To those on this substack who immediately attacked you, keep in mind that national elections are won by winning the center. Lesson of every D in my lifetime (75+ years). A totally "progressive" agenda is great for rallying the base, dooms chances of D taking back the country in 28 or any year. Remember, over 30% of the electorate are independents. Jake, you're off to a great start.
You are spot on Robert -- too bad the purists of the left can't see their tactics are exactly like the purists on the right -- Jake is trying hard to search for what can bring us together -- an effort to support!
Keep telling yourself that. He’s not even trying to stand up to this administration. He’s run unopposed for 2 cycles, narrowly won the seat in 2020, and switched parties to stand a chance. It’s easy to win when there’s no contest.
I guess you failed to read my comment thoroughly and just jumped to reply.
He won by a hair in 2020 and would have lost if we had ranked choice. Since then he's run unopposed. I don't need Google - you need to read something twice before you jump.
This is an honest question, not an attack so please take this in good faith. What are you willing to compromise on?
- (women's rights) The right of a woman to have bodily autonomy?
- (vulnerable communities) The rights and safety of LGBTQ people whose right to marry may be under attack next?
- (vulnerable communities) The rights of transgender people to get access to life saving gender affirming care?
- (DEI) The opportunities for people of color who have been systematically held down by our institutions?
I feel like the majority wedge issues that republicans are running on are actually not complicated from a moral standpoint and are straightforward from the standpoint of the words in The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.
Most of the policies that the republicans are putting forth are deeply unpopular with the majority of Americans so instead of moving to the right and conceding ground maybe we should focus on getting the indifferent folks who feel like nothing matters out to vote.
Good questions. Not willing to compromise on either of those two things. But Jake raises other areas in which Ds can learn from and adapt both left and right. That has to be our D and small d mission for next 3 years and longer
All from a guy who will not condemn Israel for its genocide in Gaza. And continues to accept thousands of dollars from AIPAC. A business as usual corporate Democrat. We need more progressive Democrats.
I think you are out of touch with your constituents. You ignore and do not address constituents opinions on key issues and are out of step with the values in your own district. We deserve better!
This is basically an admission that he wants to create a new "center" by moving liberal policies to the right.
- Phrases like "personal responsibility" has often been used by the right as a racist dog whistle to imply that people of color who have been systematically disadvantaged are at fault.
- Respect for faith: How about respect for the separation between church and state. I don't think we're required to respect people's claims of faith when they are twisting it to control women and force their beliefs on those who don't share them.
- Family: Many of today's GOP conservatives define "family" as the straight, cisgender nuclear family where the man is the patriarch and the wife exists to serve his whims. "Family" is a word they weaponize to try and take away rights from the queer community.
You talk about Democrat majorities but by your policies and the things you choose to prioritize in your official newsletters it sounds more like you are angling to create the Vichy Democrats who will be the comfortably living token resistance to the fascist regime that is taking over our country.
As one of your constituents I couldn't be more disappointed.
I will also add that I spend a lot of time organizing, working with pro-democracy, pro-immigrant groups, and in the LGBTQ community. I talk to a lot of people this district. I don't think your constituents (who you have been elected to represent) agree with your positions here.
The main problem with Democrats is that they fail to understand the new game being played by Repubicans. Democrats are following the same rules they have always followed. They argue over messaging, over poll results, over their platform. In the meantime, Republicans are shellacking them left and right. Democrats poll worse than Trump today. That should tell you something.
I watched Schumer this morning on Morning Joe. The major question facing Democrats today is will there be a government shutdown? Schumer is complaining that Trump won't meet with them. He repeated it over and over as if that would blunt any complaint that he would own a shutdown. Insisting that Trump meet with them is a terribly strategy. It's like a game of chicken: two cars approaching one another at a high speed. Who will pull off the road? Schumer has created a situation such that the driver in the other car is snoozing in the back seat. A crash will be seen as the fault of the wide awake driver. Of course, once again, Schumer will pull off the road and the snoozing car will drive on by. Stupid.
The Senate Democrats are really in control of the debate - until the rules are changed - but they are playing the wrong game. They need to be snoozing in the back seat. Suppose they announced that any agreement must include no loss of funding for medical services, any of them. A list can be povided. Then thery merely assert that they should be informed when that is agreed to, every single detail. In the meantime, they will be at the beach. Now the shoe is on the other foot. What happens if the deadline is passed and the government is shut down.\? Tough. Republicans are to blame. They would not agree to maintain medical services at the current level. Too bad.
This is an exciting, proactive move. It's time to define who we are and stop defining ourselves as opposed to all things Trump (not that we can afford to stop opposing all things Trump, mind you). I just completed my edX certificate on American Government: Constitutional Foundations. It is clear that Trump and his administration are not in synch with most core tenets of America. This creates an opportunity.
Instead of responding to partisans' desires, create a clear platform. Here's a thought starter:
1. An American economy for everyone.
- Focus on the working class first.
- Rejection of taxation without representation as a core tenet of America
- Incent the future: our farmers, our students, our scientists
- Tax the rich
2. Protect our neighborhoods and our neighbors.
- Know who holds a gun and why they may be approaching you.
- Our neighbors are not criminals
- Due process
- Housing we all can afford
3. Public education for all.
- Invest in our children, our teachers, our collective village
- Invest in parents, families, and childcare.
4. Healthy America
- We believe in science
- We believe in innovation
- Clean air, water, and soil
5. A strong America stands with strong allies/friends who fight with us.
- Pro Ukraine to protect democracy in all of Europe and beyond
- Pro Armed Forces and deep intelligence of our FBI
“Pro Armed Forces” is a bit unspecific. Jake supports Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, which to me immediately undercuts any presumption of protecting democracy
When those who brandished 'woke' threatened those who were trying to just enjoy their dinners, that shows you a bit of why 'woke is broke'. You cannot demand others bow to your tyrannical demand that they must walk in lockstep or 'they're part of the problem'. The 'woke' movement went way too extreme and forgot that America is about freedom of belief, ideology, and, yes, thought and speech.
It’s good to see you being honest about being a centrist instead of anything resembling left-wing. You never had my vote, but it’s nice to see democrats admitting their center-right leanings instead of clogging the playing field for truly left-wing and progressive leaders.
What far-left policies? Not a single person I know thinks that the democrats listen to their left-wing constituents. What you’re looking for is “conservative.”
If you want to be a Republican and move them back to center, please do. This is NOT the direction for the Dems. I am so ready for you to be primaried out.
What do you know about winning? You run unopposed and narrowly won this seat in 2020. You think you have "ideas that win" but you don't test that out with any level of competition. Total joke.
If the party embraces policies that will benefit ordinary people, then it will have to find new income sources too. The elites are fine with DEI, but will not tolerate challenges to the economic status quo.
Teams working Immigration; Housing; Pharmaceuticals, dismantling Ice laws,Food Prices, University/college teams to listen educate on Democracy-we must have a Louder Voice Daily
A good and I believe necessary first step is to replace Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader. In addition to being a good idea on the merits it would also indicate the seriousness of your group and its potential to actually do something worthwhile.
And what about the idea championed by Jess Piper and others that Democrats contest every election in all jurisdictions, i.e. act like a national party? Not only is it inherently a good idea, it should create a positive feedback loop for the kinds of ideas you say you support.
The only impression I get from this is that it is fundamentally unprincipled. No anchoring itself in objective needs or science, because that's not what it cares about. No basic acknowledgement of the fact that "personal responsibility" is just a cudgel against the idea of equal opportunity, or that "free enterprise" is now only a slogan for attacking the idea of rule of law itself. No ideas. Just "I agree with everyone!" no matter how empty, or irreparably incoherent.
Democrats are losing in a war for power because they're up against people who are *waging* a war for power, and aren't treating it like that themselves. And a big launch by a Democrat who has the gullibility to literally repeat Republican propaganda, about Democrats, in their own debutante press release, is an immaculate example of that blindness.
To those on this substack who immediately attacked you, keep in mind that national elections are won by winning the center. Lesson of every D in my lifetime (75+ years). A totally "progressive" agenda is great for rallying the base, dooms chances of D taking back the country in 28 or any year. Remember, over 30% of the electorate are independents. Jake, you're off to a great start.
You are spot on Robert -- too bad the purists of the left can't see their tactics are exactly like the purists on the right -- Jake is trying hard to search for what can bring us together -- an effort to support!
Keep telling yourself that. He’s not even trying to stand up to this administration. He’s run unopposed for 2 cycles, narrowly won the seat in 2020, and switched parties to stand a chance. It’s easy to win when there’s no contest.
In 2020, Jake ran in a tight 5 way primary race. So much for running unopposed. Just Google it
I guess you failed to read my comment thoroughly and just jumped to reply.
He won by a hair in 2020 and would have lost if we had ranked choice. Since then he's run unopposed. I don't need Google - you need to read something twice before you jump.
This is an honest question, not an attack so please take this in good faith. What are you willing to compromise on?
- (women's rights) The right of a woman to have bodily autonomy?
- (vulnerable communities) The rights and safety of LGBTQ people whose right to marry may be under attack next?
- (vulnerable communities) The rights of transgender people to get access to life saving gender affirming care?
- (DEI) The opportunities for people of color who have been systematically held down by our institutions?
I feel like the majority wedge issues that republicans are running on are actually not complicated from a moral standpoint and are straightforward from the standpoint of the words in The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.
Most of the policies that the republicans are putting forth are deeply unpopular with the majority of Americans so instead of moving to the right and conceding ground maybe we should focus on getting the indifferent folks who feel like nothing matters out to vote.
Good questions. Not willing to compromise on either of those two things. But Jake raises other areas in which Ds can learn from and adapt both left and right. That has to be our D and small d mission for next 3 years and longer
Why is it that the “center” continues to shift further right, then?
All from a guy who will not condemn Israel for its genocide in Gaza. And continues to accept thousands of dollars from AIPAC. A business as usual corporate Democrat. We need more progressive Democrats.
I think you are out of touch with your constituents. You ignore and do not address constituents opinions on key issues and are out of step with the values in your own district. We deserve better!
Hard AGREE!
This is basically an admission that he wants to create a new "center" by moving liberal policies to the right.
- Phrases like "personal responsibility" has often been used by the right as a racist dog whistle to imply that people of color who have been systematically disadvantaged are at fault.
- Respect for faith: How about respect for the separation between church and state. I don't think we're required to respect people's claims of faith when they are twisting it to control women and force their beliefs on those who don't share them.
- Family: Many of today's GOP conservatives define "family" as the straight, cisgender nuclear family where the man is the patriarch and the wife exists to serve his whims. "Family" is a word they weaponize to try and take away rights from the queer community.
You talk about Democrat majorities but by your policies and the things you choose to prioritize in your official newsletters it sounds more like you are angling to create the Vichy Democrats who will be the comfortably living token resistance to the fascist regime that is taking over our country.
As one of your constituents I couldn't be more disappointed.
I will also add that I spend a lot of time organizing, working with pro-democracy, pro-immigrant groups, and in the LGBTQ community. I talk to a lot of people this district. I don't think your constituents (who you have been elected to represent) agree with your positions here.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s ridiculous that democrats continue to act like capitulating to the center-right will get us anything.
It would have won the last election with a competent candidate.
A competent candidate wouldn’t capitulate to conservatives; that’s the whole problem.
The main problem with Democrats is that they fail to understand the new game being played by Repubicans. Democrats are following the same rules they have always followed. They argue over messaging, over poll results, over their platform. In the meantime, Republicans are shellacking them left and right. Democrats poll worse than Trump today. That should tell you something.
I watched Schumer this morning on Morning Joe. The major question facing Democrats today is will there be a government shutdown? Schumer is complaining that Trump won't meet with them. He repeated it over and over as if that would blunt any complaint that he would own a shutdown. Insisting that Trump meet with them is a terribly strategy. It's like a game of chicken: two cars approaching one another at a high speed. Who will pull off the road? Schumer has created a situation such that the driver in the other car is snoozing in the back seat. A crash will be seen as the fault of the wide awake driver. Of course, once again, Schumer will pull off the road and the snoozing car will drive on by. Stupid.
The Senate Democrats are really in control of the debate - until the rules are changed - but they are playing the wrong game. They need to be snoozing in the back seat. Suppose they announced that any agreement must include no loss of funding for medical services, any of them. A list can be povided. Then thery merely assert that they should be informed when that is agreed to, every single detail. In the meantime, they will be at the beach. Now the shoe is on the other foot. What happens if the deadline is passed and the government is shut down.\? Tough. Republicans are to blame. They would not agree to maintain medical services at the current level. Too bad.
This is an exciting, proactive move. It's time to define who we are and stop defining ourselves as opposed to all things Trump (not that we can afford to stop opposing all things Trump, mind you). I just completed my edX certificate on American Government: Constitutional Foundations. It is clear that Trump and his administration are not in synch with most core tenets of America. This creates an opportunity.
Instead of responding to partisans' desires, create a clear platform. Here's a thought starter:
1. An American economy for everyone.
- Focus on the working class first.
- Rejection of taxation without representation as a core tenet of America
- Incent the future: our farmers, our students, our scientists
- Tax the rich
2. Protect our neighborhoods and our neighbors.
- Know who holds a gun and why they may be approaching you.
- Our neighbors are not criminals
- Due process
- Housing we all can afford
3. Public education for all.
- Invest in our children, our teachers, our collective village
- Invest in parents, families, and childcare.
4. Healthy America
- We believe in science
- We believe in innovation
- Clean air, water, and soil
5. A strong America stands with strong allies/friends who fight with us.
- Pro Ukraine to protect democracy in all of Europe and beyond
- Pro Armed Forces and deep intelligence of our FBI
“Pro Armed Forces” is a bit unspecific. Jake supports Israel’s slaughter in Gaza, which to me immediately undercuts any presumption of protecting democracy
Start by pushing those over 75 to retire..
Please tell me what’s wrong with woke? It’s better than sound a sleep. What about woke do you disagree with?
When those who brandished 'woke' threatened those who were trying to just enjoy their dinners, that shows you a bit of why 'woke is broke'. You cannot demand others bow to your tyrannical demand that they must walk in lockstep or 'they're part of the problem'. The 'woke' movement went way too extreme and forgot that America is about freedom of belief, ideology, and, yes, thought and speech.
It’s good to see you being honest about being a centrist instead of anything resembling left-wing. You never had my vote, but it’s nice to see democrats admitting their center-right leanings instead of clogging the playing field for truly left-wing and progressive leaders.
So glad to hear that you want the Dems to move toward the center and away from the far-left policies that got them trounced in the last election.
What far-left policies? Not a single person I know thinks that the democrats listen to their left-wing constituents. What you’re looking for is “conservative.”
If you want to be a Republican and move them back to center, please do. This is NOT the direction for the Dems. I am so ready for you to be primaried out.
What do you know about winning? You run unopposed and narrowly won this seat in 2020. You think you have "ideas that win" but you don't test that out with any level of competition. Total joke.
I truly believe that in a world without MAGA Jake would have been your prototypical Massachusetts Republican.
He is that in a world WITH MAGA. So done with this one.
I didn't mean that as a good thing. 🤣
I know. I just don’t want to give him an inch.
If the party embraces policies that will benefit ordinary people, then it will have to find new income sources too. The elites are fine with DEI, but will not tolerate challenges to the economic status quo.
962275
Teams working Immigration; Housing; Pharmaceuticals, dismantling Ice laws,Food Prices, University/college teams to listen educate on Democracy-we must have a Louder Voice Daily
Good luck.
A good and I believe necessary first step is to replace Chuck Schumer as Minority Leader. In addition to being a good idea on the merits it would also indicate the seriousness of your group and its potential to actually do something worthwhile.
And what about the idea championed by Jess Piper and others that Democrats contest every election in all jurisdictions, i.e. act like a national party? Not only is it inherently a good idea, it should create a positive feedback loop for the kinds of ideas you say you support.
Totally agree! I am glad there are still sensible politicians out there
The only impression I get from this is that it is fundamentally unprincipled. No anchoring itself in objective needs or science, because that's not what it cares about. No basic acknowledgement of the fact that "personal responsibility" is just a cudgel against the idea of equal opportunity, or that "free enterprise" is now only a slogan for attacking the idea of rule of law itself. No ideas. Just "I agree with everyone!" no matter how empty, or irreparably incoherent.
Democrats are losing in a war for power because they're up against people who are *waging* a war for power, and aren't treating it like that themselves. And a big launch by a Democrat who has the gullibility to literally repeat Republican propaganda, about Democrats, in their own debutante press release, is an immaculate example of that blindness.
Don't put money on this one, folks.