So, the third way keeps rearing its ugly head again, despite no one asking for their opinion about anything, and they released their assessment of how the democratic party is out of sync with America and how to realign themselves post 2024. The document can be found here, and I will be ripping this apart line by line giving my opinions.
Third Way • 1
In early February 2025, Third Way gathered a group of highly experienced and passionate political
professionals over 1.5 days to begin to chart the Democratic comeback. As part of this retreat, attendees
participated in breakout sessions to deliberate on why Democrats are struggling with working-class voters
around cultural issues, the nature of the economic trust gap with this critical group, and ideas for how to
address both problems.
Below are the takeaways summarizing what was discussed. While not every insight is earth shattering to
those who work in politics, they do point the way forward on some fundamental issues.
NOTE: The statements below are not necessarily endorsed by all those attending the Comeback Retreat
and, as agreed to, are not attributed to any individual who participated.
Yes, because if there's anything that anyone wants, it's the opinion of the professional class of the democratic party who cost us the election in the first place. Also, I like the snarky arrogance like "while not every insight is earth shattering to those who work in politics", as if it's just gonna reflect the values...of those who work in politics and are insiders.
Like, basically, they got a bunch of third wayers together, ONLY third wayers, and had a circlejerk about why they lost. We can see this is going to end very well...
Takeaways on Why Democrats Have a Cultural Disconnect with the
Working Class
1. Overemphasis on Identity Politics
Many working-class voters feel Democrats prioritize niche identity-based groups with overbroad, unifying
messages, making them feel excluded rather than included.
Okay, this actually ain't bad. But...to throw shade at these guys, who were the ones who went all in with idpol in the first place? Who created this monster? it was you guys, because you wanted a unifying narrative to pit women, minority groups, and the lgbt+ community against working class white guys who wanted actual economic change. YOU guys brought this stuff to our party. YOU guys elevated this for short term gains. it was the CENTRISTS.
2. The “Faculty Lounge” Problem
Democrats are often viewed as judgmental, out-of-touch, and dismissive of those without elite education
or progressive views. This makes the party seem disconnected from everyday people.
"Well you see you white working class progressive, you just don't understand the black vote."
Isn't that what you guys told me in 2016? Werent you the ones who brought the faculty lounge problem to our party by going all in with this inclusivity college speak, while looking down your nose at us for not being on the same page as you?
I'm not saying they're wrong, but after a decade of this, they now take the time to...attack the left....for buying into the values that they created in the first place?
3. Failure to Prioritize Economic Concerns
While voters struggle with jobs, wages, and inflation, Democrats are seen as more focused on cultural and
social issues than on economic progress and opportunity.
NO ####ING ####!
Tell me more about how you ignored working class voters to go all in with an insular strategy prioritizing identity based concerns! I could've told you that 10 years ago but you were too busy condescending to me for not being "woke."
4. Weak Messaging & Communication
The party’s language is often vague, politically correct, or overly intellectual, making it hard for working-
class voters to connect with Democratic policies
Another no crap moment. But again, the messaging was weak because YOU designed it that way. YOU went all in with identity politics and academia speak. YOU decided to be weak and inconsistent on economic issues.
5. Fear of Dissent Within the Party
Democrats are perceived as intolerant of internal debate, where questioning progressive orthodoxy results
in backlash rather than open discussion. Candidates and operatives need to feel more comfortable just
saying NO to activist groups and unpalatable far-left ideas.
This, I find funny. While yes, the woke far left IS intolerant, and btw, did I mention they're a monster YOU guys in the center created? Who were the ones who shut down any discussion of a primary? Who gaslit voters about biden's age and mental faculties until it was too late to replace him in a proper democratic way? Who were the ones who made any criticism of the party bad, and told us, the left, that we are "helping trump" by not just being ride or die on whatever you guys do?
Like, I love how they create this monster and then they go "nope, not us, that's the far left, we gotta stop them". You guys created this problem. Because you wanted to align with the wealthy.
6. Attachment to Unpopular Institutions
Democrats are seen as defending elite institutions (academia, media, government bureaucracy) while
being critical of institutions working-class people value (churches, small businesses, police)
Here we go, I don't fully disagree with this, but let's really look at this. This is very right wing coded. Like we should embrace religion, police, and small business. No, we shouldn't. I'm not saying we should run to the opposite extremes. But yeah. They are very clearly coding this in a way of "we gotta go further right." Maybe on social issues you do. I have my own opinions on that. But come on, the last thing I want the dems to do is to preach religion, push right wing "small business" rhetoric, and be 100% "back the blue." Obviously, there is room for some moderation here, but again, I'm just reading "we gotta just surrender the narrative to the right."
Third Way • 2
7. Allowing the Far Left to Define the Party
Activist groups and progressive staffers push unpopular cultural positions, making it seem like Democrats
are more extreme than they actually are. Operatives and campaigns must remember that activist groups
exist to promote their single issue and raise money around it, not to make Democrats electable.
Oh no, we gotta stop letting...passionate young people bring energy to the party. Because they're not "electable." You were the idiots who thought Clinton was "electable." You were the ones who thought Biden and Harris were "electable." Your language of "electability" has ####ed us all over many times by now. I'm not saying you should just let the far left run wild, but people dont want bland democrats who don't stand for anything either.
8. Reactionary Rather Than Proactive
Democrats often let Republicans set the terms of cultural debates (e.g., crime, immigration) instead of
clearly defining their own positions in a way that resonates with voters
The funny thing is this is contradictory to what's been said so far. They keep bashing the far left for fighting for things and then....saying that democrats are too weak. We're too weak BECAUSE OF YOU. GET OUT OF THE WAY. Now, again, maybe the far left goes too far. I mean no sane voter actually wants "abolish the police" or "no human is illegal" as a slogan here, which are how the far left think of things. But the answer isn't just to cater to conservative values either. There are places for moderation. But again, who are the ones who want to cede the ground to the right on virtually everything? You guys.
9. Overreliance on Buzzwords & Political Correctness
Terms like "pregnant people" and "Latinx" alienate working-class voters who see them as out of touch
with real-world terms and vocabulary
You're not wrong here.
10. Lack of a Positive National Identity Message
Democrats focus too much on America’s flaws (racism, sexism, inequality) without acknowledging the
country’s progress and potential, making them seem pessimistic and unpatriotic.
Again, this is why dems have weak messaging? I don't want the dems to be uncritical of our flaws and institutions and be hyper patriotic like the right. Sure, we can afford to tone down the woke, but we NEED to focus on issues like inequality if we wanna fix problems. Really. Just stop the woke crap and we're good.
Takeaways on How Democrats Can Reconnect Culturally with the
Working Class
1. Move Away from Identity Politics
• Stop addressing voters as identity blocs and instead focus on shared American values.
• Use plain language and avoid jargon or abbreviations that can alienate voters.
• Acknowledge that people have multiple identities (e.g., Black and a veteran) rather than reducing them
to one label.
They're not wrong on this one.
2. Emphasize Shared Values and Cultural Alignment
• Frame rights as about "freedom and justice," not just identity-based concerns.
• Highlight similarities between marginalized groups and mainstream American values.
• Embrace patriotism, community, and traditional American imagery (e.g., farms, main streets).
On the first two, I agree. On the third one, NO. Again, they seem to think surrendering to the right on the overt nationalistic messaging is good.
We need to embrace patriotism the Al Franken way. Let's bring up that quote again.
“We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America like a 4-year-old loves his mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.”
And we need to have a serious adult discussion about what it means to love America in this modern age. Quite frankly, it's become apparent to me that the right speaks to a language of immaturity, and rah rah national religion and rah rah national symbols, and they beat you over the head with it, but ever since leaving Christianity, I always HATED that. Because it's authoritarian. I never really went for the symbolism of America.
But...as I get older, I kind of realize I am patriotic in my own way and that my ideology owes its debt to western civilization in the form of ENLIGHTENMENT VALUES. Freedom, democracy, all that good stuff. And the right...well...they're betraying that. They're betraying it all and clamoring for a literal king in the form of one Donald Trump. And then the people behind trump are a bunch of rich billionaires who want us to descend into techno feudalism where they rule the masses directly. They are traitors to true American values. And I ain't afraid to say it in such stark terms. Nothing is more unamerican to me than trying to depose of our democratic system and our freedoms in order to install a king or a dictator. Do these third way idiots even realize that that's where we're at? Or are they like frogs in the boiling water AGAIN? It sure seems like it.
So no, drop the overt faux patriotism bull#### and embrace patriotism of VALUES.
3. Rebalance the Party’s Cultural Messaging
• Reject fringe positions that alienate the median voter.
• Avoid overly moralistic or condescending messaging; speak plainly and directly.
• Allow candidates to express personal faith and values without fear of backlash
I kinda agree, but the last thing I care about is a candidate's personal faith. Keep your religion out of politics.
4. Reduce Far-Left Influence and Infrastructure
• Build a moderate Democratic infrastructure, including media, talent pipelines, and
communications networks.
• Push back against far-left staffers and groups that exert a disproportionate influence on policy
and messaging.
• Ban far-left candidate questionnaires and refuse to participate in forums that create ideological
purity tests.
Okay, so heres the thing. The centrist dems have this idea they lost because the activists in the biden administration were "too far left." Really. Are they stupid? Yes. They dont get it, and they basically wanna fill the government with their own people. THey are fighting a war against us while the republicans are also doing so. Remember "centrist project 2025?" That's what this is. They really think the problem with the dems was they weren't centrist enough.
5. Engage with the Working Class in Their Spaces
• Get out of elite circles and into real communities (e.g., tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants, churches).
• Own the failures of Democratic governance in large cities and commit to improving local government.
• Show up in unfriendly media spaces and engage with voters outside traditional Democratic strongholds.
Again, look at how right wing coded this all is. They've learned nothing. They think we gotta go further into the center.
Also, Harris visited my city like twice. She didnt do rallies. She went to fricking restaurants. She saw like 20 people that way. Meanwhile trump is down in the local arena with half a stadium full of people. Only half because his crowds werent great either. But who saw more people? Whose appearance had a greater impact?
6. Improve Democratic Communication & Media Strategy
• Conduct a comprehensive study on media consumption to better understand how to reach voters.
• Develop a stronger, more relatable Democratic media presence (podcasts, social media, sports
broadcasting).
• Encourage candidates to be bold, engaging, and authentic in their messaging rather than overly
polished.
This is the "where's our joe rogan" thing. Anyway, the left wing infrastructure already exists for those who wanna tune in. We should be promoting kyle kulinski as the democratic rogan honestly...
7. Embrace Moderation, Individualism, and Masculinity
• Reconnect with values like hard work, rugged individualism, and entrepreneurialism.
• Be more accepting of masculinity and male voters who feel alienated from the party.
• Shift focus from progressive "mission creep" to core Democratic issues that resonate broadly
Oh #### no. Democrats didnt circlejerk about hard work ENOUGH in 2024? I'm TIRED of hearing about HARD WORK from DEMOCRATS. Let the right have that framing. We should be trying to get us out of this.
No rugged individualism or entrepreneurialism either.
THis is why we dont have a message. because the message sucks. We did all this already in 2016 and 2024! We dont need to double down!
here's the thing about the third way. It's always punching left and how we gotta be even MORE centrist. Sometimes that's at least somewhat accurate, like on wokeism, but sometimes they just dont wanna get the message. They sit in their own little echo chambers telling themselves how right they are and come up with cringey crap like this.
8. Revise Democratic Fundraising Priorities
• Move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the
broader electorate.
• Give candidates and campaigns more flexibility in how they spend funds without excessive donor
constraints.
I'm sorry...
WHAT?!
Our big problem is we're too reliant on big money. They're the entire reason we have such a muddled message. They're also the entire reason why we embraced wokeism in the first place. I took a break a little earlier and i saw on a forum how maybe we should argue against, say, the corporatism in stuff like pride month. ya know, combined an anti woke message with anti corporatism. i think that has value. These guys just wanna rely more on big money and punch left against small dollar donors. Ya know. ACTUAL VOTERS.
Heck, everything I've heard here is we need to ignore our own voter base to appeal to an imaginary conservative moderate and we need to appeal more to big money.
Who are the small dollar people? They're bernie supporters. That's who they're saying. This entire thing is just an excuse to attack the left and go further right. F these people, man. But you know what? This is why the dems are so useless. The democratic party is run by and controlled by these people.
Takeaways on How Democrats Can Rebuild Economic Trust with
Working-Class Voters
1. Acknowledge Struggles & Speak to Real Concerns
• Recognize that while the economy may be improving broadly, many families are still struggling.
• Avoid dismissing economic anxieties—speak directly to the concerns of working-class voters with
tangible solutions. As progressives, we all discussed among our friends and family how expensive things
were but politically only wanted to talk about how much better things are getting.
I mean this is true, but this is actually the problem with the CENTRIST wing of the party. They were the ones who wanted to focus on abstract economic indicators while telling people unhappy with the status quo that they were wrong. Progressives WANT a strong economic message. It's YOU PEOPLE who won't let us have that.
2. Shift Messaging Away from ‘Handouts’
• Many working-class voters reject policies seen as giveaways (e.g., student loan forgiveness, universal
basic income).
• Frame policies around opportunity, empowerment, and work rather than redistribution.
• Small language shifts matter—focus on “better wages” instead of “minimum wage.”
From the bottom of my heart, F U.
Okay, you know what? I'm really getting to the point I dont wanna vote for these people again. WE DID ALL YOUR CENTRIST NO HANDOUT RAH RAH WORK ETHIC BULL####! ITS ALL HARRIS DID!
Also, who, other than yang, actually promoted UBI? NO ONE! It's just "activists" like people like me, and let's face it, that's who you DESPISE! You HATE US. YOU HATE YOUR VOTER BASE. BUT THEN YOU EXPECT US TO SHOW UP FOR YOU. HOW FREAKING STUPID ARE YOU?
This party is cooked. If these guys are gonna double down on centrism and the same losing strategy, I'm done. We're cooked. Our country is screwed. We need strong action to push back against fascism. And you guys wanna meet the fascists half way and sell us out. And then you wonder why we lose.
We lost in 2024, not because of republican voters, but the loss of democratic ones. We lost the democratic voters because they werent enthused. They werent enthused because YOU HAD NO VISION, BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO BUSY APPEALING TO BIG MONIED DONORS WHILE TALKING DOWN TO US!
Fricking morons. I hate these people. I hate them literally as much as the GOP. Because let's face it, they're diet GOP that stops us from being able to actually do anything that would get us out of this tailspin.
3. Prioritize Simple, Tangible Policies
• Advocate for middle-class tax cuts, support public education, and propose spending cuts where needed.
• Ensure policies are easy to understand and feel relevant to daily life
I agree. Simple policies like UBI, universal healthcare, and student loan forgiveness!
4. Integrate & Engage with the Business Community
• Democrats need to stop demonizing wealth and corporations broadly.
• Engage with small businesses, business podcasts, podcasts like “Earn Your Leisure” that reach the
aspiring class, and entrepreneurs to discuss economic policies.
NO! F NO!
F the business community. Businesses are why the working class dont have a good life. We expect them to be job creators when they dont wanna provide jobs for people. Stop being diet republicans. My gosh!
5. Be Pro-Aspiration & Pro-Capitalism in a Smart Way
• Recognize that working-class voters value upward mobility and economic success.
• Have a prosperity gospel aimed at the working class.
• Call out corporate abuses individually instead of attacking “corporations” as a whole.
While we shouldnt be entirely anti capitalist, we need to stop leaning into all this hard work crap. I'm sorry, but I want entitlements. I want an end to work culture. I want an end to putting corporations on a pedestal.
6. Reform Government & Address Inefficiencies
• Take government complaints seriously and commit to improving its efficiency.
• Push for systemic reforms rather than just defending the status quo.
Gotta move left to do that...
7. Center Every Conversation on the Economy
• Lead with economic messaging in speeches, ads, and policy proposals.
• Avoid leading with cultural issues—focus on jobs, wages, and cost-of-living concerns
Once again you gotta move left. The whole reason you have a messaging problem is you dont wanna stand for the working class or push proper policies. because youre too fricking pro business. Republicans are the pro business party. We dont want the dems to also be that.
Like really, these people dont understand politics.
8. Engage Rural & Non-College Voters
• Show up in rural communities and places where Democrats are unpopular.
• Listen to non-college voters without judgment, making their concerns central to policy conversations.
But not really on economics, right? Gotta go on about those darned social issues like wokeness, right? More church and work worship right?
9. Embrace Populism Thoughtfully
• Critique corporate excess and corruption but avoid an anti-capitalist stance.
• Be bold in challenging inefficient institutions while maintaining credibility as pragmatic reformers
Let me quote FDR here:
We had to struggle with the old enemies of peace—business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking, class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering.
They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by organized money is just as dangerous as Government by organized mob.
Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hate for me—and I welcome their hatred.
Does the modern democratic party stand for this at all? No. Because they're captured by the mob and wanna avoid pissing them off. They wanna throw activists to the wolves and draw closer to big money and conservatism. They're worthless. And if you listen to FDR's speeches, he said stuff about how this will never win. And he was right. The democratic party has lost its way. They need to stop being so weak on everything and actually grow a spine and FIGHT. And that means taking on the big monied interested, pointedly and directly. The third wayers like to take over the democrats the way trump is taking over the republicans and acting like they speak for everyone and have a mandate. THey dont. Their party sucks. And most people think it sucks. But they wont listen to the real concerns. They just attack voters who voice real dissent and try to appeal to republicans instead.
10. Showcase Working-Class Voices & Candidates
• Recruit candidates who come from working-class backgrounds and have relatable life experiences.
• Use messengers that working-class voters trust—business leaders, skilled laborers, and
community figures
So again, right wing coded. "Business leaders". Not working class. Skilled laborers...so...only the upper class more conservative ones? Community figures. Establishment insiders.
Again, if you're an "activist", they want nothing to do with you. If you have vision, they want nothing to do with you. You will learn to like milquetoast centrism and you will vote for it or trump will win again.
They're really trying this again.
This has been one of the most worthless exercises in modern history. it was an echo chamber where a bunch of centrists got together, pretended to learn something while learning nothing, and doubled down on what they did wrong. The democratic party has no message. Like it says in the Bible (you like appealing to christians, right?), you can't serve both God and money. No man has two masters. Blah blah blah. You serve money. You serve, what FDR called as dangerous as an organized mob. And you want to throw progressive activists actually passionate for things under the bus, while running even more to the centrist, effectively doubling down on the previous failed strategy.
The whole reason we have no message is because of this weird centrism thing going on. Because any message would alienate the big monied interests they wanna appeal to. They literally kneecap us and ensure that we remain republican lite.
if this is our opposition to trump, we are COOKED. The American people voted for Trump because they don't understand what the democrats offer people. Because they have no vision. They're frustrated, they're hurting economically, and the dems just...don't connect. While dropping the insular wokeness stuff is a good thing in my opinion, embracing right wing values in its place is BAD. We need to create our own path. One that is both opposition to the republican party but doesn't embrace the opposite extreme. What these guys want is republican lite. Like, "instead of wokeness, let's push religion!" "We need a more working class message...that appeals to business leaders!" That's the problem. THey have no message. Their message is inherently self contradictory. And that's the point. They're just controlled opposition. They parrot the same values as the right. We can't do that. We need to embrace a new form of left. One that is a foil to the republican party. We need to get out from under the shadow of the 6th party system, and operate in the 7th.
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