New Report: Left-Wing Ideas Have Wrecked Democrats’ Brand

1. 82

   Readmikenowposted 2 days ago

   Democrats have badly weakened their party with left-leaning ideas and rhetoric, growing only with self-described “white liberals” while losing ground with other voters, according to a new center-left group’s report shared first with Semafor.
   
   The group, called Welcome, consulted hundreds of thousands of voters over six months for its broad findings, including that 70% of voters think the Democratic Party is “out of touch.” Most voters, the group found, believe the party over-prioritizes issues like “protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans,” and “fighting climate change” while not caring about “securing the border” or “lowering the rate of crime.”  (Welcome began as a PAC in 2022, then founded a nonprofit with the same name for political research.)
   
   Elected Democrats will receive copies of the report after its Monday publication, followed by events to promote it in DC and New York. The report urges party members to abandon some of the progressive language about race, abortion, and LGBTQ issues that Democrats began using after the 2012 election — and recommends the nomination of more candidates willing to vote with Republicans on conservative immigration and crime bills.
   
   “The Democratic Party had better listen — for the good of our nation,” former Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos, who ran the party’s House campaign committee when it lost seats in 2020, wrote in her endorsement of the report.
   
   https://www.semafor.com/article/10/27/2 … d-affluent

   replyreport
   1. 84

      Sharlee01posted 2 days agoin reply to this

      Mike,  It’s encouraging to see a center-left group finally acknowledging what many voters, on both sides, have recognized for years: the Democratic Party has lost touch with the average American. For years, instead of engaging in honest debate or self-reflection, many Democrats chose to deflect blame by going after Trump with every unscrupulous ploy imaginable, weaponizing investigations, distorting narratives, and using moral outrage as a political tool. That approach might have energized their base for a while, but it alienated millions of Americans who saw through the tactics and grew weary of the constant hostility.
      
      The findings in this report don’t surprise me. When a party becomes more focused on language policing, identity politics, and ideological purity than on practical governance, it alienates the very people it claims to represent.
      
      The reality is that most Americans, regardless of party, are worried about safety, affordability, and the future of their communities. When voters hear Democrats prioritizing fringe social issues or abstract climate promises over controlling the border, curbing crime, or lowering prices, they naturally conclude that the party has shifted away from real-world concerns.
      
      This isn’t about abandoning compassion or diversity; it’s about balance and common sense. The more the Democratic Party caters to its activist base, the more it risks becoming a niche party for elites rather than a national coalition. The report’s suggestion to elevate candidates who are willing to cross , the aisle on immigration and crime shouldn’t be controversial as a return to representing the middle, where most Americans live.
      
      If Democrats truly want to rebuild trust, they’ll need to stop preaching and start listening to the workers, parents, and small business owners who feel left behind by rhetoric that often sounds more like academia than America.

      replyreport
      1. 82

         Readmikenowposted 2 days agoin reply to this

         Shar,
         
         The amazing thing is we on the right have been screaming this exact same thing at the democrats for years.  They didn't need to have a study done, they could have just asked us on the right.
         
         Question
         
         Will this study make a difference to those on the left?
         Is this going to make them understand what they've done?
         Are they going to come to the realization that they must change their ways?
         
         If they do ignore it, are they simply choosing to live in a state of denial?

         replyreport
         1. 72

            Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

            I skimmed the article and read your initial post...
            
            What it doesn't touch on is how many Americans outright reject Trans...
            
            How many Americans outright reject child sex change (and the idea that those children can choose it without parent consent... like CA proposed).
            
            And how many Americans outright reject Pedos... MAPs...
            
            That Live and Let Live mentality we can all have with Gay, Bi...
            
            That doesn't cut it when men want to compete against women in sports and invade their showers and locker rooms.
            
            That doesn't cut it when they want to make Pedophilia no longer illegal.
            
            It doesn't cut it that they want to Open the Borders and give tens of millions of migrants better social services and welfare support than our own Citizens can qualify for.
            
            I would say half of Americans... and probably more than half... will continue to vote for the alternative (or not vote at all) before they support any of the insanity (above) that the Democrats have made core components of what the Party represents.
            
            The Democrats will never have 50% or more of the voting populace Nation wide... it will be a few years more before people forget that they DO support such radical and/or insane issues... people will remember the Biden Administration well into 2028.

            replyreport
         2. 84

            Sharlee01posted 2 days agoin reply to this

            Mike, from my point of view, this study is unlikely to make a meaningful difference to those on the left. The report presents a clear, data-driven critique showing how the Democratic Party has shifted further left on cultural issues while losing ground with key voter groups. But data alone rarely changes entrenched ideology. Many on the left have long embraced progressive causes as moral imperatives rather than as political tools, so I do not believe that evidence about lost elections or shrinking voter coalitions will prompt them to rethink their positions.
            
            I also doubt that progressive Democrats will fully understand what their strategies have done in practical terms. The study’s recommendations, like abandoning some progressive language or prioritizing border security and crime control, clash with the cultural and moral framework that guides much of the left. There’s a strong incentive for them to interpret these findings selectively or to dismiss them as biased, rather than confronting the uncomfortable reality that their ideological priorities may have alienated key voters.
            
            Consequently, I do not see a coming realization among left-leaning politicians that they must change their ways. Many of them will likely double down on the very issues that have contributed to voter losses, framing opposition as resistance to social progress rather than a political miscalculation.
            
            If this report is ignored, it won’t be by accident, it will reflect a deliberate choice to remain in a state of denial. From my perspective, the left has become so invested in its identity politics and progressive messaging that admitting error would require a fundamental shift in worldview. That is difficult to achieve, and in the meantime, the party may continue to lose touch with significant segments of the electorate, despite warnings from studies like this one.

            replyreport
            1. 72

               Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

               There is a reason why they will continue...
               
               It was able to be pushed onto the EU Nations...
               
               The EU however is not a Democracy... it is a tyranny...
               
               The EU is an intergovernmental institutional framework where democratically elected national governments bargain with each other.
               
               The European Commission pulls the strings. It is not democratically voted by the People... the Citizens.
               
               Heads of states gather to decide. They chose among themselves a leader.
               
               The European Commission, which has real power, is beyond the democracy of citizens.
               
               The EU were able to force onto other countries what their citizens would have never voted for or been in favor of... such as accepting mass migration... or LGBTQ++ preferential protections.
               
               This is the dilemma those trying to force such things globally have with America... they have not been able to circumvent the People like they are able to do in the EU.   They have come close.  They were able, with a great many abnormal circumstances fostered upon America in the 2020 election, get their way... but were unable to sustain it through the 2024 election despite probably creating millions of (illegal or fraudulent) votes for the Democrats (IMO... not going to bother debating it).

               replyreport
               1. 84

                  Sharlee01posted 2 days agoin reply to this

                  Ken, you’re absolutely right in describing how the EU’s structure allowed leftist social policies to be imposed from the top down, regardless of what ordinary citizens actually wanted. The lack of direct democratic accountability there,  especially with the European Commission’s unelected power, is a key reason those policies took hold so easily. But it really hasn’t worked out well in many EU nations, and we’re now seeing citizens push back,  from mass protests in Germany and France to the growing success of nationalist and populist movements in Italy, the Netherlands, and Eastern Europe. People are clearly growing tired of being dictated to by bureaucrats in Brussels.
                  
                  The United States, though, is fundamentally different. Our federal system, the strength of individual states, and the enduring influence of the Constitution make it far harder for centralized ideology to override public will. The First and Second Amendments alone form cultural and legal barriers the EU simply doesn’t have. Add to that the deeply rooted American skepticism toward government authority, something that’s part of our national DNA,  and it’s clear why the far left struggles to fully impose its vision here.
                  
                  Europe’s citizens, after centuries of monarchy and bureaucracy, are more accustomed to hierarchical governance and compliance with state decisions. Americans, on the other hand, were founded on resistance to it. That spirit of independence, property ownership, and faith-based moral grounding remains a powerful check against attempts to “Europeanize” our politics.
                  
                  So yes, they’ve made inroads, but America’s decentralized power, constitutional safeguards, and cultural stubbornness toward authority still stand as major obstacles to the kind of ideological control we’ve seen in the EU. Yes, the threat is present — but from what I see, it’s beginning to fade.

                  replyreport
                  1. 72

                     Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

                     In your replies, there is a sense that we are winning...
                     
                     "its beginning to fade."
                     
                     Its not... The Trump Administration is embattled on all fronts... the American media is 96% negative toward Trump... while leftist lunatics like Mandami enjoy 96% positive coverage.
                     
                     The problem with much of the Right... the Republicans... the Conservatives... is that they do not realize they are in a war for their survival, the survival of the Nation... the survival of Citizen Rights.
                     
                     The Biden Admin’s open-border policies weren’t incompetence—they were strategy. Flooding swing states with illegals inflates population counts for congressional seats & electoral votes.
                     
                     Federal aid acts as a magnet: $ They were shipped in by the millions, given places to live, money to spend, put on social security...
                     
                     Democrats... the Open Border destroy the Nation sellouts... know granting voting rights to millions imported under Biden flips elections permanently.
                     
                     It’s voter replacement. Defund the magnet, enforce the law, or watch America and our Rights as Citizens collapse under imported majorities.

                     replyreport
                     1. 84

                        Sharlee01posted 36 hours agoin reply to this

                        I keep my ear to social media, and I’ve truly witnessed what I see as some people who were very much on board with far-left ideologies slowly jumping ship. Yes, the Trump administration has been embattled on all fronts, and the media blitz is still somewhat evident, but has that stopped our movement? I really feel, in the end, it’s starting to help.
                        
                        I can only speak for myself and what I feel I am seeing. I think Republicans have morphed into a powerful party, and most are respecting the fact that we had to change, becoming stronger and louder, hence voices like Charlie Kirk. We now have platforms and voices we never had before, and lots of them. I think we are aware of the political battles, and I feel the tide turning, the white flag coming soon.
                        
                        I don’t concern myself anymore with what I consider the Obama-Biden tear-it-down blitz—water under the bridge. I have watched Trump strategically move in the background, setting new rules and making sure other nations realize the “globalization” narrative crashed and burned. Yes, the Democrats tried to sell us out, I have no doubt of that. But I also believe they failed. They are hanging on by a thread in New York and California, and soon citizens will realize they have been misled.
                        
                        Yes, we have work to do, lots of it, but we are winning. And I am enjoying the feeling of seeing America move forward and back on the right track. No hand wringing here... I am pumped
                        
                        I think the Dems are all but done--- I even feel this Mamdani character may lose, or the race will be tight.   People are waking up, and quickly. The Democrats actually get nothing but media beatdowns as of late.

                        replyreport
                        1. 72

                           Ken Burgessposted 24 hours agoin reply to this

                           Social Media ...like TikTok will be filled with AI created content.
                           
                           The ability to tell the difference between AI and reality is gone ... There is no way.
                           
                           For example:
                           
                           https://youtu.be/EA0Bx2OeDj8?si=DU8Fpe3mGxbp1L4D
                           
                           Social Media will be driven more by AI and those who control it... than real individuals.
                           
                           Not in the future... on things like tiktok.  It is already the case.

                           replyreport
2. 85

   gmwilliamsposted 2 days ago

   Mike, intelligent people know this.    The Democratic Party of old was once a sensible party.  Now, it is totally haywire.   The sane, intelligent people have either left the party or are nominal Democrats who refuse to adhere to the party line.   The Democratic Party has been totally demonized & radicalized.    It is the Democratic Party that has invented handouts which is slowly eroding the middle class.   They have created generational welfare, yes I said it.   When I was younger, I detested Republican policies.  Now, I applaud them.

   replyreport
   1. 72

      Ken Burgessposted 2 days agoin reply to this

      Look to my reply right above to Sharlee...
      
      It was/is more than that... it was a deliberate effort to negate the American Citizens themselves... to sell out the Nation, to make the Citizens as voiceless and powerless as the EU has made the people of those nations.

      replyreport