Why Moderates Will THRIVE in the 2026 Midterms (ft. David Frum) | Raging Moderates

Episode Overview

• The episode analyzes the Democratic Party's continued strategy of running campaigns against Donald Trump, even after he is no longer in office.
• The hosts debate whether this strategy is still effective or if it has become stale and risks alienating voters who are looking for a more forward-looking message.
• The discussion highlights the difference in political messaging required for national presidential elections versus local and mid-term elections.
• The role of political journalism in shaping these narratives is critiqued, suggesting that simple quotes can be used to construct a broader, sometimes misleading, story.

Key Concepts

• Anti-Trump Strategy: Democrats continue to frame their campaigns around opposition to Donald Trump, linking their Republican opponents to his presidency.
• Voter Fatigue: There's a concern that voters may be tired of the constant focus on Trump and are more interested in candidates who address current issues with a positive, future-oriented vision.
• Mid-term vs. Presidential Messaging: The "out party" (in this case, Democrats) has the flexibility to run different campaigns in different districts during mid-terms, whereas the "in party" (Republicans) is tied to the president's record. This allows for more tailored, localized messaging.
• Narrative Construction in Media: The discussion points out how political strategists can provide vague, generic quotes to reporters, which are then used to build a specific narrative that may not fully represent the strategist's actual views or the complexity of the situation.

Quotes

• At 00:09 - "Candidates are still running hard against Donald Trump, warning voters that their Republican opponents are just extensions of the presidency." - This sets up the central theme of the discussion: the Democratic Party's ongoing focus on Trump as a campaign strategy.
• At 00:52 - "I think elections are about the future." - David Frum offers this as an example of an "anodyne, boring, meaningless thing" a political consultant might say to a reporter to avoid giving away real strategy.
• At 03:52 - "Wait a minute, Donald Trump's pollster thought it was not a good idea for Democrats to run against his client? Oh, okay, I guess we should follow your advice, sir!" - David Frum sarcastically dismisses the idea that Democrats should take strategic advice from their opponent's own team.

Takeaways

• Relying solely on an anti-Trump message may fire up the base but could be ineffective with voters seeking solutions to current problems.
• The party out of power (the opposition) has a strategic advantage in mid-term elections, as they can tailor diverse messages to different districts without being tied to a single national figurehead.
• An effective political strategy for an opposition party involves highlighting the incumbent's failures while also presenting a clear, positive vision for the future.
• Be critical of how political narratives are framed in the media, as they can be built on overly simplistic or strategically vague statements from political insiders.