With 55 days until the most important elections in American history, I am going to try to thread a delicate political needle one more time without bloodying my index finger, while pointing out some significant problems with a tone-deaf Democratic Party that refuses to listen to its voters.
I know, I know, but bear with me, please, because I see this as a necessary crusade to save America, and that fading party, while helping it prevail in November and well into the future.
While I think it is crucial — absolutely CRUCIAL — that these flawed Democrats have a big day on November 3, because they are massively better than the alternative, I think is equally important the party understands that simply being the lesser of two evils, stopped having any real, long-lasting appeal approximately a decade ago.
By and large, the current Democratic Party is too old, too tired, too out of touch, too cautious, and way too far underneath the size-20 loafers of the Big Money corporate raiders who threaten to squash them if they dare get out of line.
Look, there is nothing to recommend Republicans, who are populated by tongue-wagging racist, country-club Christian Nationalist grifters and terrorists. They have been purchased by those corporate billionaires, and are still acting out grievances from the Civil War.
The Republican Party violently attacked us on January 6, 2021, and in any country that TRULY values law and order would have been finished forever after that terrible day.
Its grotesque leader, the felon Donald Trump, who spurred that attack, spent Tuesday afternoon disgracing the victims of 9/11 by making it all about himself and lying about where he was and what he did that day.
Even for Trump, this level of hideousness was breathtaking.
The New York Times called Trump’s outlandish claims “a disputed account” because after a decade of this, they still don’t know how to spell L-I-E and for all of Democrats’ issues, are still most responsible for normalizing this foray into authoritarian rule.
Get a load of this headline, and ask yourself how badly the NYT would have roasted anybody who claimed false valor on that terrible day as Trump did Tuesday.
This loathsome Republican Party always goes backwards because they lack the vision and the guts to go forward. There is no excuse for voting for a Republican right now unless you are stupid, a fascist, anti-American, a bigot, a billionaire, or all five of those things.
Unfortunately, as we all well know, MAGA is a cult that votes tenaciously. They number in the tens of millions, and have an incredible threshold of pain. They are getting screwed just as badly as everybody else is by this top-down, crushing Trump economy, but just as long as their master continues to hate who they do, will bleed out on the operating table rather than admit they were wrong about anything.
I have no suggestions for how to get through to these people. I have tried repeatedly with no success. I have lost scores of friends and colleagues to their disease, and have decided to inoculate myself against it, by simply avoiding them.
But back to my larger point …
Most Americans do not like either of our two major political parties. Roughly two-thirds of of Democrats are frustrated with their party right now.
As I’ve typed before I am a lifelong Independent, because as a lifelong journalist I couldn’t risk my credibility by becoming too political, which was pretty easy after I got to know too many politicians.
These days, as an observer and columnist, I am comfortable telling you I will never vote for a Republican again. That didn’t start with Trump. It started after George W. Bush went into Iraq.
That so many Democrats went along with that high crime, is one of the main reasons I proudly call myself an Independent, and why voting for Barack Obama, who voted against that war, was so easy.
But for purposes of this piece, I will concentrate on the party’s serial dysfunction as reasons for my proud independence.
America is an idiotic, consumer-driven society which is far more interested in what it can acquire than what it can return. Roughly a third of eligible voters won’t even bother to go to the polls this November.
Some will tell you the reason for this is because no matter who they vote for, things won’t change either way. Still others will tell that they weren’t even aware there were elections.
To be clear: These excuses — or ANY excuse — are pathetic. If you live in a Democracy, the bare minimum you should do is vote.
Then there are others who will vote, but are skeptical things will ever get better. I believe this is an ever-increasing voting bloc. I believe many younger voters, and more and more older ones fall into this category, as well. This is very dangerous, because when people lose faith, they lose hope. When they lose hope, they become apathetic. When they become apathetic, they are ripe for the taking.
So what to do?
Well, here are eight things from a longer list that Democrats should be talking about right now to pull these disenchanted voters over to their side, and give them hope that change is still possible in America:
- Democrats have been rightfully criticized for they inability to assemble words that resonate with voters, so I’ll start with a message: Prices are absolutely NUTS right now, America, and Republicans are 100 percent to blame with their insane tariffs, endless wars and capitulation to odious billionaires, who are stepping on all of our necks for their profit. Republicans control the Executive, the Senate, the House and the Court. This country is a complete disaster area, and all of this is their fault. Repeat: ALL OF THIS IS THEIR FAULT. Vote for change. (This might be the easiest message to articulate in history.)
- Announce immediately that there has been no decision on who will be leading the party going forward. Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Ken Martin are about as popular as moldy bread. Make it clear that you have heard all the upset with this so-called leadership, and that it will be addressed. The party needs fresh faces leading the way pronto. I really can’t emphasize this enough. You don’t get to tell us you’ve heard us, and will be breaking out new ideas and energy, while fielding the same tired-ass leadership to get it done. I promise you that this announcement would give Democrats an immediate bump at the polls, and fire up its base. It is absolutely insane this hasn’t happened yet, and illustrates a haughtiness and disdain for the voters.
- Make it clear that the billionaires own too much of America, and that Citizens United is in large part responsible for this. Educate the American public on the damage this appalling ruling has done to America. This would not be hard. CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE, the same way Trump is not honest. Make it clear that billionaires like Elon Musk are the most dangerous people on Earth, and that they will be held accountable, and kept the hell away from OUR government. We do this by getting money out of politics. Will it be hard? Yes. Is all this unchecked money wrecking our country? Yes. Can we continue to survive this? No.
- Announce that it is past time to implement term limits in the Congress and our Courts. If you got into politics to make a difference, congratulations. You are among the best there is in America. If you got into politics to make it a career, go away. How many people in both political parties fall into the latter category? I’ve seen enough 75-year-old, 15-term congresspeople to last 20 lifetimes. I’m sorry, but a person like this has NO IDEA what is in the heads of 80 percent of America, and has been suffocating inside the Beltway.
- I say cap the age of elected officials at 70. Go ahead, call me an ageist. I really don’t care. I believe the oldest person in Washington should be 74.
- Cap the Senate to three consecutive six-year terms. You can’t run for a third term past the age of 68.
- EXTEND Congressional terms to three years. You read that right. Enough of these never-ending election seasons. I have never understood two-year terms, when all these people do is spend their time raising money their first year, so they can run again the following year. Nothing gets done this way. Cap their stints in Congress to six terms.
- Cap the Supreme Court justices to staggering 12-year terms. These lifetime appointments are way past absurd.
I am not locked into the specifics on these term limits and age restrictions, and there might be good reasons for altering my suggestions. Something simply has to be done, though, and the party that comes up with a workable way forward will gain immediate favor with the American people.
This will be a hard fight, but points to meaningful change that will allow for more Americans to feel like they are part of our political process instead of just pawns in some rigged game aimed at screwing us.
America is at its very best when its people lead, and the leaders follow. That is most certainly not happening in 2026 America.
Me? I am sick and tired of being told to just shut up and fall in line. How about you?
D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here.