Over the past week, I’ve engaged in numerous conversations with my Democrat friends about the recent election. The predominant view? Half the country is “misinformed.” Others dismissed the results as merely a reaction to inflation. In my view, this type of thinking explains precisely why Democrats continue to lose ground. Democrats, from what I can tell, view themselves as  both morally and intellectually superior to Republicans. This moral grandstanding and intellectual snobbery is repellent and, I believe, self-defeating. 

A reminder: conservatives consistently donate more blood than liberals. In fact, if liberals and moderates gave blood as often as conservatives, the American blood supply would increase by 45 percent. (Source: NYTimes) I see this as a small (and extremely telling) signal of where values lie around caring for the less fortunate. 

The Democratic Party is potentially teetering on the edge of obsolescence. They have lost the Senate, House, Supreme Court, and Presidency. To make a comeback, they must “play to win.” Winning requires re-engaging with the working class—a constituency they’ve largely abandoned. To do that, much of today’s Progressive orthodoxy must be reconsidered or dropped entirely. I’m skeptical they have the will to do so.

The party’s moral purity culture is so deeply entrenched that even mild questioning risks cancellation. When fear stifles dissent, meaningful debate vanishes. Without debate, the party stagnates. This is how movements wither and die.

Who are the spiritual leaders of today’s Democratic Party? The ones who adamantly defended President Biden’s mental acuity right up to June? Those who orchestrated the transition to Kamala Harris with little transparency? These figures appear disconnected, ensconced within their echo chambers, and removed from everyday Americans—the so-called “normies.” Our two-party system is facing internal decay. 

I’m a lifelong Liberal, but feel deeply disillusioned with the Left. What repels me most is the hubris—the unwavering belief that alternative perspectives are automatically “misinformed” or immoral. The intellectual isolation of elite circles may prove their undoing. Ego is, after all, the enemy.

For the record, I have never voted for Donald Trump and have significant concerns about his character and legal entanglements. Yet, millions of Americans were willing to overlook these flaws. This reality should serve as a wake-up call. It is not about ignorance. It reflects profound disillusionment with a Left perceived as condescending and detached.

So, here’s my unapologetic plea (and rant) to my fellow Democrats, who have, frankly, let me down:

* If you are a Democrat without any Republican friends, you are part of the problem.

* If you “can’t understand how this happened,” you are part of the problem.

* If you dismiss half the country as [sexist], [racist], or indulge in any other form of broad-brush name-calling, you are part of the problem.

* If you look down on Republicans as inherently immoral people, you are part of the problem.

* If you haven’t recently spoken with someone earning under $100,000 a year about politics, you are part of the problem.

* If you haven’t engaged a small business owner in a political conversation, you are part of the problem.

* If you casually equate Republicans with “Nazis” or liken Trump to “literally Hitler,” you are part of the problem.

* If you assume Republicans are merely “brainwashed,” you are part of the problem.

* If you cannot comprehend or empathize with why some people oppose abortion, you are part of the problem.

America’s strength has long rested on a functional two-party system. If Democrats fail to course-correct, they risk becoming irrelevant. I do not wish to see this happen. An unchecked Right could steer the country in very troubling directions.

I sincerely hope that this moment leads to some deep soul-searching on the Left. It’s time for the party to figure out what it stands for, and who it stands with. I hope they choose normies like me. 

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michelletandler.substack.com