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The bold 2026 agenda we need, part 2: Winning policies for Top 5 issues
Photo by Rebecca Burns. Caveat: Policy solutions aren’t exactly one-size-fits-all How to fix housing in a dense and expensive city like New York will look different than in a sparsely-populated, poverty-stricken rural area like Alaska. As long as there’s a throughline that centers working people rather than billionaires and big business, and powerful, bold solutions that people can easily understand, various policies can win for Democrats in 2026. More on this throughlin

Karen Young
Dec 24, 20256 min read


The bold 2026 agenda we need, part 1: 5 issues Democrats must embrace now
For a full year now, since Trump was elected, Democrats have floundered. Time is running out for them to unite around a winning agenda for the 2026 midterms and beyond. A policy agenda that resonates with some Republican and independent voters, as well as a majority of Democrats, is a must for Democrats to win the midterms and begin rebranding the party. This does NOT mean that the agenda, or candidates, must be “moderate.” Far from it. It just means that they must have

Karen Young
Dec 22, 20253 min read


3 groups offer competing visions for Democrats. Last but not least: Zohran Mamdani and DSA
Zohran Mamdani. Photograph: Thalia Juarez/The Guardian Zohran Mamdani is the 33-year-old DSA member and Democratic nominee for mayor of...

Karen Young
Sep 12, 20256 min read


3 groups offer competing visions for Democrats. Up next: New Dems
New Dem Brittany Pettersen, who brought her newborn to work because she wasn't allowed to vote by proxy. A recent article in Semafor...

Karen Young
Sep 11, 20253 min read


3 groups offer competing visions for Democrats. First up: Abundance.
Ezra Klein, co-author of Abundance. Democrats are still grasping for a vision that can attract voters, guide their strategy and win...

Karen Young
Sep 11, 20254 min read


Trump is in power. What’s next?
A friend once gave me the best piece of advice: You can't control what happens. You can only control how you respond to it. These are...

Karen Young
Nov 19, 202413 min read


Kamala got crushed. How? Why?
Kamala Harris lost – let me count the ways. • All seven swing states • The popular vote • Latinos and Blacks • Gen Z • Women • Blue...

Karen Young
Nov 18, 20243 min read


Compare and contrast: Trump and Harris on the economy
I had an email conversation recently with my dear friend Evan, who is an economist. He was outraged about how Trump was throwing out...

Karen Young
Sep 23, 20245 min read


Harris/Walz: Democratic Party discovers winning strategy
I am pleased that a people’s movement helped force Joe Biden to step down. I’m beyond thrilled with the choice of Midwestern Gov. Tim...

Karen Young
Aug 9, 20244 min read


New strategy: less posting, more work on elections
I will be posting less often from now until November. I've decided to prioritize working on campaigns, and political reform, for these...

Karen Young
Jul 22, 20241 min read


Strong messaging for Trump at RNC
Donald Trump in cheese created for an RNC party at On Tap, a restaurant inside the Brewhouse Inn & Suites on 10th St. in Milwaukee....

Karen Young
Jul 17, 20241 min read


Democratic Party: what leadership failure looks like
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! There’s existential conflict right now within the Democratic Party and its supporter base. Just when clarity and...

Karen Young
Jul 16, 20244 min read


Time for Biden to go. Time to focus on winning.
I voted for Biden in 2020 and have supported his re-election, if not with great enthusiasm, to date. He lost me with Thursday’s debate....

Karen Young
Jun 30, 20244 min read


"City Council Mtg" frames civic engagement as creative act
Welcome to Message Monday! I’m a big live theater fan. I once served on the board of a phenomenal theater company in Chicago called...

Karen Young
Jun 24, 20243 min read


Big win for immigrants, good strategy for Biden
Welcome to Winning Wednesday! The American Immigration Council described the effect of President Biden’s pair of actions yesterday as...

Karen Young
Jun 19, 20242 min read


The two-party system is collapsing. What’s next?
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! Note, long read! You can always come back to finish. Both the Democratic and Republican parties are riven with...

Karen Young
Jun 18, 202411 min read


Boost for Dan Osborn’s progressive campaign in NE
Welcome to Team Tuesday! Back in April, we highlighted Dan Osborn, an exciting blue-collar progressive candidate for Senate in Nebraska....

Karen Young
Jun 12, 20242 min read


You know your ad is working when they complain
Welcome to Message Monday! Joe Biden needs to present info about what he would do with his next term, as well as his past...

Karen Young
Jun 11, 20241 min read


Ask the mayor why he's defunding libraries
Welcome to Message Monday! I thought the photo above, with an Eric Adams cut-out, was a cute and effective way to take the issue to him,...

Karen Young
Jun 3, 20242 min read


The word is out: Biden needs working class to win
Welcome to SWOT Sunday! From the Patriotic Millionaires and Jacobin to the New Republic, American Prospect, the Wall Street Journal and...

Karen Young
Jun 2, 20246 min read
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