Don’t Get Cocky, Democrats. The Politics of Grievance Will Get You Too | Opinion
Newsweek · Dan Perry ·
Democrats have a chance to break the cycle of grievance that defines U.S. elections. But do they have the good sense to take it?
At first glance, there is something reassuring about the relentless cycle of political upheaval in America. Voters become dissatisfied with their leaders, throw the bums out, and give the other party a chance. Isn't that how democracy is supposed to work? Politicians are held accountable. But look a little closer, and the picture is considerably less encouraging.
What we are witnessing is not so much a healthy cycle of democratic accountability as an increasingly destructive cycle of chronic dissatisfaction. Americans were unhappy in 2020. They were not delighted in 2022 and downright livid in 2024, when they returned Donald Trump to the White House. They’re enraged today, thus the GOP shellacking, and there is every reason to believe they will be unhappy again in 2028 and 2030 too.
The problem is not that voters don't know what they want. On a surprising range of issues, they have been telling politicians what they want for years. They want health care that doesn't bankrupt them. They want the extraordinarily wealthy to pay their fair share. They want to see the end of mass killings. They want less corruption and less money in politics. They want politicians who cannot enrich themselves through public office. They want government services that actually work. They want to protect the border. And they want a political system that responds to their concerns.
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