TOTAL BS:
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders formally unveiled their 2026 midterm platform Wednesday, presenting voters with a streamlined governing agenda built around the party’s longstanding commitment to not being Donald Trump.
The platform, titled A Different Direction, contains no specific policy proposals but mentions the president 417 times.
Party officials described the document as the most disciplined Democratic message in years, arguing that detailed positions on taxes, immigration, energy and foreign policy could distract voters from the more urgent question of whether they like Trump.
“This election is about a choice,” Democratic National Committee officials said in a statement. “On one side is Donald Trump. On the other side is a large and ideologically diverse collection of people who are not Donald Trump. We believe the distinction is clear.”
The strategy follows advice from veteran Democratic consultant James Carville, who rejected suggestions that the party needs to offer voters an affirmative agenda before the midterms.
“Why do they need to be for anything?” Carville asked during an appearance on MS NOW.
Democratic leaders initially considered supplementing their opposition to Trump with several policy proposals. Those plans were abandoned after internal polling found that each new proposal caused some portion of the party’s coalition to become angry.
One draft promised to lower the cost of living but did not explain how. Another pledged to secure the border without using the word “secure,” which several progressive organizations said could make undocumented migrants feel unwelcome.
A proposal to protect democracy was broadly popular until members attempted to define democracy.
“Every time we added an actual position, our support went down,” one Democratic strategist familiar with the drafting process said. “Eventually, we removed all of them and discovered we had achieved party unity.”
Under the new platform, Democratic candidates will be encouraged to answer policy questions by identifying something Trump has said or done that they oppose.
Candidates asked how they would reduce grocery prices should discuss Trump’s ballroom. Questions about crime may be answered by referring to Trump’s social-media posts. Candidates pressed for their position on the war with Iran have been advised to describe the president as “dangerous” and await the next question.
The DNC has also distributed a list of approved responses for candidates who are asked what Democrats would do differently if they regained control of Congress.
The preferred answer is, “Everything.”
Follow-up questions are strongly discouraged.
Party officials said the approach would allow Democrats in different parts of the country to campaign together without discovering what their colleagues believe.
Progressive candidates may tell voters that Trump is a fascist. Moderates may describe him as divisive. Democrats running in conservative districts have been authorized to shake their heads silently when his name is mentioned.
The platform does include a commitment to “help working families,” although officials said additional details would be released after voters provide Democrats with sufficient power to implement them.
Republicans criticized the document as empty. Democratic strategists dismissed the charge, noting that an empty platform cannot contain unpopular ideas, internal contradictions or promises that candidates might later be expected to keep.
Carville has predicted that the midterms will be a referendum on Trump and that voters primarily want to slow his administration down.
Democratic officials agreed, saying the party is uniquely qualified to slow things down.
“We understand that some voters want to know what Democrats stand for,” the DNC statement said. “At this critical moment, we ask them to focus instead on whom we stand against.”
This is TOTAL BS. The news is real. The TOTAL BS is intentional.
For the real BS, read this — James Carville asks why Democrats need to be “for anything” in the midterms.
