Democrats: The Surrender Party
Dead Party Walking
I have been a registered Democrat since 1995, the year I turned 18. Now, 29 years later, for the first time ever I have seriously been considering changing my party registration. Why? Because since Donald Trump won the Democratic Party appears to have little to no interest in fighting for the things it purports to stand for.
I fully understand that Trump legally won the election and he swept the key swing states needed to secure all of the votes for the Electoral College. I’m not calling on Democrats to storm the Capitol or break the law or even hold up the certification process. But it has been a gut punch to see how quickly the party that campaigned on “When we fight, we win” has raced at breakneck speed to surrender and capitulate.
The problem starts at the very top, with President Biden. Under the Constitution, Biden is required to leave his office on January 20. That’s it. He is not required to crack jokes with the incoming party, gladhand with an open racist, or pose for photographs and video with a man who spent nearly a decade alleging that the first Black president was illegally occupying the presidency as a foreign usurper. But Biden did all of that anyway, welcoming Trump into the White House because the only thing Democrats seem to really believe in is norms and tradition.
Biden won the White House saying, rightfully, that this was a “battle for the soul” of the nation. He was victorious in the first fight, in 2020, but when his party and Vice President Harris faltered this year, he lead the cave-in. Unfortunately, Biden has not been alone and this isn’t just about his unfortunate decades-long addiction to an era of bipartisanship that never existed.
Elected leaders ranging from Reps. Ro Khanna and Jared Moskowitz, to senators like John Fetterman and Richard Blumenthal, have lavished praise on the crooked billionaires and malcontents that now set poised to feast on the entrails of the United States. Even Bernie Sanders seems dazed and confused, buying into Elon Musk’s nonsense to some extent about “cutting” government. Trump hasn’t even been inaugurated yet and much of official Washington seems prepped to crown him king.
Then there are figures like Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who always seems to be reading from a Powerpoint presentation on how to appeal to a mythical focus group, making bloodless and passion-deprived statements from the podium in the Capitol and via his social media account. Jeffries seems to believe that not offending anyone and not actually saying anything can inspire support and devotion. He is wrong.
Meanwhile, the few Democrats who seem to have actually paid attention to what the party has claimed to stand for are being ignored or squashed by the old guard of the party, led by Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Jim Clyburn. The party didn’t even seriously consider the notion of giving Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a shot at being the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, despite the fact that her presence on that committee has been a constant highlight over the years. No, these Democrats would rather wrap their fingers around the precious bits of power they have left instead of setting up the party for the future.
Trump is going to be a disaster of epic proportions. He is going to put in place cronies and policies that will undermine the great American experiment. He will bring shame and dishonor to the freedom that men and women have sacrificed their lives for, both on foreign shores but also right here in our cities and towns, fighting for rights and respect. He needs to be opposed, defeated, humiliated and constantly countered.
The party establishment, from President Biden on down, has shown absolutely no interest in even considering this task — let alone offering up rhetoric and resilience that the country needs at a time of crisis. They have abandoned us, but they sure as hell want money from us to keep the consultants fat and happy and the party coffers filled so they can waste it again and again.
I like to think of myself as a realistic optimist. Someone who believes in a better day but without being blinded to the very real obstacles in the way. I do not give up easily and I still have not given up. But as far as the politics of this country goes, I think we are at a worse point than the last time we saw this level of Democratic surrender — back in 2001 as George W. Bush stood on the skulls of those dead in the 9/11 attacks, prepping his path to war in Iraq and reelection in America.
The right is doing what it has always done: Reflecting the worst of America with a banality of evil in the mold of tyranny and fascism. Unfortunately for us all they are effectively without opposition as they drag us down with them.
The Democrats are in surrender mode and we will pay the price for their cowardice.
If you like this newsletter, please consider becoming a paying subscriber by clicking here to join. I won’t be putting any of my regular columns behind a paywall and they will always be free. Thanks to everyone who has subscribed so far!
— Oliver
Follow me, Oliver Willis, on BlueSky @owillis.bsky.social, Threads @owillis1977
Exclusive Kal-El Photo
Kal-El only surrenders to sleep.
Oliver, with this post, you convinced me to renew after I had first chosen to not renew.
Absolutely 100% time to move on from current Dem royalty: the Clintons, the Obamas, Jon Stewart, Chuck Schumer, Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries (sad to include him, but Oliver is spot on with his appraisal of Jeffries), and anyone else who practices fake populism. AOC, Raskin, Murphy, and others like them who seem more grounded and for the actual people need to be lifted up.
This was what I thought Joe would have said (have posted it before - but it's the only sort of statement I 'expected' of him):
Jim Stewartson
@jimstewartson
My fellow Americans,
Today the federal government has taken bold action to prevent an existential threat to the homeland. The FBI, in cooperation with DOJ, has executed a series of raids on people engaged in illegal cooperation with our foreign adversaries.
My administration has also undertaken a massive investigation into the results of the election - not just the results, but how the American people were systematically lied to in a way that benefitted our enemies, and billionaires.
What we know is that the Russian government, under the direction of Vladimir Putin, called in a series of bomb threats to election locations. We will undertake a hand recount in every state that was affected to ensure the integrity of the vote.
Moreover, the damaging effect of propaganda funded and directed by our adversaries, including Elon Musk, on the American people cannot be overstated. To that end, I have directed that X, which was purchased by Elon Musk and blatantly used to interfere with the election, be seized, along with the rest of his assets, including SpaceX and Tesla to prevent further damage to our citizens.
The federal government will not allow, much less subsidize, a man who would threaten our democracy.
The apps Truth Social and Telegram are banned from the United States, along with the dangerous website Rumble. FoxNews has been shut down.
Donald Trump and a number of his co-conspirators have been arrested for Treason against the United States. The evidence is public. You don’t have to search for it. As Maya Angelou said: “When they tell you who they are, believe them.”
I know these may seem like extreme steps, but I have to level with the American people and most importantly to defend you. That was my solemn oath when you elected me - and I’ll be damned if I’m the president that hands over our nation to our enemies.
America is not going anywhere. Thank you.
NOT @JoeBiden (!?)