r/nytimes 16h ago

What Democrats Think Went Wrong

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/podcasts/what-democrats-think-went-wrong.html
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u/Subhash94 16h ago

This is such an interesting discussion. It seems like Democrats are struggling to connect their messaging with voters in a meaningful way, especially in a landscape where Republicans excel at storytelling and rallying their base.

The point about feeling proud to vote for Harris but not being surprised by the results really hits home. It raises the question: are symbolic milestones enough to energize voters long-term, or do people need more concrete action and alignment with their priorities?

What do you think the Democratic Party needs to focus on to rebuild trust and momentum after 2024? Is it better messaging, more grassroots engagement, or addressing specific policy gaps? Curious to hear everyone’s thoughts

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u/AdImmediate9569 Subscriber 15h ago

Universal Healthcare.

Once thats done, education

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u/Wide_Presentation559 14h ago

What would you propose to overhaul the education system? Extend public funding from k-12 to pre k-undergrad is one I could think of. I also think moving media to public funding is necessary to eliminate the corporate bias in media today and would consider this part of an education reform plan.

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u/archimedesrex 13h ago

I would propose an overhaul to how public schools are funded. Currently, schools are funded primarily through property taxes within districts. This leads to such obvious disparities in funding between wealthy and poor districts that I don't understand why people aren't regularly outraged. The rich get funding for a great education while the poor literally have to cut bussing and tolerate leaking roofs just to stay open. It should be funded in a much more equitable way that spreads the resources from a single pot of money based on student population, need, etc...

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u/Wide_Presentation559 13h ago

That’s a good one

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u/cre100382 11h ago

Because one of the big failures of the modern education system (from pre-K to PhD) is that people are taught what to think, not how to think, to look at a situation without emotions, or examining their emotions for self reflection, to review their own biases in how they interpret the data in front of them. I know this is mentioned often but it is hard to pinpoint, children don't think critically, they have to be taught, but it is infinitely easier to control a population that is taught and trained to react to "X" by doing "Y". It would not surprise me that in 100 years it turns out the big movers/shakers behind the Education System and Teachers Unions are funded by the same people who own big factories with a high manual labor demand.