To win, Democrats should chuck their leadership
The past year since Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, has completely discredited any claim that choosing between the Democratic and Republican Parties would be merely a matter of “pick your poison” with the same end result. In countless terrible ways, the last twelve months have shown that the GOP is bent on methodically inflicting vast cruelty and injustice while aiming to crush what’s left of democracy and the rule of law.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s leadership persists with the kind of elitist political approach that helped Trump win in 2024. Hidebound and unimaginative, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have been incapable of inspiring the people whose high-turnout votes will be essential to ending Republican control of Congress in this year’s midterm elections and the White House in 2028.
The Democratic establishment shuns the progressive populism that’s vital to effectively countering bogus right-wing populism. And so the struggle to defeat the fascistic GOP and the fight to overcome the power of corporate Democrats are largely the same battle. Advocates for progressive change will remain on the defensive as long as the Trump party is in power. With the entire future at stake, social movements on the left should focus on organizing to oust Republicans from control of Congress in the midterms.
The point isn’t that Democrats deserve to win — it’s that people certainly don’t deserve to live under Republican rule, and ending it is the first electoral step toward a federal government that serves the broad public instead of powerfully destructive and violent elites. Like it or not, in almost every case the only candidates in a position to defeat Republicans for the House and Senate this year will have a “D” after their name.
Democratic Party leaders have dodged coming to terms with reasons why their party lost the White House in 2024, preferring to make a protracted show of scratching their chins and puzzling over the steep falloff of support from working-class voters of all colors. The Democratic National Committee’s refusal to release its autopsy report, assessing what went wrong in the election, underscores the party’s aversion to serious introspection. Cogent answers are readily available, but top Democrats like Schumer and Jeffries refuse to heed them. If the party wants to regain and expand support from working-class voters, it must fight for programs that they clearly want. Extensive polling shows strong public support for major progressive reforms, such as raising taxes on big corporations and the wealthy, lifting the Social Security tax cap, boosting the federal minimum wage and greatly expanding Medicare to include dental, vision and hearing coverage.
more... https://www.salon.com/2026/01/20/to-win-democrats-should-chuck-their-leadership/
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Received Monday.
The fightingest Democrat isn't even a Democrat.
Sisters and Brothers -
I wanted to mention to you that on Monday (tonight) I will be in Wayne, New Jersey for a Fighting Oligarchy event. New Jersey is the 24th state that I have visited as we take on oligarchy, authoritarianism, and the war against America’s working class. Our guest speaker at the event will be Analilia Mejia, a progressive candidate for Congress. If you’re in the area, please drop by.
While in the New York City area I will also join a picket line with union members of the New York Nurses Union who are engaged in a strike against some of the largest hospitals in the city. These nurses are courageously fighting to maintain safe staffing ratios that protect patient safety. The New York Nurses Union is affiliated with National Nurses United (NNU), one of the most progressive unions in the country, and one of the leading advocates for Medicare for All. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system and understand that health care is a human right, not a privilege. I am proud to stand with these brave professionals.
In February, I will be heading to North Carolina for another Fighting Oligarchy rally. Our guest speaker there will be Nida Allam, Vice Chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners and another strong progressive candidate for Congress. Our fight against oligarchy is taking place in every part of the country, including the South. If we’re going to change this country working people in red states and blue states must stand together.
Then, it’s on to California where I will be speaking about the concerns I have regarding the unprecedented challenges that AI and robotics pose for the working families of this country - and all Americans. There is no doubt in my mind that Congress and the American people are totally unprepared for the monumental changes that these exploding technologies, funded by the richest people on earth, pose to our economy, our political system, our mental health and to the very survival of the planet.
And then there is my day job in Washington.
You know it. I know it. We are living in the most dangerous moment in modern American history as Trump, every day, moves our country toward an authoritarian society with more and more power resting in his own unstable hands.
As we speak, ICE is occupying Minneapolis, one of our major American cities, and Trump is threatening to illegally send the U.S. military there through the Insurrection Act. This is not only an outrage for Minneapolis, but is an effort to intimidate the people in other cities who engage in peaceful protest.
Trump’s Justice Department is also planning to issue subpoenas for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey as part of a criminal investigation. This is consistent with Trump’s political prosecution of other leaders who oppose his policies including several U.S. Senators and the Attorney General of New York. He has even filed criminal charges against the conservative Republican Chair of the Fed, Jerome Powell. Trump, the demagogue, does not simply disagree with his opponents. He tries to intimidate them and destroy them.
And you all know what’s going on in terms of foreign policy. With the Republican leadership in Congress abdicating its constitutional responsibilities, Trump has violated international law and has illegally attacked Venezuela. In his effort to take over Greenland he is now raising tariffs on 8 NATO allies because they rightly support Denmark's sovereignty in Greenland. He has, over the last year, threatened, in one way or another, Mexico, Colombia and Canada. Trump’s imperialism, and “might makes right” approach, is opening the door to international anarchy and an extremely dangerous world.
The good news is that, as polls indicate, the American people increasingly understand what Donald Trump is all about. They know that he is an oligarch, working with other oligarchs, to increase the wealth and power of the billionaire class and that the gap between the very rich and everyone else has never been wider.
They understand that while Trump is spending his time destroying our historical alliances with Europe, our healthcare system is collapsing, housing, groceries and utilities are unaffordable and, unless we change direction, their kids will have an even lower standard of living than they do.
Yes. These are extremely difficult times but, now more than ever, we must fight back. This is not a time for despair and hiding under the covers. It is a time for courage.
We must engage in grassroots organizing and non-violently oppose the militarization of our communities. We must fight authoritarianism wherever we see it.
We must demand that every member of Congress protect the Constitution of the United States and stand up to Trump’s megalomania.
We must continue to fight for our progressive agenda which is becoming more and more popular. The American people want a government that works for all of us, not just billionaire campaign contributors. They understand that, in the richest country in the history of the world, health care, education, housing and decent paying jobs are human rights that must be available to all.
We must prepare for the enormously important 2026 elections. With your help we are now supporting 3 progressive candidates for the U.S. Senate and more than a dozen for the U.S. House - all of whom have a good chance to win. We’ll soon be updating you with more names to that list. If we can end Republican control over the House and/or Senate we will go a long way to putting a stop to Trump’s destructive policies.
Thank you all very much for what you’re doing and your ongoing support.
Let’s go forward together.
In Solidarity,
Bernie
👋 Before you go... 👋
Bernie Sanders is once again asking your financial support...
Over the next year Bernie is going to be fighting for our progressive agenda and working hard to elect progressive candidates all over this country who have the guts not only to stand up to Trumpism, but to take on the monied interests of both parties and fight for a working class that has been ignored for far too long.
If that work sounds important to you, help Bernie keep it going with a contribution of $27 or whatever you can afford today. Thank you.
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/fobs-june25-email
