Headline of the Day

DEMOCRATS SHOULD TRY LANDING THE FIRST PUNCH

—No More Mister Nice Blog: No More Mister Nice Blog, saying that Democrats lose because when they engage in outreach to former Republican voters, they apologize instead of telling the truth about Republicans.

He is completely right.

I do not know why they do this, but it is like the bite of a dog into a stone, a stupidity. 

………

Waldman notes that this appears to be an ideal moment for Democrats to try to win over Americans who've been voting Republican but now think the country is going in the wrong direction. But Waldman doesn't agree with the approach recommended by centrist Democrats:

The professional centrists in the Democratic Party look at a moment like this one and say “Now those moderate voters will finally be open to our apology! We can go to them and say ‘We know you think we suck, and you’re right, we do suck, but we’re going to try to do better.’”

He's right. That's a terrible message. In broad outline, I agree with what Waldman recommends instead:

... Democrats have been lectured endlessly about how they need to apologize and listen to Trump voters so that they might make them feel more warmly toward Democrats, while barely anyone acknowledges how absolutely vital it is that they work to change how these voters feel about Republicans.

As Harry S Truman once said, "I never did give them hell. I just told the truth, and they thought it was hell."

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party establishment (There is no Democratic Party establishment) in general, and the consultants in particular, want to run milquetoast campaigns that are driven by fund raising, because they get a cut of the media buy.