The president-elect feeds the media every day by multiplying appointments at an unprecedented rate.
We almost forget the Democrats. Donald Trump gained little new support in 2024, it was the Democrats who lost millions of voters. Where have they all gone?
Vain search for a scapegoat
What I am currently observing among Democrats is both normal and worrying. Normal because, in defeat, we often look for a scapegoat, but worrying because we are apathetic.
However, it is neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris who are responsible for this failure. Yes, Biden could have left before, or limited himself to one term, and yes, Harris’ candidacy had weaknesses, but we knew them.
Regardless of who the candidate is, Democrats must first change the way they deliver their message and their general attitude.
Food for thought
Contrary to what Bernie Sanders or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez preach, the future of the party does not involve a sharper shift to the left. The context does not lend itself to this and the left is itself divided.
What I criticize the Democrats for is less their platform, which is good for their target clientele, but the fact that we seem disconnected from the experiences of too many Americans.
It is not new that this party has been criticized for being, on an intellectual level, elitist. We may be right in theory, but we win campaigns in reality. How can we lose the people targeted by our measures? By expressing yourself badly.
Another weakness of the party was raised by John B. Judis and Ruy Teixiera in their book entitled Where Have All the Democrats Gone?. Are Democrats willing to do anything to get results? The Republicans are, to say the least.
In 2024, many 2020 voters had the impression of the status quo, of an absence of concrete solutions to quickly help them in their daily lives. Simple perception? It is above all an indicator that the Democrats are unconvincing.
The Republicans knew how to very skillfully exploit the woke scarecrow. Yet Harris carefully avoided what we usually associate with that label.
The strategic error was made long before. By too often targeting minorities in their speeches, Democrats have forgotten to talk to everyone.
There are poor and struggling white people. This does not detract from the legitimacy of the demands of others, but it accentuates an impression, real or presumed, of discrimination and injustice.
The final element of this all-too-brief reflection is that Democrats are no longer at the forefront of methods for reaching voters.
If we praised the merits of the Obama team in 2008, the Republican strategists of 2024 knew how to exploit social networks, influencers and podcasts to target their clientele and hammer home their message.
