Democrats, It’s Time to Look in the Mirror

I don’t enjoy criticizing my own party—especially not while Donald Trump is laying waste to democratic norms and planning a second term that reads like a dystopian novel. But if we’re going to lead this country forward, we have to confront the hard truth: the Democratic Party is not meeting the moment.

We’ve spent years reacting to the chaos of Trumpism, but in doing so, we’ve lost something critical—our intellectual core. There was a time when being a Democrat meant being part of a big, sometimes messy, but always thoughtful coalition. We argued. We debated. We tried to solve problems. Today, too much of that has been replaced by branding exercises and ideological signaling. Candidates are rewarded for slogans, not solutions. Policy discussions get boiled down to taglines like “true progressive” or “bipartisan problem-solver,” as if we’re selling soap, not governing a nation.

We need more than messaging. We need ideas that can withstand scrutiny, be legislated, and change lives.

Take the Green New Deal. It’s a rallying cry for climate justice—a cause I deeply support. But when you actually read the resolution, you find soaring promises and little else. There are no policy mechanisms, no new agencies or regulations, not even funding. Just 14 pages of intentions with no legislative muscle behind them. That’s not a plan. That’s a press release. And yet we’ve allowed symbolic gestures like this to become the benchmark for what it means to be bold in our party.

We’re also dealing with a leadership class that’s been in office for decades. Many are talented, experienced public servants—but somewhere along the way, too many have prioritized staying in office over doing something with the office. They’ve perfected the performance of leadership without the risk that real leadership demands. They’ve become expert survivors in a system they no longer seem willing to change.

Meanwhile, our rising stars often lack the experience—or interest—to govern. They know how to go viral, how to turn a phrase, how to pick a fight. But passing legislation? Building coalitions? Navigating the unglamorous reality of policymaking? That’s a lot harder to clip for Twitter.

So we’re stuck. One side clings to power while dodging responsibility. The other chases influence without fully understanding the job. Both sides want to steer the party, and neither seems prepared to deliver what the moment demands: serious leadership, grounded in values, that’s ready to do the work.

We can’t afford to keep outsourcing the future of our party to either side of this binary.

I say this not to tear Democrats down, but to demand more from a party I love. We need to become the party of ideas again. We need to show Americans not just what we’re against, but what we stand for—and exactly how we plan to get there. That means real policies, real debate, and real leadership. It means showing voters that we’re capable not just of resisting Trumpism, but of replacing it with something better.

If we’re serious about saving democracy, it starts with cleaning our own house.

Because if we don’t, Trump won’t need to beat us. We’ll do it for him.