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Culture War Roundup for the week of November 2, 2026

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Secondly, the Democrats have no serious agenda. ... More people are affected by the laws allowing men into their daughter’s locker room and her sports team than are personally impacted by anything going on in Gaza.

I think you underestimate the current liveliness of the Democrat bloc, particularly their attempts to tap into left-populism. Trump's perceived failure to deliver on economic gains has led many to have a wandering eye. His approval rating is at an all time low, and while it might be somewhat shallow, the Democrats are smart to rally hard around a nega-Trump agenda.

The messaging has been quite consistent, at least among swing state candidates that I've followed closely (Talarico, el-Sayed, Jackson, Ossoff). Beyond their usual discussions of "human rights," general appeals to progress, etc. I've seen the following points hammered ad nauseum:

  • The healthcare system is broken and Trump has done nothing to help make it more affordable. Support for Medicare-for-all is swelling and even if it doesn't come to fore, a public option seems on the table.
  • Groceries and consumer goods are too expensive. American citizens have footed the bill for tariffs and there has been minimal windfall as promised.
  • Trump, at the beck and call of Bibi, has sent Israel large amounts of money that has been used to wage a long, bloody, and questionably-humanitarian war. This is money that should help Americans and not kill children in Gaza. Most people do not have firsthand experience with "men going into their daughter's locker rooms." It happens, sure, but I sense the public has been fatigued by the torrent of anti-trans arguments. Yes, there is still plenty of disgust and disapproval of trans-ness. Is it enough to motivate voters? I just don't think the trans boogeyman is nearly as galvanizing an issue at this point compared to America's many maco-scale dysfunctions.
  • Trump is a member of the "billionaire Epstein class" who have hoarded wealth and used it to commit sex crimes. Anyone who supports his agenda supports those actions by association. General appeals to Republicans being the party of the rich and out-of-touch.
  • A general opposition to AI expansion and Big Tech, specifically the construction of data centers re: their environmental impacts and potential for job displacement. They're also ugly.

Regardless of if these beliefs are true or if they will benefit the country, the idea that Democrats lack an agenda does not seem accurate to me. Listen to any speeches from the candidates I've listed and they're so similar they begin to blend together. el-Sayed and Ossoff are both even trying to do their best Obama impressions as of late.

The most important item on the Democrats' positive agenda, arguably going back to Clinton, has been "fix healthcare". Their problem is that this is popular in the abstract but that any particular concrete proposal is unpopular - particularly because most sick people are covered by Medicare, which works in every respect except cost control.

But you are right that the Democrats' agenda in 2026 is mostly-negative (and popular for it) - basically "stop Trump making things worse" and "do not use our electricity and water to build the Torment Nexus".