Anne Kinzel is a former attorney and Californian now living in central Iowa. Anne speaks three languages: English, French, and Policy, which allows her to take arcane policy concepts and translate them into language that consumers, voters, and policy makers can appreciate and use.

How many consultants has the Democratic establishment hired over the years to help them understand why they aren’t connecting with voters and non-voters? It’s likely more than the $250 million Elon Musk spent to buy the election.

Why don’t the Democrats connect well enough with Americans? It’s all about who has your back and who your true friends are—those who stand by you in a crisis.

I am certain that we are in a serious crisis. Every day, my Washington Democratic acquaintances bombard me with messages and spammy emails declaring that our country, our democracy, all of us are facing an existential crisis brought on by the authoritarian criminal Donald Trump and his twisted accomplice, Elon Musk. The essence of my Dem friends’ messages is this: send money to help us get re-elected, and everything will be fine.

In tough times, you don’t want new friends; you want the ones you know well to be there with you. Can’t you hear your mom saying after that breakup or that move to a new city: “Oh honey, you can find new friends. It will take a little time, but you’ll find a new group that shares your interests, and you’ll be having fun again in no time.”

I admit, Mom was right back then. But this time, the crisis is real! A guy who was never elected is running the country. I don’t have time to join a new group and meet new people in a book club. 

A few months ago, Kamala Harris was eager for my vote to protect you and me from the felon Trump. I wonder where she is now. I know it’s common in America to fade away after losing an election, but isn’t this an existential crisis? Is 2025 really the time to stay the traditional course? I would feel much better about voting for Kamala Harris in 2028 if she believed the times were serious enough to break with tradition.

Barack Obama. Wasn’t that guy a community organizer before he parlayed the presidency into a comfortable retirement? I could really use a friend like him right now in this crisis, and I bet you could too. I did hear from him right before the election, urging me to send money to Kamala Harris and make sure to vote for her so I would be safe from Trump, the potential dictator. Maybe he could also break with tradition and use his renowned skills to kick-start something like an organized resistance to the serious threat posed by the race-baiting Trump and Musk.

Now, Harris and Obama would be volunteers, and I suppose it’s a tall order to expect them to step up for nothing more than being major players in saving the Republic. Yet, we hear daily that our president is intent on making life miserable for everyone outside his circle of grifters, so maybe they could do some part-time volunteering for their old friends, the voters.

What about the always-friendly Joe Biden? I give him a pass. He’s an old guy who had our backs for four years and a long time before that. He’s the kind of friend you know will be there when he can, and I understand that right now, he can’t.

So, what about the folks in Congress? I know they try to stay in touch, even if we’re not besties. I hear from them every day, at least twice—once asking for money and once reminding me about the awful creep in the White House who poses a terrible threat to America.

Then again, the Congressional Dems don’t seem too worried about the big threat posed by the would-be dictator Trump and his talk of a third term. For them, it seems like it’s business as usual in the Senate country club. I know this because they write about possible issues in the future tense while explaining how dangerous the felon Trump will be down the road.

I have heard that some of you have some pretty good friends in the House. That guy who filed the impeachment articles comes to mind. But the word on the street is that many of his Democratic co-workers think he’s out of his mind and not playing by the rules. Imagine that.

---

Top photo of Elon Musk with Donald Trump was first published on Trump’s campaign Facebook page on November 19.