Democrats' 2024 Loss: A Failure of Policy, Not Just Messaging

Sam Rosenthal, political director for RootsAction, argues in a Common Dreams piece that establishment Democrats misunderstand why they lost the 2024 presidential election. He critiques a column by Rob Flaherty, former deputy manager of Kamala Harris's campaign, published in The Bulwark. Flaherty focuses on messaging and digital strategy, but Rosenthal contends the real issue was a lack of popular policies. He points to Harris's inability to distance herself from Joe Biden's unpopular stances, including Bidenomics and support for Israel's war in Gaza. Rosenthal notes that 6.8 million Americans who voted for Biden in 2020 did not support Harris. He calls for Democrats to embrace progressive policies like universal healthcare, debt-free public college, AI regulation, and ending endless wars, which have majority support. Without substantive policy, he warns, no amount of branding or influencer outreach can save future campaigns.