The Next Phase Blog - Social Commentary and Informed Opinions

Simon Rosenberg

Yesterday, I listened to one of Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles podcasts about the Democratic resistance to the current Trump-Musk regime. In it, he mentioned how the interaction between the party organization and the party members is (1) one-way and (2) focused solely on fundraising.

Now if you are a member of the Democratic Party or, like me, an independent voter who caucuses with the Democrats, you are probably deluged by emails and social media posts asking, begging, and pleading for money. But I, for one, am fed up with them.

Fundraising’s Negative Perception

Mr. Rosenberg hit the nail on the head when he raised this issue and how it creates a negative perception among blue voters. Yeah, he got that right. But he’s missing a few other points.

So, I went to his website, hoping to find a Contact Me page so I could write to him. But no; that one-way thing applies to him as well. In his Substack podcast, Mr. Rosenberg lists four Hopium-backed efforts we can all rally behind and which we can support. And how do we do that? By donating money, of course.

Lacking a means of direct communication, I am using my blog to state my objections, and adding social media to try and establish contact. (Or even just get acknowledgement of my existence.)

Objections to Fundraising

I object to the Democratic party’s continuous fundraising outreach because:

It’s the only time Democrats reach out to their base. We are more than just donors. We have talent, ideas, abilities and other contributions. But if donating money is the only thing the party is interested in, the leadership ignores everything else we have to offer.

It’s condescending. And that’s both patronizing and infuriating. If the party is interested only in my money and my vote, then I’m not sure I want anything to do with you. You and other party insiders assume you have all the brains and all the ideas—as if that worked in 2024. You pat us on the head and say, “There, there. Don’t worry about the details, just give us your money.” Why should I do that Are you offering me a chance to participate? Nope.

It’s ineffective. If the party thinks it has all the answers, I suggest you think again. I did not give money in the last election because I didn’t think what the party raised was being used wisely or effectively. Why should I give the Democratic party my money so they can blow it on network TV ads that repeat over and over? I spent years of my career running advertising and I know how pointless–and needlessly expensive–that is.

It’s not reading the room. Asking senior citizens to donate their money at a time when Social Security and Medicare are threatened, means you don’t understand what it feels like to be elderly in America right now.

Focusing Democratic Efforts

At the end of his podcast, Mr. Rosenberg advises us to focus not on internal divisions but on fighting the Trump-Musk regime. I agree with that—but with one caveat.

The reason we are so angry at the Democratic leadership is that they are not fighting Trump and the Republicans hard enough, often enos ugh, and effectively enough. We want more action and less fundraising. To that end, I have written multiple blog posts about things we can do to make the fight more effective. I list the links here:

Do Better, Democrats!

I have also written to both of my Senators with some ideas and suggestions. One has written back.It’s a form email but better than nothing.

The Democrats have to do better when it comes to communicating with their base. I often receive poll questions and surveys online but I don’t fill them out. Why? Because I know a response will just put me on another fundraising list and I will get more unwanted emails and letters.

BTW Mr. Rosenberg: Please stop talking about the six million people who donated money to the party as your base. The Democratic base is a lot bigger than that. But it seems, like the rests of the Democratic intelligentsia, all you’re following is the money,