If We Want to Win, Democrats Need to be Relatable, Fun, and Real
BE FUN!? While the world is burning down!? YES. It needs to be easy, cool and casual to engage in politics, and especially to be a Democrat.
Last week, Liz Minella, an advocate, fundraiser and Instagram demfluencer, joined us to talk about why Democrats lost and what they need to do to win in the future. Among other things, one of her main points was that it needs to be fun to be a Democrat. We couldn’t agree more, and I want to dive into and add on to that a bit today.
We need to be normal, relatable people and not the educated elite
Gone are the days of politicians feeling distant, stuffy, or formal. In the last decade things have changed. Between social media and Donald Trump throwing many norms out the window, voters want to feel like they not only know who they are voting for, but also that the person they are voting for is someone like them.
When friends would share Kamala memes or videos with me, it was almost always when she was doing something normal - talking about how to cook a Turkey, dancing with people around her, laughing loudly, etc. Her professional appearances and moments were not as often shared, and there is a reason for that. Those videos of her doing something normal feels super relatable and like she is just one of us. We need to lean into this. Instead of snagging clips here or there where we can find them, we need to intentionally create these moments that are not perfectly polished or uber professional.
This approach is important for our Democratic candidates, but it also is important for all of us - the advocates, organizers, influencers, and normal everyday Americans who support progressive ideas and policies. We need to talk like normal people. We need to get off the proverbial high horse. We need to stop lecturing our friends and family online about morality. We need to stop attacking a party and candidates that for some reason folks still support. I know, I know… easier said than done, and I’m definitely guilty of rage posting a bit here and there. There have been more than one shares recently that included something along the lines of: “IS THIS WHAT YOU VOTED FOR!?”
But we have done this for the past almost decade and where has it gotten us? You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over again. Why would we keep doing this and expect different results the next time? It would be a huge waste of time and energy to continue to take this approach. The right waged a culture war, and not only did we play directly into their hand over the last several years, but we lost a really big battle.
We need to infiltrate normal spaces, and it has to be fun and sometimes a bit aspirational
Many folks don’t want to make the effort to stay informed or get involved. People are busy and no matter how we feel about it, some will never have any real interest in politics. Instead of trying to bring them into spaces where we exist, we need to show up in places where they are already living their lives, and we need to do so in an entertaining way.
MAGA has done this and, unfortunately, done it very well. Trump and Musk went on huge entertainment podcasts like Joe Rogan where they talked about more than just politics. On another podcast, Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh laughed out loud as Trump went through his nicknames for political rivals — like “Comrade Kamala” Harris. He entered non-political spaces, and even if we don’t approve of his rhetoric, he was entertaining while occupying those spaces.
The rights’ infiltration goes well beyond the places Donald Trump shows up. MAGA tapped into wellness influencers, not political accounts, who were touting messages in support of RFK Jr. while selling an aspirational wellness lifestyle to suburban women. Turning Point USA is making being conservative cool and edgy on high school and college campuses. Rogan has even said, “The rebels are Republicans now. You want to be a rebel, you want to be punk rock, you want to like buck the system, you’re a conservative now.”
Unfortunately, perception is that he is correct. Over the last decade, MAGA has not only infiltrated spaces rural and suburban folks are already in, but they have also been entertaining, relatable and at times aspirational - selling an American dream, even if it’s not one based totally in reality. Whether we like it or not, we need to learn from them. We need to intentionally enter these spaces and find a way to do it that is authentic to us.
Where do we start?
We don’t pretend to have all the answers here, but we do have a few ideas. First and foremost, we need to get out from behind our screens and hang out with people. We know we say it all the time, but if you haven’t done so yet, join a local organization. You’ll instantly meet so many likeminded people, and action truly is the antidote to despair. You’ll feel better once you get involved.
Second, we need to do fun shit, and we need our local pro-democracy and progressive organizations to be included in that fun shit. If there is nothing in your community to do in a group setting, create something. Start a hiking club, organize a night out for drinks, do whatever interests you and get others with those same interests involved. If you’re part of an organization, see if they will host an event like that or invite them to your event. As an example, United SHE Stands is hosting our first in-person event in Northeast Ohio (more detail at the bottom of this post). We are hosting trivia and intentionally doing this at a brewery and bringing local organizations with us so we can hopefully reach new folks.
You can be the fun. You can build the community. You can make folks look at what you’re doing and say, “I want to be part of that!” You can help be part of the movement that will fight for progressive policies and put Democrats on the path to winning elections again in 2026 and beyond.
Northeast Ohio Friends - Save the Date: March 27th
HiHO Brewing in Cuyahoga Falls has graciously agreed to host us. United SHE Stands, along with other local pro-democracy and progressive organizations, will be hosting a fun trivia night with topics focused on civics and democracy.
We’d love for you to come out and meet other people and hear from local Summit County organizations on the work they are doing and how you can support them.
You can RSVP at this link - RSVP HERE. By RSVPing, you will receive a raffle ticket for small prize drawings we’ll be doing throughout the night. Bring some friends for additional entries. But most of all, be ready to have some fun!