As Democrats re-evaluate our strategy moving forward, it is imperative that we look in the mirror. Too many Democrats today act as if it is their right to hold office simply because they’re not Republicans. They don’t walk the walk. For a lot of elected Democrats on the coasts, it’s because they will never face a competitive election.
We can continue to define ourselves by who we aren’t. Democratic politicians on the coasts can tell the country that they’re anti-MAGA and insult the rest of the country. We can call President Trump a threat to democracy, a felon, a liar, and this, that, and the other thing. If that’s all we say, then we haven’t said a single thing about who we are.
At this moment, the federal government is under complete capture by some of the wealthiest people the world has ever known.
The richest man in the world runs freely around the Oval Office. The president is a billionaire. Tech executives stood in the Capitol Rotunda on Inauguration Day. Every single hour, they’re gutting federal regulations to line their own pockets. We get to watch as our rights to enjoy clean air, water, and land are stripped away by corporate polluters; our rights to own a home and small business are stripped by private equity firms making a quick buck; our rights to bargain collectively and reap the full value of our labor are stripped by the very people walking around the West Wing.
That’s not enough, though. Just last week, the House passed a resolution which calls for giving tax breaks to the absolute richest Americans. They’re calling for nearly $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid. Remember “no tax on tips?” Me, you, and the waiter get to fight over eggs to the tune of $6 a dozen.
Democrats can articulate our own vision for this city, this county, and this country. We can recommit to a movement rooted in principles and values: caring for our neighbors, lifting people out of poverty, defending the least among us, and working toward a just, democratic society as long as that might take. To live those values fully is to fight for workers’ rights, human rights, women’s rights, and civil rights.
We need to carry that torch every day. We need to carry those values and lead where our elected officials are failing us. We need to build community. We need to organize the people on our block around the issues that matter. It isn’t enough to show up only when there’s an election.
If we are ever going to right this ship — it isn’t going to happen by giving a tax break to the wealthy — it’s going to be because we stood up and went to work.
COLIN FLANAGAN
Mr. Flanagan, of Toledo, is president of the Lucas County Young Democrats and was a candidate for the Ohio House 2022 Democratic nomination.
First Published March 11, 2025, 4:00 a.m.
