Some Democrats urge pre-capitulation to authoritarian goon who has never gotten a majority of the popular vote
By 
What the hell are we doing here:
Hilarious to see Democrats live through Mitch McConnell in 2009-2010 (among many other examples) and then think their best strategy is trying to seem reasonable by deal-cutting with extremists and grifters like Musk, RFK, etc. Um.
[image or embed]— Brendan Nyhan (@brendannyhan.bsky.social) December 18, 2024 at 6:36 AM
And wherever there are Democrats thinking about capitulating, every Silicon Valley reactionary’s favorite Democrat will be there:
“To win in 2026 and beyond, Democrats must focus on building an economic message centered on good-paying jobs and revitalizing manufacturing,” California Rep. Ro Khanna said. “But we have a responsibility now to try and find areas of common ground where we can deliver for Americans. I believe that starts with reducing the Pentagon’s oversized defense budget while strongly opposing any cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.”
This is exactly like sanewashing RFK Jr. as someone who just wants people to exercise and eat vegetables. TRUMP WAS ALREADY PRESIDENT ONCE! Trump substantially increased defense spending while coming one vote from enacting savage cuts to Medicaid! And Musk is even more strongly committed to slashing the safety net!
Democrats win 51.3% of the popular vote and Republicans treat the Biden presidency as illegitimate before inauguration day, and are able to make him a less popular figure than Trump. Republicans win 49.8% of the vote in an insanely favorable political environment for out-parties and Democrats are acting like Everett Dirksen in 1965. It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it.
I know the results were dismaying, but let’s keep things in perspective. As Nyhan says, the “act like an opposition party” strategy works and is particularly appropriate to this context. Leave the working towards the Donald to Republicans.