Are You Blue?

Blue Wave. Blue Tsunami! Whatever you call it last week’s election results were the largest change election in modern US politics. It’s looking like Democrats may take 56 seats in the Senate! Democrats won in deep red states like South Carolina, Ohio and Texas, and are leading in Mississippi and Alaska! Candidates in Louisiana and Florida only barely lost their races (and likely could have been helped over the line with the missing investment from Dem leadership). Districts that had gone +10 or more for Trump flipped to Democrats!

Up and down the ballot it was a total rout. We witnessed the complete collapse of the Republican Party and a total repudiation of the Trump Administration and its illegality. These massive swings were seen in every demographic, but most notably among young people and Latinos, the latter of whom swung by up to 70 points towards Democrats in some areas of south Texas after witnessing the devastation of the horrific and unconstitutional ICE raids. After the last two years, Tuesday was a sign of hope that this country has not completely lost its mind and soul.

So, what united voters in this divided landscape? Exit polling shows 90% listed corruption as a crucial or major factor, followed closely by 89% saying the economy and affordability drove their vote. 74% said opposition to the Iran War, and over 50% noted opposition to AI expansion, specifically data centers. These are all issues Trump publicly and vociferously took the wrong side on, and the American people had had enough. They turned out, despite the mid-decade gerrymandering, and the poll closing, and SCOTUS gutting the Voting Rights Act in such massive numbers to say no to Trumpism, that it was too big to rig. Finally, with this election, it is the beginning of the end of the Trump era!

But a cornered rat can be extremely dangerous. We already saw Trump’s actions when losing in 2020, and during his fall we may see Donald Trump redefine the lame duck presidency, as always for the worst. Lest people be tempted to hope that Trump’s surprisingly conciliatory words in the moment mean he will learn from this historic rebuke we should look to his actions: firing Susie Wiles and appointing Stephen Miller as Chief of Staff, to learn his true intentions. Miller’s appointment suggests even more dangerous and radical activity from a man with everything to lose and no political races left to win…

In spite of that looming Trumpian shadow, this is a moment when change is possible. A moment when people, normally cynical and despondent, have in desperation raised their voices and demanded change! They demand an end to the War, an end to the corruption and self dealing. They want prices under control, and the freedom to determine their own future instead of oligarchs and Tech overlords dictating one (and an explicitly detrimental one at that) to us all.

In a leap of faith they have given the Democrats more power in the legislature than many thought possible in a modern partisan political landscape. But to those following each week at DSOT, it shouldn’t be surprising. We’ve long been saying in our emails and Zoomchats that issues like the ones above have the potential to build a new popular coalition, if only politicians could shake off the donor class and listen to the people!

It seems that many newly elected Democratic party members listened, and rode to victory on an economic populist vision of America. From James Talarico in Texas, to Troy Jackson in Maine, Sherrod Brown in Ohio, and Annie Andrews in South Carolina they were all preaching a version of the economic populism that Bernie Sanders ran on in 2016: the 99% against the 1. There’s a huge opportunity here, but the Democrats must not squander it!

Make no mistake, Democrats as a party are still unpopular. The establishment of either party is not who won last week. The people are calling for Change and for Bold Vision. They have seen Donald Trump and his ilk run roughshod over the rule of law with seemingly no consequences and no checks and balances. To “move forward” without accountability would be betrayal of the highest order. It might make some in power uncomfortable, but we need public investigations, wherever they may lead. We need Democrats to end The Illegal Iran war, and to pause the AI data center construction. And that’s just to start. These elections made it crystal clear the American people want a new direction, and they aren’t interested in hearing procedural reasons why Democrats cannot achieve it. They’re ready for change and they’re only going to give the Democrats this one chance to do it.

That starts with new leadership on the Democratic side. To have a chance at a government that actually represent its people we must act now to stop the election of Schumer and Jeffries to leadership in the Senate and House respectively. It was under their leadership that the Trump Administration came into power, and then they did nothing as Trump despoiled the government. It was not their preferred candidates who won many of the hotly contested primaries. They have proven time and again they are not the people for this moment!

So call your Senators and Representatives at (202-224-3121) and tell them not to support Schumer and Jeffries for leadership! The monied interests are already rallying, trying to make sure that this loss is blunted, and the potential for change is squashed. So, get out there, and get active, because voting is only the beginning. Last Tuesday showed that this country is ready for change, and that it can make change bigger and faster than we ever thought possible. So make your voices heard on the phones and then throw in your economic voice with us each Tuesday! Don’t Shop on Tuesday! #DSOT