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- Predictable Failure for Ken Martin
Axios’ latest newsletter caught my eye when it landed in my inbox this morning. They’ve posted a story with the basics, but the newsletter goes into more detail. It’s basically a hit piece against Ken Martin. He’s not raising enough money, not talking to donors enough, he withheld the 2024 “autopsy” but people who’ve seen it say that it’s not tough enough / too disorganized / etc. Like a lot of what Axios publishes, it’s as if they called all of their DC sources and said “shit on Ken Martin: go”.
I normally have little interest in this kind of DC gossip, but I wanted to make a couple of points about this.
First, this “Dems in disarray” story is almost certainly not the product of a bunch of “people on the left” shitting on Ken Martin. Axios is a establishment DC publication, which means their sources are DC consultants and staffers from the center-left to the far right, which for them is the “mainstream”. This ain’t the product of Bernie bros or tankies or whatever other Blue MAGA enemy du jour is being scapegoated for Democratic failure. The call is coming from inside the house.
Second, almost every engaged Democrat that I know wanted Ben Wikler for this job, in the hopes that he’d resuscitate the moribund DNC. I think Wikler’s loss is probably overall a good thing for him, because he’d probably be getting the same or worse treatment from the DC establishment. Without a commitment from that establishment for real change at the DNC, there’s not going to be change there, and it’s clear that they don’t want change. They seem to want to just let Trump fuck up and take credit for the inevitable wave election with their weak-ass “affordability” messaging.
Finally, nobody wants to give the DNC money because they’re incredibly uninspiring. Here’s Ken Martin’s message on the Iraq war:
“Overnight and without congressional approval, Donald Trump initiated major combat operations against Iran. Trump himself said that this operation is ‘massive and ongoing’ and he expects there may be American casualties. I am praying for the safety of our men and women in uniform, of Americans and their families in the region, and of innocent civilians.
“Trump sold voters on a ‘pro-peace’ vision of himself as an America First candidate, yet in under 13 months, he has ordered strikes on seven foreign nations and plunged our country into more open-ended conflict using taxpayer dollars. While he’s distracted by foreign conflicts and shiny ballrooms, Trump has failed to deliver on his promise to bring costs down for working families, who are paying more every day because of Trump’s actions. If we can’t trust Donald Trump to live up to his most basic promises here on the home front, how can we possibly trust his judgment to put our brave servicemembers in harm’s way?
“Make no mistake: the Iranian regime has sanctioned terrorism, and undermined democracy and the human rights of its people. But our nation deserves better than a government that shoots first and asks questions later. Americans do not look fondly on presidents that force us into deadly, expensive, endless conflicts. Democrats in Congress are demanding answers on behalf of the American people, who have made clear they do not support Trump’s war.”
He’s the titular head of the Democratic Party, but the word “Republican” does not appear in his statement. It’s all Trump. Plus, “demanding answers” — come on, are you fer it or agin’ it? Let’s look at what a talented politician posted recently:
Also, this:
Like clock work. Whenever Republicans run the government, they trash the economy for working people. Prices go up. 10 of the last 11 recessions were under Republican Presidents. Good for the mega corporations and billionaires, bad for everyone else.
— Maxwell Frost (@maxwellfrost.bsky.social)2026-03-08T23:59:58.350Z
The reason Martin can’t post something like that Frost’s take on gas prices is that he’s in a straitjacket: he can’t criticize Republicans because the establishment he serves is stuck in a past where being mean to Republicans might jeopardize some important legislation down the line. He also he can’t criticize billionaires and mega corporations, because they pay the establishment consultants’ salaries. So he’s “demanding answers” instead. Lumpy mashed potatoes from Martin versus a brick chucked by Frost. It’s no surprise that the latter message makes an impact and the former doesn’t.
Small donors have realized that there’s zero benefit in supporting the DNC so they don’t send them money. Big donors can just turn their money hose into super pacs who do exactly what they want. There’s no space there for the DNC, which is something you’ll never read in an Axios hit piece.
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