Democrats Are Ditching Biden's Playbook - And Picking Up Trump's
Source: Huff Post
May 19, 2026, 05:36 PM EDT | Updated an hour ago
The Democratic Partys most prominent think tank held its annual conference on Tuesday, and the overall message was as unmistakable as it was unspoken: The party is rejecting the restorative mission President Joe Bidens administration dedicated itself to after President Donald Trumps first term in office.
Democrats, instead, seem determined to respond to Trumps second term by attempting to echo his tactics and attempts to radically reengineer the government rather than trying to pretend Trump is an unfortunate blip.
The message was delivered, perhaps incongruously, by a corps of Biden loyalists. The head of CAP, Neera Tanden, was a high-level White House appointee. Bidens secretary of state, ambassador to the United Nations, the chair of his council of economic advisers and another White House senior adviser all spoke. The highest-profile speaker at the event, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, went out of his way to say he reveres Biden.
But he did not revere Bidens tactics. We have to be as ruthless as our opposition, Newsom, a likely 2028 presidential candidate, told the crowd of policymakers at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington. Im sick of just winning arguments, with all due respect to the niceties. It feels good, but were going to lose our republic.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/democrats-are-ditching-bidens-playbook-and-picking-up-trumps_n_6a0cc614e4b0d1a142e1af0b?origin=home-latest-news-unit
NoMoreRepugs
(12,228 posts)UpInArms
(55,365 posts)On December 8, 2006 (the last day of the 109th Congress), then-Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) submitted a resolution, H. Res. 1106. The bill expired along with the 109th Congress.[14]
John Conyers brought up the subject of impeachment on the July 8, 2007, broadcast of This Week with George Stephanopoulos,[15] stating:
We're hoping that as the cries for the removal of both Cheney and Bush now reach 46 percent and 58 percent, respectively, for impeachment, that we could begin to become a little bit more cooperative, if not even amicable, in trying to get to the truth of these matters.
Fuck this shit prosecute and imprison these corrupt traitors for what they are
pat_k
(13,855 posts)Skittles
(172,881 posts)repukes have long known about the "weak-kneed" responses
And also enact legislation to close all these loopholes that orange asshole has shown us.
fujiyamasan
(2,036 posts)About as bad as Ford pardoning Nixon.
This country simply does not keep its leaders accountable for their crimes.
msongs
(74,199 posts)When they go low, we should go lower! I'm tired of this "my friend across the aisle" bullshit! Call them out for what they are!
pat_k
(13,855 posts)pat_k
(13,855 posts)What we ditch is "STFU on Universal Health Care" because "we can't win."
What we ditch is STFU on every meaningful reform that we could have built the political will for decades ago if our party had been making the case.
What we ditch is the asinine advice of the inside-the-beltway consultants who run focus groups to find the most mealy-mouthed, uninspiring policies possible because they are "acceptable" to more people.
What we ditch is candidates who advocate for what the think is "practical" instead of getting their asses out there with a bullhorn to make the case for the transformational change we MUST have to put this nation back on the path to a more perfect union
Political will doesn't build itself.
And even when the political will to impeach bush and cheney was there in the electorate, they backed off for fear of "backlash" from fucking Fox News.
No more!!
And that is NOT "adopting" some corrupt trumpublican "playbook."
samsingh
(18,471 posts)ananda
(35,514 posts)Last edited Tue May 19, 2026, 10:57 PM - Edit history (1)
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RazorbackExpat
(961 posts)I could never understand why
chowder66
(12,514 posts)Hopefully it will work.
I wonder, though, if it will fuel the people who hate both parties with the kind of crap they already and wrongfully think the Democrats do because Republican messaging has been so relentless.
And before anyone thinks I'm saying we should stick with the status quo, I'm not. I guess I'm hoping we fight fire with a firehose and not another fire.
mcar
(46,360 posts)I await the so-called liberal media's tsk tsking of Democrats for not being nice.
slightlv
(7,946 posts)When your entire media is owned by republicans, there isn't a thing the Democrats can do that will be cheered. The R's rigged that game long before Nixon even came along. They've been defining and re-defining words to a point where the true definitions have been lost in antiquity. And while I wish we could all just get along and let people "be" who they are, there is just too much corruption and evil done in one party's name to ever play nice again, IMO.
Had a phone call with my SIL this afternoon. the first half hour was both of us wailing on trump and his latest round of corrupt behaviors. She just couldn't believe there is no one trying to stop him. When everything is "in your face" it DOES seem like the punishment should be swift and to the point. Instead, it seems like our party is standing still, issuing slide rulers at the best. I like hearing about the Democrats speaking truth to power... more screaming, please! And once we finally get the government back on track (if we ever can), I never want to see a party by the rich, to the rich, for the rich ever rise again. This "admonishment" of changing the entire structure of government must be put to rest loudly and vehemently. We didn't do this, but we're sure as hell not going to let it stand. Strip government down to the bare bones, and let the bones that connect be the ones which link the common people in solidarity. Civics, government, and civility must be taught in one form or another from kindergarten onwards. Even as adult, the ads we see shouldn't be the ads for this flavor drink or that flavor protein bar. We need more and more civic minded information ads. Wanna play a game but have to suffer through an ad first? Let it be one that stresses the need to aid your neighbor, or how to support your country. I want to say to add in morality to an info overload in the future, but everyone knows you can't teach morality... that should come in your growing up years through your parents, home, church, and school. Truth is, one must be shown how to be moral thru experiences of themselves and others around them. We are so woefully failing at this.
On the way to the store a few minutes ago, I saw an animal run across the road and into the park across the street. Shook me for a minute because I couldn't identify it. Didn't run like a cat or a dog. It's head was so triangular you could see it from a distance... and those ears! It finally hit me I was looking at a young fox. Hubby was so taken aback, he had the car door open before I could even stop the car. It seemed so incongruously out of place. We stopped the car at the side of the road and just stayed there, watching it move across the park, admiring it and delighted at the experience. This isn't something that can be taught anywhere. The joy of nature must come from within, and have been fostered from a young experience onwards. I don't know how we can change people's minds once they hit the mid-teens and older. But in losing that fascination... that joy in the face of pure serendipity, we've lost something very important. And woe be to us, and our entire species if we can't find our way back to that touchstone of wonderment.
Response to mcar (Reply #7)
fujiyamasan This message was self-deleted by its author.
BaronChocula
(4,747 posts)there's no harm in actually being more trumpy(?)... theoretically. The only worry is getting people to agree what's trumpy enough and what's too trumpy.
chowder66
(12,514 posts)I hope there is a balance and that democrats that go this route carefully "read the room".
Personally, I can take it because I know what is rhetoric and what is real but some (if not many) don't.
LymphocyteLover
(10,152 posts)OTOH, the MSM sucks and maybe it's past time to care what they say.
republianmushroom
(22,702 posts)To hell with the old guard.
BidenRocks
(3,496 posts)When they go low...
Chump killed that America! Republicans killed that America!
They lie to your face and when we turn the other cheek, SLAP!
It's Clobberin' Time!!
Aviation Pro
(15,767 posts)After we take back the presidency and have a bullet proof Congress we expand SCOTUS and fill the seats with pipe hitters whose sole mission is to make life miserable for the six motherfuckers.
Make them cry.
calimary
(90,797 posts)NOW youre talkin!
EXPAND the Supreme Court, and do it OUR way, with worthy judges of OUR choice(s). Take it to 13. If we dont do it, the bad guys WILL. Theyre A LOT more calculating and sneak-scheming than our side is. So if we can take majorities in Congress, we can go all out, and the GOP wont be able to do Thing One about it, unless somebody on the high bench retires or dies.
RetiredParatrooper
(224 posts)...a pair of pliers and a blowtorch.
Aviation Pro
(15,767 posts)Just like Marcellus Wallace.
LoisB
(13,483 posts)our standing in the world and my faith in the U.S. government. Our next Democratic President needs to be ruthless.
ALBliberal
(3,389 posts)name one democrat running for president at that time that could have won. Kamala? Pete? Warren? Who am I missing? Biden dug us out of COVID hell righted the ship. I will be eternally grateful.
My family doesnt have an answer.
Answer is Biden was the guy that ran and won.
LoisB
(13,483 posts)pat_k
(13,855 posts)...the will of the people is accurately measured in our elections, the constitution is faithfully applied by SCOTUS, and our laws faithfully executed by the executive branch.
So NOT the felon's "playbook" the comparison boggles the mind.
Botany
(77,863 posts)It doesnt have a damn thing to do with what is being said, the messaging, or that the
candidate, it has to do with cheating. And yes 30% of Americans are racist, sexist, anti
intellectual, generationally stupid shit brained , Christo Facsist turd buckets, but republicans
keep power by cheating in a lot of America, and owning the media is part of their game.
progressoid
(53,380 posts)The right wing knows that enough American voters are easily pliable with dog whistles to swing an election. And the easiest way to manipulate them is to own and operate the media.
Democrats don't seem to have a media attack plan. As long as the right wing controls most of the media, they control the narrative. Our only saving grace is how Trump managed to fuck up the economy. Oh, and the feckless nature of most of the GOP.
Botany
(77,863 posts)As the Grateful Dead sang it it could not be denied.
paleotn
(22,737 posts)One can be ruthless and factual all at the same time. With Republicans, that's easy if we'd only do it. There is so much in Trump's past that could have been used against him effectively, from financial shenanigans to Epstein, but a series of Dem politicians decided to rarely go there. They wanted to "go high" and not dwell in the gutter. Sorry, folks, but that's exactly where successful American politics has lived since Adams / Jefferson. If you think US politics is some kind of quaint debating society, you're wrong.
We can do both. We've done it in the past. Figuratively choke Pukes to death with their own garbage. Thing is you don't have to dig very deep to find it. At the same time give voters something to hope for. A path out of the economic disaster of the last 40 years. Repeat the negative until it's etched indelibly in people's minds. Republicans have been doing exactly that for a couple generations because it works. That's why the word liberal is such a pejorative now that liberals call themselves progressives.
Epstein isn't something new. People have known about his evil for years. And Trump was hip deep in it and everyone knew it. Yet how many ads or stump speeches did we see in the last 3 cycles that wrapped the term pedophile around the orange turd's neck like a noose? None. The Access Hollywood tape was about as dirty and ruthless as we got. That ain't good enough. We either get with the program as it is or we lose. I'm tired of losing.
pat_k
(13,855 posts)Figuring out how to "re-engineer" government to ensure the will of the people is accurately measured in elections, the constitution is faithfully applied by SCOTUS, and our laws faithfully executed is NOT adopting Trump's playbook.
WTF is wrong with these people?
Renew Deal
(85,355 posts)People don't want to go back to an old system that didn't work for them, whether it was in the 1900's or early 2000's. They want something new that includes healthcare, housing, and a reasonable costs. People see what's happening in China, Japan, and Europe and wonder why they can't have the same standard of living or better.
paleotn
(22,737 posts)No truer words have been said about Democratic politics since FDR said he welcomed their hatred (monied interests.) We need to stop being professor prissy pants singing kumbaya. Who they hell ever thought that would work in a country like ours? To borrow from Sherman, politics is a nasty business and you cannot refine it. Governing is where statesmanship and fairness lives. But you don't get to do the governing part until you do politics proficiently. We've not been proficient for some time now. More tone deaf and disconnected. That's got to stop.
oldmanlynn
(845 posts)I believe that what governor Newsom really means is just that Democrats are gonna have to do extraordinary measures to fix the government after the mess that Trump will leave behind
fujiyamasan
(2,036 posts)Its influence is waning.
Im not sure why people dont realize this. Were in an era of targeted micro media markets, whether by language, race, gender, or whatever other demographic or subculture.
This is another reason why democrats are failing to get their message out there. Its not about spitting out some bland generic ads on commercial broadcast. Its about getting it out there on alternative media. And Im not necessarily talking joe Rogan either.
Republicans have done this effectively with Spanish media, which is almost as bad a right wing cesspool as AM radio now. This shouldnt have happened.
Its clear the Biden admin never really quite understood this. Even in 2020, when he won, he underperformed Hillary among Latinos in Florida. It only got worse from there. And Harris just couldnt do all of this in time after years of neglect. It was impossible to combat all the nonsense by that point.
The biggest failure is of course when they go low
, I love Michelle Obama as much as any of you, but Im sure even she didnt realize how depraved and susceptible to propaganda so many Americans are.
electric_blue68
(27,322 posts)I see no reason other than the will to talk about Dems good policies; whether new, or restorative, or both; along wirh taking drumphf & co to serious task!
And definately accountability for those effers if we get back in power. Hopefully prison for some!
thought crime
(1,787 posts)We have to be as ruthless as our opposition - We must also be as Radical as the opposition.
The Trump administration has imposed the most radical change to our government that we have seen since the New Deal - all in the wrong direction. It will require radical changes to fix this, and we should not avoid radicalism but should instead embrace it and proclaim ourselves to be willing to make those changes. If you are sitting on a railroad track and a locomotive is headed your way, you have to change your position; you can't just sit there.
After seeing the results of Trump's Reign of Stupid, Americans will be ready for change and the Democratic Party must offer a clear vision of radical change to create a better country for everyone. We need to look and sound like Bad Bunny at the half-time show with a positive energy of hope and a real list of improvements we can achieve. 'Si se puede'
Deminpenn
(17,583 posts)Got one of those Dem issue surveys sent out to raise money. Didn't send $s, but sent the same message as you back.
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