think we can remake it?
  They’re a lost cause that frustrates actual leftism. They’re a capitalist imperialist party and after they lost the election their response was to drift further right. They’re done. America is done. Most are just too distracted by trying to stay afloat to see the writing on the wall.
  
  Their response was to drift right because those voters consistently vote. If the left consistently voted they would be represented in Congress.
  And yes I think we can remake it. I think it's our only chance. If the party switch could happen in the 60s, if the Republicans could accelerate into Trumpism in 6 years, then yes we can remake the Democratic party. We. Just. Have. To. Vote. And organize and such.
  
  The 1960s didn’t have a misinformation campaign stronger than any propaganda on earth till this point.
  You’re wasting your time with the democrats. Keep doing the same thing and expecting results to change is lunacy.
  
  How is getting the left out to vote in primaries to remake the democratic party doing the same thing? Right now they don't get out and vote in primaries in enough numbers to change anything. Having them get out and vote in primaries en masse WOULD be doing something new.
  Edit: you are abolustely right about the propaganda machine. It's why I think there's only two options, finding a way to remake the democratic party, or the country splits.
  
  Country is going to split. People are already voting in the primaries.
  Were you not around for 2016?!
  
  I was and I voted in the primaries in 2016. But not enough people voted for Bernie for him to win the nomination. He had over 3 and a half million fewer votes than Hilary. And only if all but 9 of the super delegates had went to him he would have gotten the nomination. Which others would have called undemocratic as he didn't win the most votes.

44 comments