Politics, à la carte

Abigail Spanberger in Virginia, Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey, and Zohran Mamdani in New York City. Three vastly different candidates speaking to widely different constituencies, but with one thing in common: They won. How?

At the Mamdani victory celebration on Tuesday night, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke with MSNBC's Antonia Hylton, who defaulted to the Narrative and asked:

A lot of conversation right now about, well, who is the face of the Democratic Party at this point? Is it Zohran Mamdani? Is it Abigail Spanberger?  Who is the face, the soul, of the [Democratic] Party?

It's a crucial question delivered via the perfect metaphor. AOC answered this way:

I don't think that our Party needs to have one face--Our country does not have one face. It's about all of us as a team together. And we all understand the assignment Our assignment everywhere is to send the strongest fighters for the working class wherever possible. In some places, like Virginia for the gubernatorial seat, that's going to look like Abigail Spanberger. In New York City, unequivocally, it's Zohran Mamdani.

I think that's exactly right. I think the obsession with a whole-party "Democratic Message" is misguided. It comes from panic over the "Dems in disarray" narrative, the narrative that spawns "who is the face" questions. When asked if they approve of or agree or disagree with some other Dem's actions or remarks, a rep's response can simply be: "I listen to my constituents. My concern is with them."

Democrats don't need to handcuff themselves to each other. The fiction that we do amplifies the power of leadership, suppresses dissenting voices, and gives cover to cowards. Democrats don't need one uniform, focus grouped, processed, packaged "message."  It reeks of contempt to think that all you have to do is come up with the perfect combination of syllables and people will fall in love with you. Instead, Dems have to de-center themselves and listen. Your voters will tell you what they need from you.

Democrats don't need one message for a thousand different candidates. Rather, they need a set of principles. And they need to talk to their voters. This used to be called "retail politics," but it's more than that. It's listening,  too, more than you talk. It's a conversation, and it has to take place face to face. A candidate running in the Texas panhandle will have constituents with different priorities and concerns from a candidate running in New Jersey. That's not just a good thing. That's America.

It's not rocket surgery. Listen to the people you want to support you. Not the money, the people. Promise to work on the things that are important to them and build a record of doing that. Explain your values. Defend them. Stand on your principles. Be on the side of the people you want to be on your side. 

Some of your constituents are going to disagree with you on some issues. Right now, the "Democratic Party" is being advised to twist itself into a pretzel to appease potential/maybe voters on issues from immigration to transgender people to Palestine to choice/bodily autonomy for women. 

And if they disagree with you over vaccines or taxes or choice or school choice, acknowledge them, then educate them. Educate yourself. Do your job. 

And if they disagree with you over some wedge issue that has been super charged by constant propaganda, over immigrant crime or trans kids in sports, explain, tell them the truth. "Here's the science. Here are the facts." "I believe in protecting your rights, everybody's rights."

And don't pretend. People can smell a phony. You don't always have to "read the room" and choose the easiest way to get through without a bloody lip. Instead of asking a bunch of people what they think and then saying you think that, too, let them know who you are and what you believe in. Explain and persuade them if you can. If not, at least you'll have some dignity and maybe they'll figure they can live with where they think you're wrong.

Not a fifty-state strategy, a 200 million voter strategy. Listen to them. Tell them how you'll do some things, how you can't do some things, and why you won't do some things. 

All this to say that Democrats can be just like people: all different and all the same. Keep in mind that your constituents are not voters; they are potential voters. Try thinking of them not as chips to add to your stack (sometimes by bluffing), but as actual humans who need you to do things big and small so they can live their lives in security and peace.

Dems in disarray? Our diversity is our strength. And we're getting stronger every day.

Democrats looking for the right "message," it's you. It's always been you.