Does the Democratic Party need a special think tank?

[kentuck]

So that they will have a plan of action whenever they take power again?

The status quo surely cannot continue.

What strategy should they follow?

In my opinion, nothing can be done until the mess is cleaned up.

The corruption must be stopped and it must be punished. There must be accountability. The short term problem is that winning the House and/or Senate does not control the Justice Department. But it would permit investigations and examinations under oath. These crooks must answer for their actions and be held accountable for their actions. To "establish justice" should be the first act of a new Congress.

In my opinion, Democrats should be planning ahead for what needs to be done to rebuild our government and our democracy. It is going to be a huge task.

The fascists are in control and they have no inhibitions about stealing everything that is within reach.

[CousinIT]

1. They damn sure need better messaging and strategy. They don't use power well.

They need to change that. NOW. (actually a few decades ago, but they didn't, which is why we're here)

They rely on their procedures and processes. Well, THOSE are out the window! So now they seem lost.

[Ars Longa]

36. We need a basic simple message to run on:

1.) Immediate Complete oversight of the Trump Regime, and
investigations of all this Regimes' corruption of the last
1.5 years..

2.) Complete demolition and rebuilding of ICE as a HUMANE
moral immigration agency!!

3.) Immediate Billionaire Wealth tax for those over $1B Net worth.

4.) HealthCare Medicare or single payer for ALL!!

5.) Expand the Supreme Court to 13

6.) Proposal to end Gerrymandering by all parties.....

ect...

[usonian]

2. I have posted about the disappearance of the party between elections while the GOP hate mill keeps on spewing nonstop.

Last edited Fri May 8, 2026, 12:49 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244576
The party has lost working people to a racist cult. LET'S WIN THEM BACK.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244015
A grassroots revolution is needed for the party to win.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244055
A "We the Party" platform suggestion. Mostly economic issues. Your inputs, especially social issues, are welcome.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244034
The "Sound of Silence" from leaders is going to get us all killed.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/13244278
What's YOUR project 2026 to fix this Nazi onslaught of resentment/outrage/destruction du jour?

Edit to add:
The best, the ONLY cure to WhiteChristianNationalism, race baiting, mysogyny, etc. is WINNING
https://democraticunderground.com/100216524810
March 2022
"Hearts and Minds" aren't going to change for a long time, maybe never, but Winning changes everything.

[leftstreet]

6. +1

Those are great links. Thanks for posting

[Keepthesoulalive]

12. Wow

The white working class has always been racist. No one makes them listen to hate radio or look at Fox News.if you want black folks to go away just say so. We have been harmed more than any other group after fighting for everyone’s rights and you want to cater to the people who are celebrating our pain. Economics will not change hearts nor will messaging. The pain he is inflicting on that working class may change votes but they were comfortable in celebrating the same people who are stealing everything from farmland to equites. Enjoy.

[usonian]

15. You pointed out something I left out (and will edit in)

The best, the ONLY cure to WhiteChristianNationalism, race baiting, mysogyny, etc. is WINNING
https://democraticunderground.com/100216524810
March 2022

If you're tired of hearing it from me, this is from the epilogue of "Stamped From the Beginning", by Ibram X Kendi.
This is of course, about racism, but racism is the engine of the Repugnant party.
Emphasis mine:

Protesting against racist power and succeeding can never be mistaken for seizing power. Any effective solution to eradicating American racism must involve Americans committed to antiracist policies seizing and maintaining power over institutions, neighborhoods, counties, states, nations—the world. It makes no sense to sit back and put the future in the hands of people committed to racist policies, or people who regularly sail with the wind of self-interest, toward racism today, toward antiracism tomorrow. An antiracist America can only be guaranteed if principled antiracists are in power, and then antiracist policies become the law of the land, and then antiracist ideas become the common sense of the people, and then the antiracist common sense of the people holds those antiracist leaders and policies accountable.

And that day is sure to come. No power lasts forever. There will come a time when Americans will realize that the only thing wrong with Black people is that they think something is wrong with Black people. There will come a time when racist ideas will no longer obstruct us from seeing the complete and utter abnormality of racial disparities. There will come a time when we will love humanity, when we will gain the courage to fight for an equitable society for our beloved humanity, knowing , intelligently, that when we fight for humanity, we are fighting for ourselves. There will come a time. Maybe, just maybe, that time is now.

[Keepthesoulalive]

26. We've waited 300 years

And we keep fighting the same battle and losing ground once we have secured an inch. I saw this coming with Reagan, it took almost 40 years but it has finally paid off and what this country is going to lose we can’t begin to imagine. I have seen people worshipping the unworthy looking at musk and the tech bros. This country cannot change unless the electorate engages in some critical thinking. They have invested billions in propaganda and they are giddy about the results.

[usonian]

28. And rewrite history as well.

Emmanuel Goldstein, "THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF OLIGARCHICAL COLLECTIVISM" in the novel "1984"

https://genius.com/Emmanuel-goldstein-the-theory-and-practice-of-oligarchical-collectivism-annotated

PDF:

https://dn721904.ca.archive.org/0/items/the-theory-and-practice-of-oligarchical-collectivism_202408/THE%20THEORY%20AND%20PRACTICE%20OF%20OLIGARCHICAL%20COLLECTIVISM.pdf

In 1984, when Oldspeak was still the normal means of communication, the danger theoretically existed that in using Newspeak words one might remember their original meanings. In practice it was not difficult for any person well grounded in DOUBLETHINK to avoid doing this, but within a couple of generations even the possibility of such a lapse would have vanished. A person growing up with Newspeak as his sole language would no more know that EQUAL had once had the secondary meaning of ‘politically equal’, or that FREE had once meant ‘intellectually free’, than for instance, a person who had never heard of chess would be aware of the secondary meanings attaching to QUEEN and ROOK.
...

When Oldspeak had been once and for all superseded, the last link with the past would have been severed. History had already been rewritten.

A crass ass gotta erase class.

Fascist playbook.

[Keepthesoulalive]

30. I understand what you are saying

But isn’t that what you accuse the democrats of not speaking in short concise messages a two year old can understand. Your message is so esoteric it loses the gut punch my community is experiencing. I also see where this is leading.

[usonian]

33. It was a digression.

Orwell saw clearly how despots "have to" rewrite history.

As for Keeping i Simple, I defer to Bernie and AOC to spell out the root cause of most problems (the fascist playbook is just what the oligarchs use because they understand the appeal to hate, and are blinded by greed)

I have posted from time to time how IBM supplied the information tools to run concentration camps, and how Henry Ford got a medal from the Nazis for his treatise on the "International Jew"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_International_Jew

Scum, and the root cause.

Please consult the aforementioned leaders!!!

[Keepthesoulalive]

35. I am aware of corporate and government complicity in the holocaust

Reports were coming out in the early 1930’s about atrocities but Germany was good for business and they told people who were concerned to not discuss it. But how does this enfranchise the minority populations now. America has been full of shit for a long time, they have finally showed their asses to the world. Braiding the maypole ain’t cool.

[yankee87]

3. Project 2029

We need to go after the MAGAts using the full force of the federal law 4nforcement. There is no going back to "normal".
We need to have the government used the same way as now.

[gab13by13]

9. I am fiercely on board with that.

[Fiendish Thingy]

19. Nothing happens without court expansion

You don’t need a think tank for that, just 51% of Congress made up of courageous Democrats.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. They need a second think tank

that is charged with understanding and gaming out what the opposition does or would do. What could go wrong?

My sense is these guys just plod onward and repeat the same elections, pollsters, tactics. This has been going on since 2000.

And they should start with a thorough read and understanding of ideology, what the party stands for, how it won in the past.

No more sleepwalking.

[dalton99a]

5. I don't want any talk of understanding, compassion, reconciliation.

We have had ten years to understand the criminals and their supporters.

I want extirpation, fumigation, prosecution.

[TheProle]

18. That's not a platform

It will sell well to the Bluesky activist wing of the party but, even amongst the bulk of No Kings protestors, we'll likely find that most voters just want him gone and concrete legislative rollbacks of his terrible policies and EOs.

So, yes, there will be plenty of people who want their pound of flesh, but a platform that is little more than vengeance for the Trump years will fall short for people want to move forward, pay less for groceries and gas, have better healthcare and a more secure future.

[kentuck]

22. I think it has to be both...

A progressive agenda for the working people of this country and accountability for the people that destroyed the progress that had been made.

[TheProle]

29. Yep that's what I was saying.

[Prairie_Seagull]

7. IMV we need a bona fide platform

highlighting the needs of the working class, shore up SS for future generations, money out of politics...

Fix the shit that this administration broke.

Repeated ad nauseam.

WIN.

[usonian]

10. See my reply #2

The only people not listening are the ones who are in charge.

[Prairie_Seagull]

13. When I started my post there was only

1 post so I missed it. Thanks for the heads up.

[usonian]

14. One has to type quickly here.

Great inputs today.

Time to kick butt. Or whatever.

[Prairie_Seagull]

20. Bruce was/is one of my heros

The typing thing, well I have missed out on saying what I wish due to others getting there first, many times. Left hand isn't for shit these days. I figured...you know what I figured.

Love the meme/pic

[usonian]

21. Share, if it offends people!

[gab13by13]

8. It needs input from unwashed Democrats

Look how Indivisible has organized millions of people by getting out into the heartland, by getting ordinary Democrats to mobilize and organize at grass roots levels.

Make a donation to or join Indivisible, we the people are going to have to save ourselves, it is up to us to throw out the billionaire traitors.

Doing polls and pumping money at the election is not enough, Democrats need a platform to run on, say we are going to try to expand the Supreme Court, say you are going to try to fight Citizens United and get big money out of politics. Make republicans defend money in politics.

Nominate a non-politician for president in 2028, a person who unites both progressives and moderates.

I like Miles Taylor, he speaks with fire and Malcolm Nance for VP. Someone like Sally Yeats.

Democrats need to start thinking outside the box, times have changed. We need a president who will nominate the best person as AG to hold Magats accountable. If he/she can't get confirmed make him/her acting AG.

We cannot just move on.

[leftstreet]

11. Ugh. Can we not say "unwashed?" n/t

[gab13by13]

16. My use of the word unwashed is a literary word

that merely describes ordinary people, working class people. I certainly mean no disrespect, I am an unwashed American and proud of it. I have worked since I was in high school, until the day I retired and now I work just as hard at 78 years old around the house.

I picked up the word unwashed in a book that I read.

[Fiendish Thingy]

17. NO!

Any potential “think tank” would be filled with party insiders, professional consultants and lobbyists.

Let the people be their own think tank, and let politicians respond to what the people want.

[rampartd]

23. project management

republicans seem to have a plan of action with milestones.

who keeps ours?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

24. Progressive Policy Institute? Center for American Progress? Third Way? Roosevelt Institute? Brookings?

[ALBliberal]

25. Headed by Obamas!!!!

[ultralite001]

31. Set aside current management of the DNC...

Ken Martin has all the appeal of a pool of stagnant water...

As damping as restrictor plates in racing...

As effective as mosquito repellant...

Youngsters w/ new, different, progressive ideas will avoid the party like the plaque...

[jmowreader]

32. It would be WAY easier if we could get 67 votes in the Senate

This page lists all the Senate seats being elected in 2026.

https://www.senate.gov/senators/Class_II.htm

Right now there are 47 Democrats and 53 Republicans in the Senate. The spread between what we have and what we need to flush out the entire Trump Administration is 20, and there happen to be exactly 20 Republican seats up for election this year.

Of the twenty, we have a chance in four of those races: Maine is always a possibility, and seven GOP senators have announced they're not running. Here are the three I think we can get.

1. Kentucky. There are two reasons I'm going for Kentucky winding up with a Democrat in Mitch McConnell's chair. First, Kentucky WILL vote for Democrats if they're really good. Take a look at their governor, Andy Beshear. Not only did they elect him (and increase the spread between he and the GOP candidate when he ran for reelection), they also elected his father Steve before him. The other reason is that Donald Trump has totally fucked over the bourbon industry, which is one of the biggest drivers of economic growth in Kentucky.

2. Montana. Montana is a big part of the American Redoubt movement, which is James Wesley Rawles' scheme to turn Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Montana into right-wing shitholes by moving all the right-wingers in California into them. However, Redoubters are a definite minority in Montana - and those people are doing shit native Montanans do not like, such as trying to sell off Montana's considerable inventory of public lands...which would eliminate the federal "PILT" (payment in lieu of taxes) payments that actually fund the state government. Montana has elected Democrats before - one of the best governors of the past 50 years, Brian Schweitzer, is a Democrat - and I believe they can find it within themselves to do it again.

3. North Carolina. Seven of North Carolina's counties - Cumberland, Harnett, Robeson and Hoke (Fort Bragg/Liberty), Onslow (Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River), Craven (Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point) and Wayne (Seymour Johnson Air Force Base) - have economies HIGHLY dependent on the Orange Menace NOT shipping their troops off to fight unprovoked wars. Duplin, Sampson and Robeson Counties (Robeson appears twice for a reason) are the center of the chicken and hog industries in the state, which are being affected by Trump screwing up the international trade in pork and poultry and driving up food prices, making their products unaffordable to many Americans. Lee County has two manufacturers that are heavily affected by Trump's economy and trade policies: Caterpillar, which makes skid steers and compact loaders in Sanford, and Coty, which is America's biggest manufacturer of cosmetics, perfumes and skin care products. Moore County, where Pinehurst and Southern Pines - known as the Home of American Golf - are heavily dependent on tourism, and a lot of people who used to go there to golf can't afford to travel for golf vacations now. Thirteen of North Carolina's counties - Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Nash, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, and Wilson, which comprise the Research Triangle metropolis - are heavily affected by Trump screwing up international trade...and the fact that the Triangle holds the largest concentration of pharmaceutical manufacturers in the US sure isn't helping things any either, especially with RFK Junior running the department that regulates what they make. Seven additional counties - Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Union, Iredell, Rowan and Lincoln, which are the North Carolina side of the state border in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area - are heavily affected by Trump's torturing of the economy because several big banks are headquartered there. Trump's actions are also screwing up this MSA's most famous industry, which is NASCAR. And...those are the places the majority of North Carolina actually lives. In essence, if you had to pick a state that's been hit hardest by Trump's malfeasance this is the one. A Democrat with a "I can fix this" message should be very appealing.

[haele]

34. No. We just need to stop attacking each other to protect individual causes -

And start attacking the problems.
"My cause is more important than yours" ends up with ruined lives and dead innocents on our side just as much as on the GOP side.