A way forward

 The strategy

  The Democratic Party is at a crossroads. The 2024 elections exposed deep problems within the Democratic Party and left the party in search of a new mission and purpose as we go forward into the future. I am going to offer what I believe is a winning message and path forward for the party and the country. I firmly believe that the Democratic Party has a positive agenda and offers policies that will benefit more Americans than the Republican Party. Unfortunately, Democrats seem adrift on how to best articulate that message. I am here to help. I live in a place that Donald Trump won by 72%. Trump didn’t receive 72% of the vote here; that was the difference between Trump and Harris. So I know a thing or two about what is happening out here in MAGAville. 

  

 The first thing Democrats should do is focus on how Republican budget cuts hurt veterans. DODE cuts have impacted the Department of Veterans Affairs; those cuts include doctors and nurses working at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country. The cuts have also caused a reduction in the number of people working on the suicide prevention hotline. Veterans have a 17% rate of suicide. The people that work at this hotline do lifesaving work. These cuts will cause veterans to die. The cuts to VA hospitals will affect the quality of care veterans and their families receive. So what should Democrats do? We should recruit veterans to run up and down the ballot. Ask veterans to speak out against the cuts Republicans are pushing through Congress. Republicans only care about veterans for photo opportunities; Democrats actually do the work of helping and protecting veterans. A good campaign promise that Democrats can run on is if elected, the first bill they will pass is restoring all of the cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs that the Republican Congress has enacted. This will put into stark relief the difference between the two parties with respect to those who have defended our freedoms. 

 The Big Beautiful Bill that is the centerpiece of the Republican legislative agenda. Is massive tax cut to the wealthy that will fall on the most vulnerable Americans to fund this giveaway to millionaires and billionaires. Republicans are purposing massive cuts to Medicaid and the CHIPS programs. If you live in a rural area that has a hospital, these cuts will devastate that hospital. It very likely will lead to its closure. In turn, this will cause you and your neighbors to have to travel further for care. In an emergency, this could be the difference between life and death. It could mean that patients wait longer to seek treatment, and a treatable condition could have gotten to a point where treatment is impossible or chances of success are much reduced. The “pro-life” party once again proves what a crock of shit that is when they cut funding for healthcare for low-income children. Republicans are not pro-life; they are pro-pregnancy. The GOP will try to frame this as nothing but returning the program back to its “original purpose.” Bullshit! Medicaid expanded under the Affordable Care Act, and it’s been one of the most popular and effective parts of the legislation. If these cuts go through, millions will lose access to healthcare. Make undoing these cuts along with restoring the Va funding cuts part of the day-one package. 

 DOGE has cut funding to many successful and popular government agencies. The National Weather Service, the National Park Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency . The workers at these agencies have dedicated their lives to public service. Democrats should reach out to them and see if they would like to continue that service this time in elected office. The National Weather Service cuts have affected the ability of NWS offices to be properly staffed during severe weather outbreaks. Cuts to funding have reduced the amount of weather balloon launches, which in turn makes the forecast produced by the NWS less reliable. The weather service cuts will affect the ability to forecast hurricanes as we head into hurricane season. The NHC forecasts are used to help coordinate evacuation orders and pre-staging of relief efforts that will be unnecessarily hampered by these cuts. The National Park Service is one of the most popular government programs. Visitors enjoy the parks, and the visitor numbers are only increasing year over year. Yet Republicans are cutting funding to these national treasures. Less rangers will mean visitors will be put in danger as fewer areas have regular patrols. Areas will see trash piled up as fewer rangers are able to remove the garbage as part of their duties. The administration is also demanding rangers present only a  glowing portrait of America, not the accurate picture with context and sometimes unpleasant details about our past. FEMA is facing cuts; numerous areas affected by disasters this year have seen their applications denied. The administration has mused about shutting the agency down. Hurricane season is upon us, and if the past few years are any indication, it will be yet another active hurricane season.

 The midterms are coming, and the slim Republican majority makes it very easy for Democrats to flip the House. However, Democrats need to play offense all over the map, run non-traditional candidates, and focus on the kitchen-table issues. We can focus on the other issues once we get into office. The Republican position on abortion is widely unpopular. The Republican position on LGBTQ rights is widely unpopular. The Republican position on invading your bedroom is widely unpopular. However, Democrats always get sucked into the abyss by Republicans’ incorrect framing on these issues. Fight back and refocus the issue on Republican cruelty. I am just a blue dot in a sea of red who knows that the Republicans have won some voters through fear and abandonment. The voters have irrational fears about Democrats, and the Democratic Party has, quite frankly, abandoned these voters. We must change this; leave no race uncontested.