A New Democratic Playbook
Winning by Answering America's Call
To build a dominant coalition, Democrats must offer pragmatic solutions that resonate with the deep desires for fairness, stability, agency, and community that define our turbulent times. And by definition, this means a very different Democratic Party.1
Change is frightening, especially to those in power
— Dr. Hari Seldon
Understanding the profound anxieties and desires roiling beneath the surface of American life – the craving for community, the overwhelm from rapid change, the yearning for agency, the demand for fairness, and the fatigue with constant accusation – isn't just an academic exercise. It's the foundation upon which a winning Democratic playbook must be built.
Some of these policy directions will challenge long-held progressive orthodoxies.2 But if the goal is to connect with a broader electorate, address the current crisis effectively, and lead the nation towards a more stable and prosperous future, then pragmatic adaptation is essential.
Here’s how Democrats can campaign and govern in a way that answers America's call:
Immigration: Secure Borders, No Line-Jumping. Borders are a symbol of control. Enforce them - fences, drones, agents - and end asylum admissions, as over half the world can claim persecution. Legal immigration stays, but it’s fair and orderly according to the criteria we set.
Equal Opportunity, Not Equal Outcomes. Voters hate rigged games, whether it’s corporate tax dodges or policies pushing identical results.3 Champion access to education, jobs, and justice, not guaranteed wins. It’s the fairness people crave.
Acknowledge that DEI is a failure: We have come a long way treating people equally. And DEI as implemented in most places was at best, of no effect. And at worst, was counter-productive. Own up to the fact that this idea failed.4
Acknowledge Nuance and Common Sense on Cultural Flashpoints (e.g., Transgender Issues): The rapid shifts in social norms are a source of unease for many. On issues like transgender rights, Democrats should strive for a tone of respect for all individuals while acknowledging valid societal questions.5
Build Housing Where People Live. Soaring rents trap families. Slash zoning and permitting delays to build homes where demand is high. California’s 2023 reforms boosted urban construction 15%; go national. Housing is stability, a stake in the future.6
Repeal NEPA, Cut Red Tape. Regulations like NEPA stall everything from apartments to power lines,7 adding 20% to costs, per a 2024 Brookings study. Streamline permitting to build fast, creating jobs and progress voters see. This restores agency through tangible results.
Fix K-12 Education. A fair shot starts in school. Fund teacher training, modern curricula, and parental choice. A 2025 NAEP report shows 40% of 8th graders can’t read at grade level - fix this, and you win trust and go a long way to providing equal opportunity.
Fight Inflation Like It Matters. Inflation guts the middle class - groceries jumped 11% in 2022. Prioritize low inflation via fiscal discipline and supply chain fixes. Show voters we feel their pain, addressing their sense of powerlessness.
Make Decisions, Get Shit Done. At present governance by the Democratic party is stopped from actually accomplishing anything by the vetocracy.8 One of the largest things that people like about Trump - he accomplishes things.9
Energy Over Climate Rhetoric. Climate goals don’t pay the bills. Focus on cheap, reliable, healthy energy - nuclear, gas, renewables. A 2024 X poll found 62% prioritize affordability over net-zero. Meet people where they are.10
The common thread here is empowering individuals, restoring a sense of order and fairness, and delivering tangible improvements to people's lives. By speaking directly to the deep-seated desires for community, stability, and agency, and by offering common-sense solutions rather than ideological purity tests, Democrats can move beyond being a collection of disparate groups and become the party that offers a clear, compelling, and achievable vision for a post-crisis America – one that wins not through further division, but through renewed common purpose.
MAGA offers anger; Democrats can offer hope. If we deliver, we’ll not only win elections but shape a post-crisis America where everyone belongs. Let’s do this.
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The Democratic Party that FDR created was unrecognizable to anyone from before FDR’s administration.
Many of the proposals here are not what I would prefer, in whole or in part.
Do continue with programs that work. But talk about it rarely with a different descriptive phrase.
On the issue of athletics, leave it to the athletic governing authorities and individual states support for trans players to compete on the boy’s/men’s teams.
Fighting power lines shows our inability to handle tradeoffs. Power lines are key to addressing global warming. An environmental group advocating to reduce carbon emissions and advocating against power lines is fighting itself.
Often really bad ideas. But voters prefer trying anything over doing nothing.
It’s important to address climate change. But talk about it as providing clean, inexpensive, reliable power.
I agree.
"Repeal NEPA, Cut Red Tape." I write and read a lot of NEPA documents. There is an element of the process that is reasonable and good. The main problem is the term "resource" has been overrefined by regulators and lawyers to mean all sorts of baloney needs to be studied. Socioeconomic impacts. Soundscapes. Viewscapes. Yes, power lines are ugly. How ugly? We have to define ugly, on a scale of 0-10. For each person who might view it.
I recall writing a NEPA document on the environmental impacts a mine would have on the underlying geology. Duh, the geology will be destroyed. That is the project lol.
Freshwater resources. Fish. large animals. Trees. That was what NEPA was supposed to protect.
There is also a problem with discussing possibilities versus actual impacts. For example, you are required to analyze the odds of a tailings dam failing AND analyze the impacts of that failure would have on the environment. Why? The tailings dam is designed not to fail. Stop analyses of things that are not inevitable consequences of the project.
I think you could clarify and streamline the regulation pretty easily, just by amending it to exclude a bunch of stupid stuff. I'd also limit public input, which has largely been co-opted by organized groups.
We're almost to the point where deep spending cuts and significant tax hikes are "baked in" because of the national debt. Even the GOP is coming around on this.
A Democratic Party that is serious about across-the-board spending cuts (including defense and entitlements) without the clowning of DOGE would have the moral authority to raise taxes as part of a general fiscal fitness effort.