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What are Democrats going to do if President Donald Trump becomes popular? Fresh off his Gaza peace deal and with an economy that so far is holding up surprisingly well to his tariff burdens, it’s a natural time to ask about the fundamental message of the opposition party. Ruy Teixeira writes at his Liberal Patriot Substack that today’s Democrats have a problem: Nobody really knows what they stand for besides being really, really against Trump. That makes it hard to have a recognizable vision for the country since it’s a purely negative politics. What kind of society are Democrats aiming for and how would ordinary people find their place in it? The problem this presents is underscored by recent survey results from the Searchlight Institute. Their survey queried respondents on what each party wants for your life, covering marriage, having children, being able to retire, being able to regularly go on vacation, having a good job, owing a home, being your own boss, owning a car or truck, feeling stable in your personal life, and creating wealth for your children. Together these attainments
make up the basics of what has traditionally been seen as a good life… The news is not good for Democrats; indeed, it’s terrible. One of the only “advantages” Democrats have… is that respondents are more likely to say Democrats want none of these attainments for their life. Other than a modest three point advantage on “feeling stable in your personal life,” Democrats are behind the GOP on every other life attainment. Regular readers may recall that Searchlight is named for the hometown of former Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.). Founded recently by his former aide, longtime Democratic operative Adam Jentleson, the outfit wants to encourage Democrats to move away from “100 percent pure uncut resistance drivel” and to stop encouraging Democratic candidates to adopt the sort of wacky progressive positions on issues like climate and gender that helped to doom the Harris presidential campaign in 2024.
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