# What's the Democratic strategy for defeating the next Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [July 15, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692 "2026-07-15T20:02:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692/61 "2026-07-17T23:50:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > No, they don’t. They are biased towards or outright owned by the Right. [Poltico for example](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politico#Coverage_of_Donald_Trump) covered for Donald Trump and is very pro fossil fuels. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Democrats have been trying that for decades but it never works since the Right controls the narrative and the news. The Right almost entirely controls the media; > [@Czarcasm](#): > > According to Pew Research, it isn’t the number of media outlets on your side of the aisle-it is what type of media outlet your side trusts. The right tend to ignore the “mass media” (although the fact that Breitbart and Fox ARE “mass media” is almost totally ignored) in favor of loud and boisterous smaller outlets that confirm already held beliefs. [Which News Sources Republicans and Democrats Use and Trust: Report | Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2025/06/10/the-political-gap-in-americans-news-sources/) > > Factually [are most media outlets in USA left leaning](https://factually.co/fact-checks/media/are-most-us-media-outlets-left-leaning-fb7b50) says pretty much the same thing. There may be more left-leaning outlets _by count_, but their actual influence (or lack thereof) is what actually counts. But that doesnt mean “the Right controls the narrative and the news. The Right almost entirely controls the media;” which I responded to with facts. So, yes, your info drills down a bit on what I posted , so thanks. But by no means does it say the Right controls the media. Yeah and the idea that the right ignores Fox goes against everything I have seen or read. True, the far, far right probably does watch more OAN than other channels. [https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart](https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/media-bias-chart) But as for viewership- > **[Fox News Beats CBS, NBC And All Of Cable TV In Prime Time](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2026/07/01/fox-news-beats-cbs-nbc-and-all-of-cable-tv-in-prime-time/)** > > Fox News closes the first six months of the year well ahead of the competition, though viewership was down overall. > Fox News Channel concluded the second quarter and June with dominant ratings, leading all cable networks in prime time and even surpassing CBS and NBC in June. FNC significantly outpaced cable news rivals MS NOW and CNN in total viewers and the key demographic. While Fox and CNN saw declines in June and Q2, MS NOW uniquely posted ratings gains in June. Fox News’ “The Five” maintained its extraordinary streak as cable news’ most-watched program for 19 consecutive quarters, even outside prime time. Additionally, “Gutfeld!” became the top late-night show after Stephen Colbert’s exit, further cementing Fox News’ strong performance… For the second quarter, Fox News f[inished first among the cable news networks](https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2026/04/29/fox-news-channel-beats-abc-and-nbc-in-april-prime-time-ratings/) with 2.5 million viewers in prime time, well ahead of MS NOW (1.06 million viewers) and CNN (716,000 viewers). So Fox news is the most watched single network. But the two next watched combined are almost equal, and MS Now is rated further to the Left. > [@pkbites](#): > > They should make the decision of who best represents their party position and platforms, then you decide which candidate best represents your positions during the general election. If the Dems pick a candidate I dont like, my choice is the GOP candidate, which is right out. And then isnt the General Election then what you call “mob rule”? and this > [@pkbites](#): > > They should make the decision of who best represents their party position and platforms **SHOULD**. Party Bosses have their best interests at mind- not mine. “Should” does not mean “does”. > [@pkbites](#): > > we are not, and are not supposed to be a pure democracy. No, we are a representative democracy, like every other democracy I know of. So the Primary system picked every Dem president since 1972 for pure primaries and 1912 for mixed (with many caucuses. ) Republican _Warren G. Harding_ was the last pure “smoke filled room” president. Hardly someone to put the idea of the smoke filled room as the best system. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United\_States\_presidential\_primary#History](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_primary#History) In any case, neither party is gonna give up the primary system, so your point of “mob rule” (a favorite term of dictators everywhere) is moot, We aint going back to Boss rule, ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692/62 "2026-07-18T00:09:47Z")
By no means did I ever say “The right controls the media”, your quote marks notwithstanding. I was saying the meer numbers of what media stands where on one scale or another is not very helpful when trying to determine the actual amount of influence they have over their target audience. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692/63 "2026-07-18T18:56:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > By no means did I ever say “The right controls the media”, No, you did not, nor did I say you did. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Democrats have been trying that for decades but it never works since the Right controls the narrative and the news. The Right almost entirely controls the media; ---
**Author:** ![SeattleUserFriendly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@SeattleUserFriendly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeattleUserFriendly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692/64 "2026-07-18T20:01:28Z")
As a Democrat, I have found only a few of our party can talk to people and express ideas clearly. They include Pete Budigeg (sp?), Senators Warren, Booker, and Sanders. Jon Stewart can cut through the bullshit and present things in a way that will win anyone over. (I’d love to see him run for Senator). Our leaders speak using abstractions and ideas instead of concrete statements. We need to copy PART of the Republican Game Plan. Concrete Statements. Unified messaging. Personal appeals. Instead of Medicare for All, “When you are sick, you will be able to see the doctor of your choice without charge. You will not go bankrupt paying for medical bills.” Instead of discussing the stragegic importance of foreign aid, we should show how we removed the entire medical system and have nothing in place to prevent the spread of Ebola around the globe. We should say that millions of children will starve to death this year, so Elon Musk doesn’t need to pay taxes." We have to simplify the message. We must also take a more populist approach. Our candidate needs to demonstrate strength, a sense of humor, the ability to relate to individuals, and be likeable. We must be clear when mud is slung, we will react immediately, referring to the Sleezemakers. We need to simply state that the Republican statements are lies (when they are). We don’t need to get lost in the details. Our campaign activities need to be mixed with entertainment. These should be events, not just rallies. We can and should talk about certain values, such as honesty, respect, and honor. We will bring these back to government. We should focus on corruption. While you scrimped and saved for a gallon of gas and a cart of groceries, Trump used the government to enrich himself. He wasn’t there for you…he was there for himself." We have to make government good again. “Who do. you want examining your claim, a corporate employee who must focus on company profits by denying claims, or someone working for you, who is responsible to see that you get the treatment you deserve?” We need to keep our comedians up front. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2026, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692/65 "2026-07-18T21:13:05Z")
> [@SeattleUserFriendly](#): > > As a Democrat, I have found only a few of our party can talk to people and express ideas clearly. They include Pete Budigeg (sp?), Senators Warren, Booker, and Sanders. Jon Stewart can cut through the bullshit and present things in a way that will win anyone over. Thanks for your entire thoughtful post–and welcome to the community. I would add to your list Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who’s been on a roll lately. Another Democrat, James Talarico, the Texas candidate for the Senate, has come up with some remarks that are striking a lot of people as fresh and helpful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-democratic-strategy-for-defeating-the-next-trump/1031692.md?page=3)