Democrats At A Crossroads— Are They Capable Of Learning From Past Mistakes?

From Hope to Disillusionment: The Dems’ Failing Struggle For Progressive Ideals

These days— too late— more and more people agree with what USA Today columnist Sara Pequeño wrote on Sunday: America chose wrong. Sanders would've been a better president than Trump or Biden. Also better than, especially better than, Hillary or, in all likelihood, Kamala Harris.

With even Trump and RFK Jr borrowing Bernie’s ideas— at least superficially— on drug prices and even crediting him for them— Pequeño decided it was time to note “how good Sanders’ policy positions could have been for the country. It makes you wonder how much better off the United States would be if Sanders had been the 2016 Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton… It would be amazing to see Republicans do more to incentivize the creation of affordable housing or implement tariffs selectively. It would be great to see the Democrats champion Medicare for All and a reduction in military spending. Both parties could learn from Sanders’ stances on reforming the U.S. immigration system and taxing the rich. At minimum, both Democrats and Republicans could acknowledge the current distrust in American political parties... Say what you will about Sanders, but he’s always been steadfast in his criticisms of obscene wealth and his championing of the working class. It’s something that I’d like to see more of from both political parties.”

Instead we have a candidate— a Democrat— for governor of Iowa who raked in $8 million last cycle, $7 million of it from the wealthy family he married into… which also contributes to MAGA extremist Randy Feenstra. As Iowa progressive and congressional candidate Travis Terrell has pounded away on, one of his own top priorities is getting unlimited wealth out of politics. He’s a New Deal Democrat who supported Bernie and his policy agenda makes him very different from Republicans and from establishment Democrats. (You can contribute to his 100% grassroots campaign here.)

Pequeño wrote that ‘while Sanders is older than both Trump and Biden, he has qualities that both of them lack. In 2022, a USA Today--Ipsos poll found that Sanders had the highest approval of any Democratic contender from the 2024 election. He's more energetic than Biden and is better at drawing crowds of people. He has credibility amongst most Americans that Biden and other Democrats lack. Although he and Trump differ drastically in their opinions on social issues, they both appeal to working-class Americans through their promises to make life cheaper. While Trump only says these things to win elections, Sanders actually has plans for how these changes could take place and is better suited for implementing policy. Democrats need Sanders' popularity and energy to beat MAGA… Sanders has also proven to be one of the few people on the left who is facing Trump’s second term head-on. He’s taken the show on the road with the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, drawing record crowds as he and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) talked about the dangers of Trump… [T]he crowds have included Republicans and independents… It would be nice if the Democrats could see Sanders as an ally or go so far as to implement some of his ideas in the next presidential campaign… Perhaps top Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin could learn a thing or two from Sanders, who recently suggested that the Democratic brand is so toxic that progressives should consider dropping the label altogether and running as independents. If we want to save the party and defeat Trump in the midterms, it’s clear that something needs to change. Sanders is providing a roadmap for how to do it. I can't help but think about what kind of president he would have been.”

For people who didn’t support Bernie’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020— and congressional campaigns for decades before that (including the Vermont Democratic Party several times)— there’s a need to go further than just moaning about the past. Pequeño didn’t mention supporting AOC for president in 2028, an equivalent of supporting OG Bernie back in the day. Or if not AOC, at least Jeff Merkley… although that sounds like a great ticket to me AOC/Merkley.

Last week Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, wrote that “it’s clear how unprepared Democratic leadership has been for this moment… [T]he absence of true oppositional leadership has been deafening. After spending an entire campaign cycle naming Trump as an existential threat to our democracy and rule of law— which he is— the party’s leadership has folded at the first chance to wield the power they have, revealing hypocrisy and cowardice. Chuck Schumer [and Brian Schatz, who’s about to be elected Senate Democratic Whip] surrendered the entire federal budget and Marco Rubio, who is now championing the administration’s campaign of disappearing immigrants, was confirmed unanimously to Trump’s cabinet by the US Senate. Every choice Democratic leadership has made to sacrifice its base and become more like the bad guys we were supposed to be fighting has led us here. And now, people are losing faith in Democrats’ ability to solve our country’s biggest problems— the party is polling at a historic low.”

Americans have long been ready for the political revolution Bernie Sanders has talked about, but the party and the DC elite haven’t been. Aside from the many polls that highlight the national popularity of Sanders and the policies he supports over the last eight years, voters have made it abundantly clear that it’s time to usher in a new generation of leaders who won’t act like doormats for Trump and Elon Musk. They see this party— just like our government and our economy— as captured by the wealthy few.

Waiting for 2028 is not the answer— no president alone can provide the change we need. Massive transformation in this country has never happened without a Congress willing to act— from FDR’s New Deal to the Civil Rights Movement. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, we have an opportunity to take action.

And that takes us back to Terrell… and other progressives running for Congress, generally without the backing of that same Democratic establishment that on the one hand sabotaged Bernie and on the other elevated garbage like Schumer, Elissa Slotkin, Josh Gottheimer, Kyrsten Sinema and Rahm Emanuel... while coddling AIPAC and the crypto-cartel, in effect, sewing the seeds of their own destruction. Nominating and then electing New Deal Democrats next year is crucial for a Democratic Party worth more than a bucket of warm spit.