Dems Unveil New Plan to Beat MAGA: More Gun Shows and Less AOC
Julia Ornedo The Daily Beast
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. (photo: Brittany Greeson/Getty Images)
The plan includes proposals to shift right on cultural issues and double down on a pro-capitalism message.
A large group of Democrats—consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials, and party leaders—gathered in Loudoun County, Virginia for a brief retreat in early February to identify the party’s weaknesses and chart a path forward, according to Politico.
The gathering was organized by centrist Democratic think tank Third Way. Matt Bennett, the organization’s executive vice president for public affairs, told Politico that after November it became “so evident that the things that the left was doing and saying deeply hurt Harris and down-ballot Democrats.”
“A lot of people are looking to us, not just Third Way, but the moderates in the party, and saying, ‘We got to do it your way, because the other way ain’t working,’” he said.
New @playbookdc: Last month, a group of moderate Democratic consultants, campaign staffers, elected officials & party leaders gathered in Loudoun County, Virginia, for a retreat where they plotted their party’s comeback.
— Adam Wren (@adamwren) March 2, 2025
We got their takeaways. pic.twitter.com/lA1nVshriG
The group emerged from the February retreat with a five-page list of takeaways centered around Democrats’ disconnect from the working class over cultural and economic issues, and what the party can do to fix it.
“The statements below are not necessarily endorsed by all those attending the Comeback Retreat,” the document states. “And, as agreed to, are not attributed to any individual who participated.”
The biggest themes included moving away from the left wing of the party and toward a “thoughtful” form of populism, as well as embracing capitalism in a more explicit way.
The group blamed the party’s disconnect with the working class partly on progressive figures, left-wing staffers, and activist groups.
“Activist groups and progressive staffers push unpopular cultural positions, making it seem like Democrats are more extreme than they actually are,” they said, stressing the need to “reject fringe positions that alienate the median voter.”
The proposed solution to the party’s perceived far-left problem was to build up the moderate Democratic base through “media, talent pipelines, and communications networks,” pushing back against staffers and groups “that exert a disproportionate influence on policy and messaging,” and banning “far-left candidate questionnaires and refuse to participate in forums that create ideological purity tests.”
The document also advocated for embracing populism “thoughtfully” by critiquing corporate excess and corruption but “avoid[ing] an anti-capitalist stance.”
“Democrats need to stop demonizing wealth and corporations broadly,” it read, urging the party to “be pro-aspiration & pro-capitalism in a smart way.”
At the same time, the summary recommended getting “out of elite circles and into real communities” like tailgates, gun shows, local restaurants, and churches as part of a bid to spotlight working-class voices.
“Democratic economic messages often come from elites, celebrities, and politicians rather than working-class voices that voters can relate to,” the document read, while simultaneously urging the party to “move away from the dominance of small-dollar donors whose preferences may not align with the broader electorate.”
Earlier this month, Sanders launched a “Fighting Oligarchy” tour to hit back at Trump and his billionaire buddies like Elon Musk.
“The oligarchs and the billionaire class are getting richer and richer and have more and more power,” the Vermont senator, 83, said in a statement. “Meanwhile, 60% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and most of our people are struggling to pay for health care, childcare, and housing. This country belongs to all of us, not just the few. We must fight back.”
