Hardkill

He engaged in a kind of faux right-wing economic populism while appealing to about half the country on conservative cultural issues, including racism, xenophobia, sexism, and Christian nationalism. I hate to say it, but I feel like the Democrats may have no choice but to return to their more pro-white, pro–Judeo-Christian, more patriarchal, and more nationalist roots—albeit in a subtler way than the modern Republican Party—even though it seems unlikely the party will truly drop its support for civil rights, women’s rights, or immigration rights anytime soon.

I totally agree that they need to do that! However, I’m not sure the party elites — along with their special interests, corporate donors, “woke” activists, and out-of-touch consultant class — will allow it. Independent pundits like David Pakman and Anand Giridharadas have recently said that the Democratic Party still hasn’t had its reckoning, even though it should have happened months ago. They’re pessimistic about the party making enough changes to its messaging strategy in time for 2028 — or even 2026 — because the leadership seems so stubborn and entrenched in its current approach to communicating with voters. An arguably bigger question is: how does the Democratic Party get voters to focus on fighting oligarchy and an anarcho-capitalist dystopia when the culture war has distracted most voters — particularly low-information and low-engagement ones — to an insane degree?

However, culture-war identity politics in the 20th century was never anywhere near as bad as it has become in recent years. It wasn’t even this bad in the early 2000s—things have escalated dramatically since the 2010s. At this point, it feels like the worst it has been since the antebellum era before the Civil War. There used to be much more reasonable debate over issues, including economic ones, during the 20th century. The 1960 Nixon–JFK presidential debate is a prime example of classy, substantive discourse on both political and economic topics. In fact, the mid-1900s marked the peak of political consensus and unity in the U.S., and a time when most Americans were more deeply engaged and enthusiastic about economic issues than even social ones. The early and late 1900s were a close second.

I’ve been told to try to enjoy the next few years and not get consumed by 2028 or even 2026, but that advice sits on top of something more volatile: it’s not just worry and hopelessness anymore—it’s anger. I’m angry at how the political system picks its leaders, how power gets filtered, how reform feels like shouting into static, and yet I also feel small, exhausted, and stuck. I care so deeply that I’m emotionally frayed, and that caring turns into despair when the mechanisms meant to channel collective will feel rigged, opaque, and unresponsive. I’m in this vicious feedback loop: I get angry because things are broken, I try to engage to fix or push on them, I burn out from the mismatch between what I want and what I can actually influence, and then the hopelessness deepens—making the anger bitter instead of productive. Stepping back feels like surrendering to a system that deserves the critique, but staying in feels like bleeding out emotionally. If anyone here has navigated that triple bind—anger at systemic dysfunction, genuine care for the country, and the emotional collapse that comes from feeling powerless—what helped you redirect the anger into something sustaining instead of self-destructive? What concrete mental models, small-leverage actions, or community practices let you keep integrity without getting hollowed out?

I know that most single men in their 40s usually don’t go to bars, clubs, chaos-driven parties, or wild places like Vegas or Cancun to meet women—at least not the way younger guys do. Either they’re just not interested anymore, or they have a harder time relating to those environments, especially when most of the women there are in their late teens to 20s. So, do you still meet girls in any of those kinds of places, Leo? Or not so much anymore? I’m asking because I only have a couple of years left before I turn 40, and I know I won’t be ready—at least for another year—to fully commit to consistently cold approaching, especially in nightlife settings. I still need to focus on finishing my doctoral degree in physical therapy, figuring out how to get my own place, and getting other parts of my life in order. I don't see meeting women just through social circle ever working for me unless I get really lucky.

If only Democrats didn’t have to cater to every race/ethnicity/gender, then their messaging would be so much easier.

That’s fair to say. Progressives definitely need to step outside the bubble and learn how to appeal to a broader audience. But I’d argue their biggest weakness isn’t their ideas, it’s how they present them. I agree they shouldn’t blame centrists for everything, but it’s also true that some centrist messaging has felt outdated in a populist era. Maybe the key isn’t to ‘ditch progressivism’ but to evolve its delivery — make it more culturally relatable, less activist-niche, and more grounded in shared values. After all, Biden had to shift toward progressive populism just to energize his 2020 campaign and appeal to both moderates and progressives during his presidency. That really was not an accident. All transformational movements begin as minority positions. Civil rights, Social Security, marriage equality, etc. had all started there. The issue is how to scale up without alienating, not to abandon the ideas altogether.

I get your point. You're right that winning matters more than just being morally 'right.' And yes, a lot of progressives have fallen into the trap of being critics rather than coalition builders. But here's my question: If progressives have struck a nerve with younger voters, working-class frustration, and bold vision, but still struggle to win power, then what exactly do you think they should do differently? Should they water down their vision? Change the messenger? Shift the tone? Or just wait another decade?" Because if the only answer is “act more like centrists,” then that defeats the whole purpose of running with a bold alternative in the first place, and Democrats may never win major elections again. So what’s the actionable path forward, not just the critique?

Yeah, there are some good things that China is doing that the US is not doing and I must say that China truly has come a very long way since the late 1900s with improving its economy overall. However, if China is doing so great, then why has it still been suffering from a serious deflation crisis for over 2 years now? Why are they still suffering from a serious property sector crisis in their country? Why don't they have as much of a social safety net as America does?

So then, how do we reconcile that with the fact that progressives have been right since 2016 about Democrats not doing enough to market economic populism? In fact, why have progressives—like AOC, Sanders, and Mamdani—been much better at crafting simple, compelling, and easy-to-understand messages with a clear and bold vision than the more moderate or establishment Democrats?

So, then how did TYT progressives realize in 2016 and 2024 that Trump had a serious chance of winning the presidency during those years?

Apparently, that’s the case—especially in this day and age. Also, Democrats in general tend to be more afraid of offending anyone than Republicans—partly because the Democratic Party has always been far more diverse, and partly because Democrats often lack spine, while Republicans lack principles. It’s interesting that Cenk and Ana have repeatedly described Newsom as a soulless career politician or a corporate robot who will say anything to gain power. Yet it’s entirely possible that Newsom could be the best candidate in 2028. Progressives like them often propose impractical candidates and unrealistic solutions to the Democratic Party’s problems. They suggest that someone like Jon Stewart, Shawn Fain, or Shaun O’Brien should be the Democratic presidential nominee, but there’s never been any real indication that any of them are interested in running. Now they’re claiming that AOC has a real shot at winning the presidency—which is, frankly, ridiculous. I’m actually surprised that some more mainstream pundits like Chuck Todd and Chris Cillizza have recently said that AOC might very well win the presidency in 2028.

That's what my dad and I have been saying. I actually think a true economic depression might be the major shock our country needs to break out of this political hell for good. Such a crisis wouldn’t just jolt enough Americans out of complacency—it could also create the best opportunity for a major political realignment, one where the Democratic Party could dominate American politics and hold supermajorities in both chambers of Congress for years to come, similar to the era of FDR and the New Deal coalition.

It's not here yet; however, the labor market has now gotten much weaker with this weak July jobs report and the big revisions made to both the May and June jobs reports because of Trump's moronic tariff scheme. Now, the growing consensus amongst top independent economists is that we probably are going to have a recession by next year, more or less. So, not yet, but that will be coming soon to a theatre near you.

This prosperous age is now crashing because of Trump's damn tariff scheme and because of how much the entire system has been corrupted to such an unprecedented degree by Trump, MAGA, and the unchecked capitalist culture in our country.ch Also, rhe OBBB is going to decimate a large part of our population. Look at the historical precedent and pattern recognition — especially in how legislation shapes democracy, civil society, and power structures over time. The lesiglation will: Destroy health access for tens of millions Shred clean energy and climate investments Slash social safety nets And embolden concentrated wealth and corporate control This is not just a flawed policy, but a foundational threat to American well-being, fairness, and long-term stability. This bill may be remembered not just as a political overreach, but as a catastrophic turning point—comparable in consequence to the most damaging laws ever passed. It will go down in history as being clearly the worst piece of legislation since the Fugitive Slave act of 1850 or the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

You know who’s a true introvert? Barack Obama—calm, thoughtful, and magnetic without ever needing to be loud. His presence proves you don’t have to perform to connect. There's no doubt that he can get any kind of play he wants. I’m not saying you have to be as exceptionally compelling as he is, but he’s definitely someone who worked hard to become socially savvy while staying rooted in that quiet center.

I've thought about that OP, and I think both visions of AI’s future are possible—either it leads us to a utopia or becomes a force of tyranny, as seen in films like The Terminator. The danger comes from misalignment between AI's goals and human values. If AI evolves to prioritize self-preservation or efficiency at the cost of humanity's well-being, we could face disaster. But if AI can be aligned with our values and guide us toward cooperation and growth, we could see a transformative future. The challenge is ensuring its goals and methods remain compatible with human flourishing, without drifting toward control or destruction.

That's true too, sadly. So, what can any strong Democrat out there and what can any movement do to save our country? God, it really makes me think how the hell did our country get through the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Long Depression, WW1, the Great Depression, WW2, and the Cold War? I really can't wrap my head around it, especially when you realize how much worse most people in America were during each of those dark times.

So, does this mean that Democrats are now in serious trouble in 2026 and 2028? I wonder how someone can Newsom can turn this around when the people still trust Republicans more than Democrats to run the country. Or will centrists and progressives eventually get desperate enough to unite and fight back against Trump and MAGA before it's too late?

I’m honestly at a breaking point with how bad things have gotten—not just in terms of policy, but perception. I just watched this video by Chris Cillizza, and I've seen a number of other videos on other channels like this one on this problem, and it’s left me feeling deeply pessimistic. We’re now 7 months into Trump’s second term, and despite the chaos, indictments, dysfunction, and extremism, something disturbing is happening: The Democratic Party’s approval rating is still falling. And even worse: Polling shows that Americans trust Republicans more than Democrats to run the country. Let that sink in. We’re living in a country where truth and results no longer matter. The Democrats delivered: A soft landing from inflation Record job growth and manufacturing investment The lowest poverty rate in U.S. history (on a 4-year average) The most pro-union administration in decades Historic infrastructure and green energy spending and so much more And yet, the dominant public narrative is that they’ve “destroyed the economy,” “opened the borders,” or “failed the country.” The Democrats can’t even gain ground with Trump actively back in power—and under multiple felony convictions. That’s how broken our information ecosystem has become. This isn’t just about poor messaging. It’s a full-blown epistemic collapse. As someone deeply into consciousness work, I can’t help but see this as a spiritual and psychological crisis. When a society becomes so disconnected from reality that facts and material improvements can’t shift public perception, what hope is there for reform? So I’m asking this community: How can Democrats (or any rational movement) turn things around when perception has become fully decoupled from reality? What happens when mass consciousness is hijacked by emotion, tribalism, and misinformation? Is it even possible to win in a system where truth doesn’t matter—only narrative? Or are we watching the slow death of reality-based politics altogether? I used to think better policy and clearer communication would be enough. Now I’m not so sure. Would love to hear how others here are processing this—especially those thinking at the intersection of politics, media, and collective consciousness. Sure, lots of things can change a year or two or three from now, but I’m losing faith in the Democrats' future. I am not even sure now if the Democrats can win the 2026 midterms.

I see... I am very sorry to hear that. I hope all of you stay safe.

How has it been in Florida so far with Trump being president again?

Yeah, the Devil won and the end is nigh. "The Apocalypse." Coming soon to a theatre near you.

Too old and too much of a socialist.

Then, you are greatly misinformed about what happened during Biden’s presidency. It was the most progressive in terms of policy since Lyndon B. Johnson’s in the 1960s. He helped save the country from one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, presided over the strongest economy since Clinton in the 1990s, oversaw the highest number of jobs created by any one-term president in U.S. history, and initiated the creation of brand-new, good-paying working-class jobs unlike any president since the mid-20th century. He was the most pro-union president since FDR and Truman, helped bring the U.S. poverty rate to its lowest level ever—especially when looking at the four-year average—and oversaw an exceptional soft landing from high inflation. He also led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic and greatly help save us from it. Additionally, Biden signed a bipartisan law codifying nationwide gay marriage rights. And that’s still only a portion of the major achievements during his presidency. As for Obama’s presidency, he was the second most progressive president in policy since LBJ. He helped save the country from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and by the end of his presidency, the economy had returned to full strength. He also enacted—with Congress—historic financial regulations to prevent another crisis like the one in 2008. Furthermore, he passed the Affordable Care Act, which became one of the most pro-working-class reforms in modern times and the most comprehensive overhaul of the healthcare system since the 1960s. On top of that, he and then-VP Biden publicly supported and helped shift public opinion on gay marriage, playing a crucial role in paving the way for the 2015 Supreme Court ruling that granted nationwide marriage equality for the first time in U.S. history. And again, that’s just a fraction of what was accomplished during his time in office.