This week, Democrats are celebrating victories. Next week, they need to keep the party going.
Tuesday’s elections made it clear who holds the future of the Democratic party. It’s not the centrist Democrats, despite Abigail Spanberger’s win. Or the Democratic Socialists, despite Zohran Mamdani’s win. It’s not California Democrats who passed Prop 50. Or Georgia Democrats who flipped two seats on the Public Service Commission. It’s not even Mississippi Democrats who broke a state Senate supermajority.
The future of the party is All-of-the-Above Democrats.
Instead of searching for the unum, Democrats need to focus on the pluribus. They have a deep, deep bench of leaders who could team up together and make some noise. Sure, it’s a radical notion that people with similar political goals might actually show support for each other. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer couldn’t even bring himself to name who he voted for in the NYC mayoral election.
But the more Democrats fracture, the more they make themselves vulnerable. Predators know to single out prey. This is true for lions and Donald Trump. That’s why Democrats need to start traveling in packs.
So here’s the pitch: the Democratic National Committee (DNC) coordinates the creation of roving packs of politicians—four in each—who spread out across the country and host live political events in theaters and colleges with the goal of building excitement and expanding community.
Each “four pack” should include geographic and ideological diversity to create crossover crews. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes and Senator Bernie Sanders often appear together, so wouldn’t it be more surprising to pair AOC with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear? Let’s see billionaire J.B. Pritzker and Elizabeth “Soak the Rich” Warren teasing each other onstage. Let’s see California Governor Gavin Newsom embrace Representative Sarah McBride. And let’s see Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett with… pretty much anyone, because she’s just awesome.
These “four packs” should hit the road across all 50 states over the next six months before individual midterm campaigns kick in. In other years, members of Congress would not have been able to shirk their D.C. duties, but with the shutdown, they could make it work.
Four headliners will attract a larger and broader audience and the vibe should be: “It’s a big party!” Charismatic politicians will prop up the policy wonks. Older hands can lend credibility to younger hands who can lend relevance to the older hands….while explaining memes. This dynamic worked beautifully in 2008 when Senator Ted Kennedy backed then-Senator Barack Obama for President. His support made a difference because, in those days, “Kennedy-approved” was actually a good thing.
Content would be developed with the help of the roughly gazillion liberal comedy writers who can turn a dull politician’s origin story into a tight five. After introductions, the four pack would pull up stools to a makeshift kitchen island and chat breezily. They can compliment each other, pointing out successes each has had in their home district. Unlike Republicans, the Democrats actually have planks that they can all stand on. They can offer a vision for the future that includes a strong economy, reproductive rights, a social safety net, science, and that little thing called “the rule of law.”
Of course, this plan has two major roadblocks.
First, it requires the DNC to execute a plan.
Second, there are deep divisions within the party. Centrists might balk at appearing with those far to the left and vice versa. They should all get over that, immediately, and listen to the advice of music producer Jimmy Jam who, in 2022, said the following when asked how he and producing partner Terry Lewis had maintained a successful partnership for over 40 years.
The two had never had an argument, Jimmy Jam explained, “because an argument is something you’re trying to win. But if you’re trying to win something, that means the other person is going to lose. I never want to see Terry Lewis ever lose at anything and he never wants to see me lose at anything… We do disagree. For us, a disagreement is something where we’re trying to find a solution.”
Democrats need to search for solutions to disagreements together. On stage, the four can acknowledge their differences of opinion on specific policies without delivering a beatdown. They should always return to common ground and, at the end of the evening, they can all join hands–literally.
Here’s eight examples of “four packs” that could appear together and make the noisy, messy Democratic party seem bigger and more fun:
Former President Barack Obama, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Oregon Rep. Pramila Jayapal and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Rep. Ted Lieu.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Virginia Gov. Elect Abigail Spanberger, California Sen. Adam Schiff, Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono and Texas State Rep. James Talarico.
Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, California Sen. Alex Padilla and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, San Francisco Mayor David Lurie and former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
And there are many, many more Democrats to tap—Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani; Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego; Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Presley and Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost, to name a few.
Add your own suggestions for “four packs” in the comments below.
