Totally agree. During the Biden Administration, I was hoping and hoping for consequences to be visited on Trump and the people who helped him break the law and attack the Capital. Cheer as I did for every little legal win those four years, I despaired over the slowness of the process, knowing the Republicans would drag their feet on every point to save their facist leader. Dems should be constantly on attack now. We need to be smart and lethal. Run on promises that MEAN something and will fix what the Republicans have done like expanding SCOTUS, term limits on judges, undermining and destroying the Federalist Society, levying taxes on Mega Churches and religious TV shills, reinstating the complete Voting Rights Act, and PUTYING TRUMP AND HIS CRONIES IN PRISON DOING HARD TIME.
The Democrats seem to have 3 giant problems that are making them self-own each opportunity to correct the damage the GOP has been doing. 1. They let right wing media liars control the narrative at all times. 2. They still think their GOP colleagues are on the same side as they are (see for a democratic Union). 3. They are way too comfortable with all of the money in politics that they personally benefit from.
#3 is the issue they least want to address but the one that keeps coming back to bite them when they want to convince people they are "the good guys". Pelosi's well documented stock gains don't do her any favors when she decides to prevent progressives from gaining power. They look like the work of someone who's more interested in personal gains than what's good for the country.
One thing about the current GOP. Their political muscles have atrophied and they do not expect a fight. Russell Vought's predations are premised on getting no push back from flummoxed progressives. My intuition tells me he leads a brittle coalition that is more vulnerable than we imagine.
I agree with that. Just as a wolf is confused when a cornered prey animal like a rabbit charges it, so are Republicans. That tells me we need to pour it on while they are confused and before they get organized.
I don’t watch team sports much. Football occasionally, basketball once in a great while, never baseball. But the one thing I hear from commentators when I do watch a game is how strong or weak a team’s offense or defense is. A team can be really good at one, lousy at the other, but it’s the well balanced teams with talent depth that have the best chance of becoming the ultimate champs. The Democrats often seem like a team that only wants to play defense, and often poorly. They’re always answering attacks, they don’t make many. I realize that as the party out of power there’s not a whole lot they can do, but I wish they’d try harder to denounce what’s happening, and really take whatever action they can take. Beto O’Rourke gets that.
There’s a line in the movie Mississippi Burning that always gets my applause. It’s when Willem Dafoe’s character says “Don't drag me into your gutter, Mr. Anderson!", and Gene Hackman’s character responds, “These people are crawling out of the SEWER, MR. WARD! Maybe the gutter's where we outta be!" If you know the movie you know what follows.
Here is a personal anecdote about the resonance of the fight narrative. I attended Beto's rally in Ft. Worth on Saturday. Gene Wu and the Texas Democrats zoomed in. Wu said they are receiving money from all over the nation. People are sending tons of messages supporting their fight. People are sending in donations for five dollars and saying it means going without something else in their budget.
But, let's be real here. There is a narrative. It is important to provide that narrative. Performance has value. But, this performance is directed at achieving something for real people. Texas is not a lost cause. This is not a private fight and all are welcome. But we aren't here to be a stepping stone for National Democrats to pursue an agenda which does not benefit us. (Which they did in the last quroum break)
Thank you Brian. I understand if everyone gerrymandered the republicans would still have and edge in the potential count. I like Beto. I have a BETO Yard sign maybe it's time to plant it on my yard, to make people realize he's a person to listen to.
I think R’s having an “edge” is overrated in the current context. This is because the thermostat is working against the R’s so much in the upcoming (2026) cycle. Nonetheless, fight like our republic depends on it to make that edge as small as possible.
I also think the Dems should come out loudly from leadership on down - maybe even take a performative vote to get them on record - promising to release the complete Epstein files (redacted ONLY to protect victims, NOT perpetrators) if they retake the House.
"We will subpoena the files and release them."
And, since the TX Dems are going to be forced to return soon enough anyway, they might as well go on record and offer to return if the Epstein files are released now.
You lost me at linking our very real struggle in Texas to protect the power of our votes to a national issue. While the Epstein files are important they not connected to our voting rights. Please recall, these are state legislators representing real people who will probably feel betrayed if their representatives broker a deal to trade away their votes for dirt on Trump, even if they hate Trump.
I believe we should nationalize the "fighting Democrat" brand a la Beto, but let's not throw us Texas Democrats under the bus in order to do so. We've been ignored for too long. Life is not pretty here. The point is to stop Trump from getting those five seats.
When Dems have power that fail to use it. Beto is right... Bring a gun to a gun fight and not a Swiss army knife. Get down in the mud with those scumbags and take them on with the same tactics. And it is a simple story to tell...Good against evil...one plotline that all Americans can get behind is the good guy taking down the bully. Beto is right... Get the power back with good, and when you get the power... USE IT!
Fighting also forces your opponent to make difficult choices that can backfire on their own accord.
If Dems gerrymander first, it might trigger Republicans to gerrymander even more aggressively, which might cause them to fall ass backwards into a dummymander which accidentally puts some of their "safe" seats at risk in a wave election.
In sports, this is called "game pressure". Your opponent is more likely to make mistakes when they get that feeling behind their ears that you are about to f*ck them up.
Totally agree. During the Biden Administration, I was hoping and hoping for consequences to be visited on Trump and the people who helped him break the law and attack the Capital. Cheer as I did for every little legal win those four years, I despaired over the slowness of the process, knowing the Republicans would drag their feet on every point to save their facist leader. Dems should be constantly on attack now. We need to be smart and lethal. Run on promises that MEAN something and will fix what the Republicans have done like expanding SCOTUS, term limits on judges, undermining and destroying the Federalist Society, levying taxes on Mega Churches and religious TV shills, reinstating the complete Voting Rights Act, and PUTYING TRUMP AND HIS CRONIES IN PRISON DOING HARD TIME.
The Democrats seem to have 3 giant problems that are making them self-own each opportunity to correct the damage the GOP has been doing. 1. They let right wing media liars control the narrative at all times. 2. They still think their GOP colleagues are on the same side as they are (see for a democratic Union). 3. They are way too comfortable with all of the money in politics that they personally benefit from.
#3 is the issue they least want to address but the one that keeps coming back to bite them when they want to convince people they are "the good guys". Pelosi's well documented stock gains don't do her any favors when she decides to prevent progressives from gaining power. They look like the work of someone who's more interested in personal gains than what's good for the country.
I agree with Beto. Do it now and full force. Don't hang back in the weeds waiting. Say, in NY, start now and be ruthless in eliminating red seats.
One thing, the bad guys need to be careful about what they do. Creating red districts within ten points could really backfire on them.
Brilliant writing, Brian. Keep it up!
One thing about the current GOP. Their political muscles have atrophied and they do not expect a fight. Russell Vought's predations are premised on getting no push back from flummoxed progressives. My intuition tells me he leads a brittle coalition that is more vulnerable than we imagine.
I agree with that. Just as a wolf is confused when a cornered prey animal like a rabbit charges it, so are Republicans. That tells me we need to pour it on while they are confused and before they get organized.
I don’t watch team sports much. Football occasionally, basketball once in a great while, never baseball. But the one thing I hear from commentators when I do watch a game is how strong or weak a team’s offense or defense is. A team can be really good at one, lousy at the other, but it’s the well balanced teams with talent depth that have the best chance of becoming the ultimate champs. The Democrats often seem like a team that only wants to play defense, and often poorly. They’re always answering attacks, they don’t make many. I realize that as the party out of power there’s not a whole lot they can do, but I wish they’d try harder to denounce what’s happening, and really take whatever action they can take. Beto O’Rourke gets that.
There’s a line in the movie Mississippi Burning that always gets my applause. It’s when Willem Dafoe’s character says “Don't drag me into your gutter, Mr. Anderson!", and Gene Hackman’s character responds, “These people are crawling out of the SEWER, MR. WARD! Maybe the gutter's where we outta be!" If you know the movie you know what follows.
Here is a personal anecdote about the resonance of the fight narrative. I attended Beto's rally in Ft. Worth on Saturday. Gene Wu and the Texas Democrats zoomed in. Wu said they are receiving money from all over the nation. People are sending tons of messages supporting their fight. People are sending in donations for five dollars and saying it means going without something else in their budget.
But, let's be real here. There is a narrative. It is important to provide that narrative. Performance has value. But, this performance is directed at achieving something for real people. Texas is not a lost cause. This is not a private fight and all are welcome. But we aren't here to be a stepping stone for National Democrats to pursue an agenda which does not benefit us. (Which they did in the last quroum break)
Thank you Brian. I understand if everyone gerrymandered the republicans would still have and edge in the potential count. I like Beto. I have a BETO Yard sign maybe it's time to plant it on my yard, to make people realize he's a person to listen to.
I think R’s having an “edge” is overrated in the current context. This is because the thermostat is working against the R’s so much in the upcoming (2026) cycle. Nonetheless, fight like our republic depends on it to make that edge as small as possible.
we have to overcome block they try to put in place. Yes
Totally agree.
I also think the Dems should come out loudly from leadership on down - maybe even take a performative vote to get them on record - promising to release the complete Epstein files (redacted ONLY to protect victims, NOT perpetrators) if they retake the House.
"We will subpoena the files and release them."
And, since the TX Dems are going to be forced to return soon enough anyway, they might as well go on record and offer to return if the Epstein files are released now.
You lost me at linking our very real struggle in Texas to protect the power of our votes to a national issue. While the Epstein files are important they not connected to our voting rights. Please recall, these are state legislators representing real people who will probably feel betrayed if their representatives broker a deal to trade away their votes for dirt on Trump, even if they hate Trump.
I believe we should nationalize the "fighting Democrat" brand a la Beto, but let's not throw us Texas Democrats under the bus in order to do so. We've been ignored for too long. Life is not pretty here. The point is to stop Trump from getting those five seats.
When Dems have power that fail to use it. Beto is right... Bring a gun to a gun fight and not a Swiss army knife. Get down in the mud with those scumbags and take them on with the same tactics. And it is a simple story to tell...Good against evil...one plotline that all Americans can get behind is the good guy taking down the bully. Beto is right... Get the power back with good, and when you get the power... USE IT!
Fighting also forces your opponent to make difficult choices that can backfire on their own accord.
If Dems gerrymander first, it might trigger Republicans to gerrymander even more aggressively, which might cause them to fall ass backwards into a dummymander which accidentally puts some of their "safe" seats at risk in a wave election.
In sports, this is called "game pressure". Your opponent is more likely to make mistakes when they get that feeling behind their ears that you are about to f*ck them up.