Let MAGA be the extremists. For Democrats to win, no weird stuff | Opinion

Moderate Democrats like me are concerned.

President Donald Trump’s regressive legislation and unprecedented executive actions are going unchecked by the legislative branch because both houses of that body are controlled by the Republican Party. Even though many of Trump’s MAGA policies, including increased federal spending, go against conservative principles, Beltway insiders fear retribution. And so the publishers, former officials, attorneys, policy experts and others who would have spoken out in prior administrations are now silent. Journalist Chuck Todd noted on his podcast on July 15, “They fear retaliation, they fear loss of security clearances, threats to their careers, even personal risk. … This is systematic weaponization of fear.”

In April 2025, Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said, “I am oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real.”

The game seems to be over. One man has won and the entire nation — including his rural base — seems to have lost. Wages for most Americans, when adjusted for inflation, have stagnated. According to a piece in The Harvard Business Review by Jay Shambaugh and Ryan Nunn: “Since the early 1970s, the hourly inflation-adjusted wages received by the typical worker have barely risen, growing only 0.2% per year. … At the same time, U.S. manufacturing has learned to produce more with fewer workers. Both developments generated widely shared benefits in the form of new products and lower prices, but also led to dislocation of some workers and downward pressure on less-skilled workers’ wages.”

The American dream feels further out of reach than it has in decades. A 2024 Pew Research Poll told us: “41% say the American dream was once possible for people to achieve — but is not anymore. And 6% say it was never possible.”

Negativity is in the air.

So where are the Democrats?

Well, some are out protesting along with the far left. The ”No Kings” protests were highly attended and covered extensively by the media. But it is votes, not protests, that change leadership and the midterm elections are not until November 2026. So what can the Democratic Party do?

Send clear message on popular policies

I suggest that Democratic thought leaders and officials develop a clear message to appeal to the concerns of most voters. There should be ads advocating a higher national minimum wage. Republicans would be forced to respond and would either advocate a lesser increase or no increase at all. Either way, Democrats win.

What Democrats and liberals should not do is continue using academic terms and theories that voters neither know nor care about. Is Trump a fascist and an oligarch? Maybe. But there are many voters who do not even know what those words mean — so focus instead on specific measures to improve their lives.

Expand Medicaid to include more middle-class Americans. Would that be expensive? Absolutely. But no less expensive than other measures Trump put into the One Big Beautiful Bill.

The Democratic Party needs to schedule more media appearances by moderate, plainspoken leaders such as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. There is nothing wrong with going mainstream. Young talent should continue to be developed. And, as boring as it may seem to low information voters, we should continue to be the adults in the room.

Many Americans were not provided adequate civics education when they were young. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation: “More than 70% of Americans fail a basic civic literacy quiz on topics like the three branches of government, the number of Supreme Court justices, and other basic functions of our democracy. Just half were able to correctly name the branch of government where bills become laws. “

The Democrats can fill this information void. Television, streaming and social media ads should go out entertainingly explaining what makes American government work and how it differs from, say, that of King George III.

And under no circumstances should the Dems co-opt the stances or messaging of democratic socialists such as New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Let MAGA be the party of extremist, self-promoting carnival barkers. The Democrats need to focus on helping the middle class and on prevailing in the midterms. No weird stuff.

Middle-aged registered Democrats like me need to freshen our perspective and retire our old war horses. We need to clarify our stances, pull together and state our messages clearly and plainly. No skinny suits, no hair gel, no faculty lounge language.

As James Carville said, “Winning is everything, stupid.”