Today’s post will attempt to pull together a few disparate threads into a coherent view. Bear with me.

First, Mayor Mamdani. Yesterday, Mayor Mamdani followed through one of his promises: to tax the rich. In addition, he’s been doing something very simple yet effective (that, unfortunately, Democrats generally don’t do very well): showing New Yorkers the inner working s of government and all the positive things government does for regular people (like highlighting the 311 call center). His joyful, pragmatic and clear messaging combined with concrete actions are also driving the Epstein Class nuts. I agree with this Bluesky post:

Second, George Conway. Yeah, Conway is a former conservative Never Trumper running for Congress as a D in New York. No – he is not progressive in the classical sense (although he has embraced some pretty progressive  positions). But there is a “Nixon goes to China” aspect in his campaign. He understands the mindset of Republicans in general. He knows what motivates their mostly non-Trumpist voters. And he’s got a specific plan for bringing the U.S. back from its tilt towards fascism.

Third, Hungary. Jen Rubin wrote a good column today on how Peter Magyar (the new Hungarian PM) got it done in Hungary. She writes that Magyar  focused on the economic impact of corruption, lack of accountability/consequences, the tilt towards fascism and inequality, while connecting those problems to democracy and patriotism. Oh, and Rubin writes that Magyar echoes what Mamdani did – authentically run on optimism and joy instead of fear mongering, division and hate.

Fourth, Oliver Willis View on Bluesky. Willis has been pounding his view that Democrats have taken their base for granted and shied away from using their power to actually implement the policies Democrat vote for in an effort to attract a roader swath of voters.

To me, all of these seemingly independent topics are related in the sense that they show “The Way” for Democrats to not only topple the Republican’s would-be authoritarian regime but also forge a new coalition for more sustainable future political and policy success (remember my credo: “Policy is Politics and Politics is Policy^TM”.

Candidates and electeds should do The Weave (as in weaving the following ideas together, not “The Weave” that Trump talks about to cover for his dementia and mental illness):

My conclusions:

Be Authentic. While I still believe most voters are “low info” (i.e., ignorant of issues) voters, they can generally smell  when candidates/electeds are not being authentic. Both Magyar and Mamdani have laid down some pretty strong evidence that this is The Way.

Show and Tell People How Government Actually Helps Them (especially at the federal level). People tend to vote on what they believe directly impacts their life. The farther away government gets from them, the harder it is for them to see the connection between government [[policy/actions and direct impact. That’s why it’s easy for demagogues to take hold at the federal level and make pronouncements like, “I alone can fix it.” (the corollary is it’s incredibly rare to see demagogues at the county or state level; at that level, actual government performance matters). I love this because its true – the Epstein Class is freaking out over a politician focusing on helping regular people:

Be Bold and Relentless. Welcome “reformed” Republicans and MAGA and be open to their ideas (without, of course, compromising on core progressive policy). As Conway does, put forth bold approaches to fixing things. Trump is President mainly because our system isn’t working for most people in the U.S. Nibbling around the edges of a broken system isn’t going to cut it. Being bold also means acknowledging that the system is not working, that Democrats haven’t fully appreciated this fact (of course, framing and messaging this is important) and that Dems have gotten the message from regular people (also, see “Stand Up for What You Believe In Below).

Being bold also means holding those in power accountable for their actions, and ensuring there are meaningful personal consequences for broken laws and unconstitutional actions

Stand Up for What You Believe In. It turns out that Democratic policy priorities are actually popular while MAGA Republican policies are not (see HERE and HERE). At the same time, Democrats are generally viewed as “weak” and “ineffective”. Democrats need to be willing to forcefully stand behind the policies, they believe in while pulling a “Mamdani” (actually showing people how those policies improve regular people’s lives; it’s unbelievable that this isn’t a model that politicians – especially Dems - who are much more policy oriented than the current iteration of the Republican party – have adapted more often). This strong stance should also be coupled with showing appreciation for, and recognition of, your base voters. Doing this and appealing to others outside the base are not mutually exclusive. But ignoring the base and unwillingness to fight for your values/policies depresses turnout (see 2024 Presidential election) while keeping Democrats outside too many voters “Circle of Trust^TM”.

And that’s a wrap - enough to digest for this morning.