Authenticity and Candidates Matter

Another piece, so it must be a theme these days but worth a read

I was reading a piece on the Liberal Patriot today, and it was full of quotes I feel could have been lifted from here. I wanted to have it for all to read.

It is a discussion of the Senatorial Candidate in Maine, Graham Platner, the media’s favorite topic it seems after Zoharn Mamdani. Platner, in particular, is an encapsulation of the gap existing between candidates speaking to the frustration of voters and the ability to win in a general. Dating and marrying some say. Democrats date in primaries and marry in the general.

There was one quote which resonated among the many.

“What critics of the blue-collar strategy miss is that it is not chiefly about projecting a hearty “Joe Six-Pack” vibe. The point, rather, is to run nontraditional candidates who have a genuine stake in their local community and can distinguish themselves from a national party that many working families see as either aloof or reproachful. Fundamentally, the party needs fresh voices who have an intimate feel not just for the challenges that afflict hollowed-out towns and cities, but also for the psychic toll that being “left behind” imposes upon multiple generations.”

Here is the thing, it is not just blue collar voters, it is happening in cities too. Look at the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). It is because they speak to those who are left behind. What we are talking about is the disconnect between the leaders and the people. We are too technocratic. Someone who just went through the devastation of losing a town to wildfire, for instance, could speak to the toll of being left behind. The point is, our leaders are “managing,” and not “leading.” In the absence, we get those who fill the void, whether realistic, capable, or neither, just another flash in the pan.

The media loves these stories. The arc of the rise and then the fall. We get it. The retreads do not have that ready-made storyline.

I will leave it with this quote because of the Business as Usual (BAU) allusion and my post the other day…

“But whether or not Platner ends up a footnote of the midterm cycle, the episode is bound to impact how the Democratic Party navigates the national electorate heading into 2028. And for those who are attracted to Platner and his unsparing attacks on business-as-usual, Democrats are currently at risk of drawing the wrong lessons.”

They need to see there is a need to attack but also have an idea of how. The “how” is the key. It is not about tearing it down. Tearing it down is what the change makers misplace as a mandate. It is only half the job. It satisfies the emotion but leaves people without anything. See the resentment to Trump now. The “how” is critical. It lets people know there is something there to stabilize.

There is a path. It is channeling the desire with the substance. These examples, these candidates are peeling back the onion or shucking the oyster to get to the middle.