But here, a Newsweek contributer says that Democrats need to start pretending to support some of Trump's policies so they can win.

The 2024 election left Democrats with three fundamental questions. First, what is the party "about" (i.e., what are our core principles)? Second, how do we explain what we are about (i.e., what is our "brand)?" Third, how do we approach the Trump 2.0 era in a way that matches those core principles and strengthens that brand? In other words, what is our strategy?

The answer to all three starts by recognizing a painful truth: that the crux of President Donald Trump's argument was right. It hurts to hear (and to write), because of the sheer awfulness that he brings to nearly everything. But Democrats have to deal with it if we're going to get our mojo back. And the good news is that it's not as big a leap as it seems.

In the early 1970s, changes to the post-World War II international monetary system spurred a dramatic increase in international trade. That meant that by the 1980s there was a lot more global competition for U.S.-made goods, which began to depress U.S. wages, particularly for lower-education workers most vulnerable to being undercut by foreign labor.

Two watersheds accelerated the trend. First, the United States entered the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. That directly wiped out about 700,000 mostly manufacturing jobs. The people pushed out found that their new jobs were disproportionately service sector jobs that brought in half as much income. NAFTA also put a broader damper on incomes, driving those still in manufacturing into accepting lower wages.

Critically, it also fueled a dramatic increase in illegal immigration that added downward pressure on pay, particularly for those with lower income to start with.

The second monumental shift came in 2000 when China entered the World Trade Organization. It was the equivalent of throwing dynamite on the economic bonfire, bringing an immediate, dramatic restructuring in the economy. U.S. industrial production abruptly flatlined, and the next two decades saw changes that, according to investment bank J.P. Morgan, suspiciously coincide: "rising manufacturing job losses, falling labor share of gross profits... and rising non-metro poverty rates."

Taken together, the effect was a slow-motion car crash for low- and medium-income Americans: a vast diversion of wealth that left them with no increase in purchasing power for decades while, according to the Center for American Progress, "the costs of key elements of middle-class security— child care, higher education, health care, housing, and retirement—rose by more than $10,000." Amid that dire economic squeeze, measures of pain have risen dramatically, including soaring drug use, suicides, and a doubling of mental health distress.

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So, here's a suggestion for Democrats. Accept the core, reject the packaging. Recognize that the reason that Trump's basic argument feels like it has so much merit is that he stole it from our forebears. Let's take it back.

So, they need to agree that the crux of Trump's argument is right. Obviously they won't do that. So, they will change their talking points. 

Then he said it was a major problem when Clinton allowed China to get into the WTO which also harmed manufacturing jobs. 

But what is the Democrats' actual policy towards business? Raise their taxes and increase regulations. They believe 'profit' is a dirty word.  

He says that illegal immigration lowers wages, especially for those at the bottom.

He says Democrats should "lean in and talk relentlessly about a strong border."

What an absolute joke. They said nothing as Joe Biden opened the border and let more than 10 million known and unknown illegals come in. 

They are whining that Trump is getting rid of illegals who just came in illegally as if that is O.K.

They are also against ending birthright citizenship and for sanctuary cities which are magnets for illegals to come. 

Always pay attention to what Democrats do, not what they say. 

And here is the paragraph that shows that this writer is no different from any other Democrat. 

The core Trump economic theme which shares so much DNA with old-school liberalism is buried underneath a noxious layer of hatred, lawlessness, violence, lying, and incoherence.

It is a joke when people who supported Harris and Biden talk about someone else being incoherent and stupid. 

His statement shows what he thinks of all of us who were smart enough to recognize that Biden was the Trojan horse. 

The core Trump economic theme which shares so much DNA with old-school liberalism is buried underneath a noxious layer of hatred, lawlessness, violence, lying, and incoherence. When he ties his economic message to immigration it bears the original sin of his racism, when he points to China his ham-handed proposals reek of stupidity. Trump is a reverse Trojan Horse: a shred of reason inside a thick armor of malignancy.

Democrats believe in a big and powerful government run by Democrats. That is their only core belief. They have to pretend to win.

Image: Theilr, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0