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To win over the "rising American electorate" of young and diverse voters in 2018, the Democratic Party must "recognize that these voters will not be motivated unless they hear a message from the Democrat who says he or she is 'fed up' and 'the economy and politics are rigged against the hard-working middle class,'" according to a new memo by a pair of pollsters.
The Washington Post's Dave Weigel was granted exclusive access to a memo that was prepared by pollsters Stan Greenberg and Nancy Zdunkewicz for the nonprofit Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund. The memo echoes an "Autopsy" (pdf) of the party's 2016 performance published earlier week, which conlcuded, "The party must learn how to speak a populist tongue that is in sync with real advocacy for a clear agenda, putting public needs above corporate profits."
On Twitter late Wednesday, Weigel said the polling "suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/healthcare than Russia/Trump," referencing the ongoing investigation into collusion allegations, which made headlines earlier this week when three former Trump campaign staffers were hit with federal charges.
\u201cGot a look at some Dem polling tonight that suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/health care than Russia/Trump. Details in am\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1509595139
In the memo, Weigel reports, Greenberg and Zdunkewicz warned that Democrats will likely lose voters in next year's races unless they present a "clear, populist platform" and position themselves as a noteworthy opponents to the far-right agendas of congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump, who are currently pushing a tax plan that would benefit the wealthy, repeatedly tried to sabotage the national healthcare system, and filled the government with lobbyists and corporate insiders.
However--despite the president's plunging approval rating--the memo notes that "because voters do not hear Democrats expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo on economics or the balance of power when so many are concerned about the direction of this country, only 4-in-10...voters say Democrats 'know what it's like to live a day in my shoes' and are 'for the right kind of change.'"
Noting that since June, there has been a 10-point drop in the number of voters who told pollsters they were inclined to vote for Democrats next year, they argued that "Democrats must make the main choice in this election about how the Republicans in Congress have gone back on their promises on healthcare and protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security."
Although a bolder and more populist message has been common among progressives like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has continuously advocated for a Medicare For All healthcare system, and is up for re-election in 2018--for several years, the party establishment has caught heat for its mediocre Trump era messaging.
In July, the party announced its "Better Deal" platform. Although the platform has been cautiously celebrated by many progressives, as Kevin Gosztola wrote for Shadowproof that same month, "the Democratic Party has floundered and sputtered around while trying to develop an agenda that can convince citizens they are a clear alternative to President Donald Trump."
Gosztola concluded that Senate Minority Leader Chuck "Schumer and #TheResistance still do not want to completely abandon major parts of the neoliberal agenda they have advanced during the past decades"--demonstrated by refusals to rally behind Keith Ellison's bid for DNC chairman, or Sanders's run for president--and thus, "the Democrats cannot and will not promise working people all that much of value so long as they remain wedded to this brand of destructive corporate politics."
After Weigel teased his polling report on Twitter Wednesday night, journalist Glenn Greenwald offered a similar analysis.
To win in 2018, and in the elections that follow, polls suggest that the Democratic Party's current leaders likely will need to step down and allow the party platform to shift further left. As Common Dreams reported last week, a recent Harvard-Harris poll (pdf) found that 52 percent of registered Democratic voters want "movements within the Democratic Party to take it even further to the left and oppose the current Democratic leaders."
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To win over the "rising American electorate" of young and diverse voters in 2018, the Democratic Party must "recognize that these voters will not be motivated unless they hear a message from the Democrat who says he or she is 'fed up' and 'the economy and politics are rigged against the hard-working middle class,'" according to a new memo by a pair of pollsters.
The Washington Post's Dave Weigel was granted exclusive access to a memo that was prepared by pollsters Stan Greenberg and Nancy Zdunkewicz for the nonprofit Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund. The memo echoes an "Autopsy" (pdf) of the party's 2016 performance published earlier week, which conlcuded, "The party must learn how to speak a populist tongue that is in sync with real advocacy for a clear agenda, putting public needs above corporate profits."
On Twitter late Wednesday, Weigel said the polling "suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/healthcare than Russia/Trump," referencing the ongoing investigation into collusion allegations, which made headlines earlier this week when three former Trump campaign staffers were hit with federal charges.
\u201cGot a look at some Dem polling tonight that suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/health care than Russia/Trump. Details in am\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1509595139
In the memo, Weigel reports, Greenberg and Zdunkewicz warned that Democrats will likely lose voters in next year's races unless they present a "clear, populist platform" and position themselves as a noteworthy opponents to the far-right agendas of congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump, who are currently pushing a tax plan that would benefit the wealthy, repeatedly tried to sabotage the national healthcare system, and filled the government with lobbyists and corporate insiders.
However--despite the president's plunging approval rating--the memo notes that "because voters do not hear Democrats expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo on economics or the balance of power when so many are concerned about the direction of this country, only 4-in-10...voters say Democrats 'know what it's like to live a day in my shoes' and are 'for the right kind of change.'"
Noting that since June, there has been a 10-point drop in the number of voters who told pollsters they were inclined to vote for Democrats next year, they argued that "Democrats must make the main choice in this election about how the Republicans in Congress have gone back on their promises on healthcare and protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security."
Although a bolder and more populist message has been common among progressives like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has continuously advocated for a Medicare For All healthcare system, and is up for re-election in 2018--for several years, the party establishment has caught heat for its mediocre Trump era messaging.
In July, the party announced its "Better Deal" platform. Although the platform has been cautiously celebrated by many progressives, as Kevin Gosztola wrote for Shadowproof that same month, "the Democratic Party has floundered and sputtered around while trying to develop an agenda that can convince citizens they are a clear alternative to President Donald Trump."
Gosztola concluded that Senate Minority Leader Chuck "Schumer and #TheResistance still do not want to completely abandon major parts of the neoliberal agenda they have advanced during the past decades"--demonstrated by refusals to rally behind Keith Ellison's bid for DNC chairman, or Sanders's run for president--and thus, "the Democrats cannot and will not promise working people all that much of value so long as they remain wedded to this brand of destructive corporate politics."
After Weigel teased his polling report on Twitter Wednesday night, journalist Glenn Greenwald offered a similar analysis.
To win in 2018, and in the elections that follow, polls suggest that the Democratic Party's current leaders likely will need to step down and allow the party platform to shift further left. As Common Dreams reported last week, a recent Harvard-Harris poll (pdf) found that 52 percent of registered Democratic voters want "movements within the Democratic Party to take it even further to the left and oppose the current Democratic leaders."
To win over the "rising American electorate" of young and diverse voters in 2018, the Democratic Party must "recognize that these voters will not be motivated unless they hear a message from the Democrat who says he or she is 'fed up' and 'the economy and politics are rigged against the hard-working middle class,'" according to a new memo by a pair of pollsters.
The Washington Post's Dave Weigel was granted exclusive access to a memo that was prepared by pollsters Stan Greenberg and Nancy Zdunkewicz for the nonprofit Women's Voices Women Vote Action Fund. The memo echoes an "Autopsy" (pdf) of the party's 2016 performance published earlier week, which conlcuded, "The party must learn how to speak a populist tongue that is in sync with real advocacy for a clear agenda, putting public needs above corporate profits."
On Twitter late Wednesday, Weigel said the polling "suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/healthcare than Russia/Trump," referencing the ongoing investigation into collusion allegations, which made headlines earlier this week when three former Trump campaign staffers were hit with federal charges.
\u201cGot a look at some Dem polling tonight that suggests the party is far better off talking taxes/health care than Russia/Trump. Details in am\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1509595139
In the memo, Weigel reports, Greenberg and Zdunkewicz warned that Democrats will likely lose voters in next year's races unless they present a "clear, populist platform" and position themselves as a noteworthy opponents to the far-right agendas of congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump, who are currently pushing a tax plan that would benefit the wealthy, repeatedly tried to sabotage the national healthcare system, and filled the government with lobbyists and corporate insiders.
However--despite the president's plunging approval rating--the memo notes that "because voters do not hear Democrats expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo on economics or the balance of power when so many are concerned about the direction of this country, only 4-in-10...voters say Democrats 'know what it's like to live a day in my shoes' and are 'for the right kind of change.'"
Noting that since June, there has been a 10-point drop in the number of voters who told pollsters they were inclined to vote for Democrats next year, they argued that "Democrats must make the main choice in this election about how the Republicans in Congress have gone back on their promises on healthcare and protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security."
Although a bolder and more populist message has been common among progressives like Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who has continuously advocated for a Medicare For All healthcare system, and is up for re-election in 2018--for several years, the party establishment has caught heat for its mediocre Trump era messaging.
In July, the party announced its "Better Deal" platform. Although the platform has been cautiously celebrated by many progressives, as Kevin Gosztola wrote for Shadowproof that same month, "the Democratic Party has floundered and sputtered around while trying to develop an agenda that can convince citizens they are a clear alternative to President Donald Trump."
Gosztola concluded that Senate Minority Leader Chuck "Schumer and #TheResistance still do not want to completely abandon major parts of the neoliberal agenda they have advanced during the past decades"--demonstrated by refusals to rally behind Keith Ellison's bid for DNC chairman, or Sanders's run for president--and thus, "the Democrats cannot and will not promise working people all that much of value so long as they remain wedded to this brand of destructive corporate politics."
After Weigel teased his polling report on Twitter Wednesday night, journalist Glenn Greenwald offered a similar analysis.
To win in 2018, and in the elections that follow, polls suggest that the Democratic Party's current leaders likely will need to step down and allow the party platform to shift further left. As Common Dreams reported last week, a recent Harvard-Harris poll (pdf) found that 52 percent of registered Democratic voters want "movements within the Democratic Party to take it even further to the left and oppose the current Democratic leaders."
"All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master."
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said during his address at an annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday that the world's addiction to fossil fuels has become an all-consuming "Frankenstein monster" imperiling hopes of a livable future.
"All around us, we see clear signs that the monster has become master. We just endured the hottest year and the hottest decade in history," Guterres said to the audience gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"A number of financial institutions and industries are backtracking on climate commitments," Guterres continued. "Here at Davos, I want to say loudly and clearly: It is short-sighted. And paradoxically, it is selfish and also self-defeating. You are on the wrong side of history. You are on the wrong side of science. And you are on the wrong side of consumers who are looking for more sustainability, not less. This warning certainly also applies to the fossil fuel industry and advertising, lobbying, and PR companies who are aiding, abetting, and greenwashing."
"Global heating is racing forward—we cannot afford to move backward," he added.
Guterres' remarks came as President Donald Trump, a fervent ally of the fossil fuel industry, took office in the U.S.—the largest historical emitter—and moved immediately to expand oil and gas production, which was already at record levels.
The U.S. is among a number of rich nations working to build out fossil fuel infrastructure and ramp up production in the face of runaway warming and worsening climate destruction across the globe.
Intensifying climate chaos—and global elites' disproportionate contributions to the planetary crisis—spurred several protests inside and near the Davos forum this week, with activists demanding higher taxes on the mega-rich and a rapid, just transition to renewable energy.
A climate protester calls for taxes on the rich during the World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, 2025. (Photo: Halil Sagirkaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"It is more than obvious that the super-rich must pay their fair share," Clara Thompson, a Greenpeace spokesperson in Davos, said earlier this week. "Especially when they are among the largest contributors to the climate crisis."
"It shouldn't be the people, already struggling to make ends meet, who have to foot the bill and suffer the consequences of worsening climate impacts," Thompson added. "The scarcity narrative is simply not true—there is enough money to fund a just and green future for all but it is just in the wrong pockets."
"In the coming months and years, our job is not just to respond to every absurd statement that Donald Trump makes. Our job is to stay focused on the issues that are of importance to the working families of our country."
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump posed in a garbage truck and performed a staged shift at a McDonald's as he postured as a champion of the working class.
But Trump "ignored virtually every important issue facing the working families of this country" during his inaugural address, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) noted Tuesday in video remarks recorded after he attended the event, which was packed with prominent billionaires and corporate executives—some of whom the president has chosen to serve in his Cabinet.
"How crazy is that? Our healthcare system is dysfunctional and it's wildly expensive," said Sanders. "Not one word from Trump about how he is going to address the healthcare crisis. We pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs—sometimes 10 times more than the people in other countries, and one out of four Americans are unable to afford the prescriptions that their doctors prescribe. Not one word in his speech on the high cost of prescription drugs."
"We have 800,000 Americans who are homeless and millions and millions of people spending 50 or 60% of their limited income on housing. We have a major housing crisis in America, everybody knows it—and Trump in his inaugural address did not devote one word to it," Sanders continued. "Today in America, we have more income and wealth inequality than we have ever had... but Trump had nothing to say, not one word, about the growing gap between the very rich and everybody else."
Watch Sanders' full remarks:
Upon taking office, Trump immediately launched sweeping attacks on immigrant families, the environment, and the federal workforce, with more expected in the near future.
Trump also rolled back a Biden executive order aimed at lowering prescription drug prices.
In his remarks on Tuesday, Sanders said that "in the coming months and years, our job is not just to respond to every absurd statement that Donald Trump makes."
"Our job is to stay focused on the issues that are of importance to the working families of our country, and are in fact widely supported by the American people," said Sanders, pointing to broad backing for guaranteeing healthcare to all as a right, slashing drug prices, tackling the housing crisis, raising the long-stagnant federal minimum wage, and taking bold action against the climate emergency.
"No matter how many executive orders he signs and no matter how many absurd statements he makes, our goal remains the same," the senator added. "We have got to educate, we have got to organize, we have got to put pressure on Congress to do the right things."
"We cannot quit. We cannot be silent. If we quit, we lose more women," said one mother whose daughter died after being denied care under Georgia's six-week ban.
Congresswoman Nikema Williams joined patients, healthcare providers, and activists—including the mother of a woman who died after being refused abortion care in Georgia—at a Tuesday press conference held a day before what would have been the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and amid fears of a national abortion ban during U.S. President Donald Trump's second term.
"I refuse to stand by while extremist politicians attack our freedoms, our health, and our future," Williams (D-Ga.) told attendees of the virtual press conference, which was hosted by the abortion rights group Free & Just. "Reproductive freedom is about healthcare, it's about dignity, it's about autonomy. It's about ensuring that everyone, every person, has the ability to make the best decisions for themselves and their families without government interference."
Speakers at Tuesday's event included Shanette Williams, whose 28-year-old daughter Amber Nicole Thurman died in 2022 after being forced to travel out of state to seek care due to a recently passed Georgia law banning almost all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a period during which many people don't even know they're pregnant.
"I want to send a clear message to men to get off the sidelines and enter the fight for reproductive justice."
Thurman, who was the single mother of a young son, is one of at least several U.S. women—most of them Black or brown—whose deaths have been attributed to draconian anti-abortion laws.
"She left a son, who every day is confused by why his mother is not here," Williams said of her daughter. "I'm here to be that voice, to fight, to push, to do whatever I need to do to help save another life. Because I never want a mother to feel what I feel today."
"We cannot quit. We cannot be silent. If we quit, we lose more women," Williams added. "In November, following reporting from ProPublica, officials in Georgia dismissed all members of the state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee, which investigates the deaths of pregnant women across the state."
Last September, Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney struck down the state's six-week abortion ban as a violation of "a woman's right to control what happens to and within her body," a decision that made the procedure legal up to approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy. Republican Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court.
Avery Davis Bell, a Savannah mother who had to travel out of Georgia for care after her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition that threatened her own life as well, said during Tuesday's press conference: "I could have been Amber Nicole Thurman. It is important for me to continue sharing my story and advocating for us to be able to build the families we want, protect our lives, and be here for our living children."
Atlanta-area ultrasound technician and abortion care provider Suki O. said during the event that Georgia's ban "has been in place for three years now and it doesn't get any easier."
"To turn women away is the hardest thing for me to do," she added. "How many Black women will die, have died, and will continue to die due to these abortion bans?"
Davan'te Jennings, president of Young Democrats of Georgia and youth organizing director at Men4Choice, told the press conference that abortion "is not just a women's issue, this is a man's issue as well."
"I want to send a clear message to men to get off the sidelines and enter the fight for reproductive justice," Jennings added. "What would it look like for you to have to watch your mother go through this? To watch your sister go through this?"
While Trump has said he would veto any national abortion ban passed by the Republican-controlled Congress, reproductive rights advocates have expressed doubt that the president—a well-documented liar—would actually do so, and warned that his administration could use a 151-year-old law known as the Comstock Act to outlaw the procedure without needing congressional approval.
Critics also note that Trump has repeatedly bragged about appointing three of the U.S. Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 2022 decision that canceled nearly a half-century of federal abortion rights.
The Trump administration is also widely expected to revive the so-called Global Gag Rule, which bans foreign nongovernmental organizations from performing or promoting abortion care using funds from any source, if they receive funds from the U.S. government for family planning activities.
Conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation-led coalition behind Project 2025—a blueprint for a far-right overhaul of the federal government—have proposed policies including a national abortion ban, restricting access to birth control, defunding Planned Parenthood, monitoring and tracking pregnancy and abortion data, and eviscerating federal protections for lifesaving emergency abortion care.
While campaigning for president, Trump said he would allow states to monitor women's pregnancies and prosecute anyone who violates an abortion ban. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 12 states currently have near-total abortion bans, and 29 states have enacted prohibitions based on gestational duration.