This can’t be said clearly enough: Donald Trump is not some brilliant tactician. He’s a moron. A buffoon. A guy who apparently thinks tariffs are a game of darts and numbers are just suggestions. 145%? 0%? Who knows! Even he doesn’t seem to know.
The real problem isn’t just Trump, though. It’s what we’re doing in response to him. My liberal friends seem to be breathing this collective sigh of relief—as if realizing Trump is more clown than fascist means we can all go back to brunch and elect another handsome centrist with great teeth and no soul.
That’s the game plan. That’s the lesson Democrats seem to be taking away from all this: Let’s find someone safe. Someone boring. Someone who won’t rock the boat. Someone who won’t scare the suburban wine moms. Someone like Gavin Newsom.
And it’s infuriating.
Because here’s the truth: the center isn’t the center anymore. It keeps shifting right, year after year. What was once conservative is now “moderate,” and what was once progressive is now “radical.” Democrats follow that shift like sheep, always chasing an imaginary middle ground that gets further away from actual justice, actual values, and actual change.
That’s how you get a Donald Trump. Or worse, the next Trump with real competence and real strategy.
Because if voters can’t tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans on the issues that matter—if both parties serve Wall Street and corporate interests, if both parties abandon their values the second it becomes inconvenient—then people will vote for the one who at least pretends to stand for something.
You don’t get radical energy from a Gavin Newsom. You don’t get bold policy from a centrist trying to please everyone and inspire no one. And if your biggest political value is not being Trump, then congratulations—you’ve already lost the argument.
We need courage. We need people who are willing to say the truth even if it makes some donors nervous. We need leaders who actually believe in something and fight for it, not just perform progressive values on Twitter while cutting deals behind closed doors.
Because if we keep playing it safe, we’re going to keep losing to people who don’t.