Democrats’ “get tough” strategy is making America meaner, not better
In recent weeks, it has become clear that the Democratic Party has adopted “get tough” as their primary strategy. Not tough in Teddy Roosevelt’s “speak softly and carry a big stick” sense, but tough in the “accuse loudly and use the stick” at every opportunity. It is devoid of tolerance and civility. It is a strategy that is less about debating the issues and more about political life-and-death gladiatorial combat – marked by bogus narratives, false accusations and irrational name-calling.
This approach has left behind the voices within the Democratic Party that once called for national unity, objective reasoning, and—brace yourself—civil dialogue. Those poor souls are now relegated to the political equivalent of an old Soviet GULAG — sipping lukewarm latte while the dominant radical left of the party rattles its rhetorical sabers.
Resistance as Religion
The Democrats’ “get tough” strategy is rooted in obsessive resistance. Not principled opposition, mind you, but obsessive resistance pursued with the passion of a zealot. The kind that turns every policy disagreement into a moral crusade. If you disagree with them, you are not just wrong—you are evil (a racist, sexist, homophobic or … all of the above).
This strategy has birthed a culture of angst, anger, bitterness, name-calling and mendacious propaganda narratives. It is not new. It started with the unprecedented “Resistance Movement” that was launched by radical left-wing Democrats immediately following Trump’s election in 2016. It has brewed among the radical left ever since – boiling over after Trump’s impressive win in 2024. (How dare half the American people have the audacity to oppose radical left-wing ideology, philosophy, theology AND restore Trump to the presidency.}
The now firmly branded “get tough” strategy doesn’t just promote hostility—it thrives on it. Outrage is the fuel, and social media is the engine. Every day presents a new opportunity to demonize the opposition, to “own” someone, to go viral with accusations of fascism, Nazism and authoritarianism. To incessantly trope.
And yes, it has led to violence – as anyone could foresee. Let us not forget the 2020 summer of the bizarrely labeled “peaceful protests” (a phrase that deserves its own comedy special). Cities burned, businesses were looted, and police precincts were overrun—all under the banner of justice.
Promoting Violence
While some Democrats condemned the violence, their response was tepid at best. Others directly or indirectly encouraged the violence. Kamala Harris famously promoted and contributed to a bail fund for rioters. Democrat prosecutors refused to prosecute. Democrat mayors and governors ordered police to “stand down” and the National Guard to get out of town. (Nothing says peace and harmony like helping rioters, looters, arsonists and vandals return to the streets for the next round of civil unrest.)
The abject intolerance of the Resistance Movement has turned America into a political battlefield. Not a metaphorical one—a literal one. Families are divided, friendships are severed, and Thanksgiving dinners now require diplomatic immunity.
Democrats’ promotion of identity politics and political correctness has fractured American unity – e pluribus unum – into political tribalism. It is not enough to oppose Republicans – the left that now controls the Democratic Party must destroy them. Debate is dead. Dialogue is for suckers. The only acceptable outcome for today’s Democrat leaders is total ideological submission — or cancellation, whichever comes first.
This scorched-earth mentality shows a deep contempt for alternative viewpoints. Not just those fringe conspiracy theories—but legitimate, mainstream perspectives. If you believe in legal immigration, border security and the deportation of illegal aliens who are ineligible for asylum, you are a xenophobe. If you question climate policy, you are a science denier. If you support school choice, you hate public school teachers. It is a rhetorical game of whack-a-mole, and the mallet is always labeled “intolerance.” There is no common ground.
Theatrics Over Substance
The “get tough” strategy is performative. It is politics as theater, with every press conference as a monologue and every tweet a soliloquy. Substance is secondary. Optics are everything. It is designed to theatrically distract from real issues – and the truth.
The most tragic casualty of the “get tough” strategy is national unity. Once upon a time, Democrats – at least some of them — spoke of bringing people together. Of healing divisions. Of finding common ground. That era is over.
Now, unity is conditional. You’re welcome to join the fold—if you agree with everything the left says and demands. If not, you’re the enemy – a threat to democracy, itself. The party of self-proclaimed inclusion has become the party of ideological purity tests and social shaming.
Summary
So, what are the results of this “get tough” strategy? A nation more divided than ever. Political discourse devolved into tribal warfare. Trust in institutions eroded. Political violence is on an uptick – most notably on the left. And the average American feels alienated from the process.
Democrats may think that going “tough” is a winning strategy—but at what cost? Oh, it may energize the extreme element of their base, but it alienates the middle and justifiably angers the millions of targets of their wrath. It may dominate headlines in the crony news media, but it undermines credibility among the general public.
And let us be honest: it is exhausting. Americans are tired of being told they are terrible people for having opinions. They are tired of being labeled. They’re tired of the outrage machine. They want solutions, not mendacious accusations.
The people demand — and expect – more. They long for unity, harmony, civil debate, and respect for the opinion of others. There is still time to remember that disagreement doesn’t mean hatred. Rational discourse is better than fist-pounding propaganda. Peaceful protest is better than promoting and defending street violence. Debate is better than demonization.
Until then, however, the Democrats’ divisive “get tough” strategy will continue to make matters worse. It is a strategy built on anger and bitterness, sustained by outrage. America deserves better than noise and violence. The Democrats’ current line-in-the-sand approach will ultimately be rejected. At least we should all hope so.
So, there ‘tis.
Poor wittle warry, the meanies are knocking at his door. They be angry people yelling names and such, oh my, the horror of it all to return volley with some pace. IF you don’t like it, don’t whine, instead stop doing it. I agree, mean is cool in America now. But who’s on first? I could swear even the maga-kind-hearted author has used the words: pugnacious, bellicose, and more to describe Trump. And yet he’s surprised when we return fire with fire? He can’t “digress” his way out of that conundrum.
You have got to be kidding with this story or attempting to steal the “big balls” moniker to write this piece.
Larry’s proof, in his own weasel words, from this article, is that for Dems and Dems alone: “In recent weeks, it has become clear that the Democratic Party has adopted “get tough” as their primary strategy” where he includes ONLY the following evidence:
“It started with the unprecedented “Resistance Movement” that was launched by radical left-wing Democrats immediately following Trump’s election in 2016.” Are 2016 and “recent weeks” the same thing? The author seems a bit lost in time on this one.
But wait, there’s more as he heads to 2024, that’s better, where he adds: “Half the American people have the audacity to oppose radical left-wing ideology, philosophy, theology AND restore Trump to the presidency” which, in reality, is actually 49.8% of the people, so rounding up. Fair enough. And half the people say fuck you to that, as actually 48.3% voted against the audacity, so rounding that up 50% too. It’s a 1.5% love/hate difference that the author calls his mandate. It was a great victory, but as far from a mandate as one can get without losing. And therein lies the rub, these fools think a 1.5% advantage means everything they think is golden, like the fake gold crap that surrounds Trump as he sits in his stupid golden chair with his pudgy ankles and pontificates lie after lie after lie that the author totally believes. Get some objectivity, man. Become a true conservative again. Yes, you won a lot of states, overturned a lot of our strongholds, but —– twas just a tad, not a landslide, not a mandate, and you should freaking listen to America instead of controlling our lives from the Oval Office. You may accept taxation without representation, or feel this one man represents all, but we once revolted over such a notion in creating our Republic. We thought King George was very mean.
For more on “recent weeks, the author says: “Let us not forget the 2020 summer of the bizarrely labeled “peaceful protests” (a phrase that deserves its own comedy special). Cities burned, businesses were looted, and police precincts were overrun—all under the banner of justice.” Uh, that was five years ago, under Trump rule, when he allowed this to occur. Is that “in recent weeks?”
He dithers on down memory lane with more “recent weeks” evidence saying: “Kamala Harris famously promoted and contributed to a bail fund for rioters” which was also in 2020, not recent weeks.
Larry: it’s 2025 and recent weeks would be August of 2025.
BUSTED
And Larry — there’s 140 DC/Capitol Police folks that feel letting their convicted beaters go is really mean. Not to mention all the crimes they have perpetrated since then, and it is a plethora. And these cops have standing to freaking mean it. Can you imagine being beat upon by these fucks and then watching them walk free as heroes?
Larry there are over 1,000 Epstein victims that feel letting their groomer-and-worse, go to Club Fed is really mean. And they paid the price to really mean it. Not only raped, but having to testify, be villainized by the same lawyers that Trump used, and then see this witch go to summer camp instead of jail. And then relive it again attempting to free the Epstein files. Trump, with all the compassion he can muster, calls it a Democrat hoax. 14-year old girls. That’s truly mean. Even MT Greene says he’s meane. Being forced to listen to Blanchard and Maxwell yuck it up over JFK Jr flirtatious titillations of her having the hots for him, but not sex; that’s fucking insult to injury and then some. Mean.
There are over 280 humans that feel being put in a death camp gulag to DIE is worse than being terribly mean. And they will probably DIE soon meaning it.
Your list of mean goes on and on. And it’s current, not 2020. And yes, Newsome is leading the charge but many are picking up the pace as we head into 2026 where the rubber meets the road. Who will cheat more is the question; it’s apparent both sides will be on the cheat.
While I do agree America is getting meaner, I do question who’s on first, and I am pretty sure we did not start this; it started in 2015 or earlier with Trump attacks on Obama, Clinton, Biden, Harris, and so, so, many more. I will be your revenge and retribution is not a Democratic thought.
your party is too damned stupid to govern. You people stand back and watch how to run a country. Law and order is being restored. And your communist agenda is being exposed. I know that some states will remain a communist shithole. But our influence is growing.
Yep. Definitely a war going on.
Larry says we are mean. I say to him: look in the mirror. If you were being honest with us, you would note who started this, who escalates this, and who gets worse every day. Sure, we went after Trump, in Congress and the Courts, legally, and we won some, failed on the biggest ones. YOU…. started in 2015 with words and deeds, not in Congress, not in the Courts, naming, blaming, and shaming with horrid language and deeds. Now, you extend that to the unprotected, recently even killing a dozen of “alledged’ drug runners in International waters. No proof offered, announced you will do it again, and everyone wonders: what drug runners carry unneeded baker’s dozen of people INSTEAD of drugs? I mean the ship needed two, maybe three, and instead had 14. The truth lays at the bottom of the ocean.
The Epstein victims think he’s mean to withhold evidence that could give them closure.
Worse yet, they went through holy hell to testify and think it’s mean to give their tormentor Club Fed.
Epstein said he was Trump’s best friend. They shared much in common. They even had the same lawyers for defense. There were lavish dinners with boldface names at Mr. Epstein’s mansion on the Upper East Side and raucous parties with cheerleaders and models at Mr. Trump’s private club and residence at Mar-a-Lago. In between, there were trips back and forth from Florida to New York on one of Mr. Epstein’s private jets. Epstein’s victims came from Trump’s club.
Many Americans think it’s mean for Trump to have secret police who are masked, unidentified, militarily armed as they conduct warrantless arrests to disappear the guilty and innocent to third-world death camp gulags that Trump pays for to be MURDERED. Their crimes: for many a misdemeanor of border jumping.
Many Americans think it’s mean to withhold foreign aid for kids who then DIE.
Many Americans think it’s mean to send the military into domestic cities in violation of our Constitution.
Many Americans think it’s mean to shut down vaccine development killing who knows how many in the future.
Many Americans find tariffs charged by one man, not Congress, to be taxation without representation. Mean enough that one time, when Americans stood together, for something more than themselves, sparked a revolution against the King being mean.
Many Americans think it’s mean to cut Medicaid.
Many Americans think it’s mean to suggest we deport all of Gaza to build condo’s.
Even the author thinks it’s mean to stiff Ukraine in favor of Russia after saying he could end the war before 1/2025.
You whine about the Trump legal issues, every one valid and by the law. Yes, we could not prove Russia collusion, but there was plenty enough smoke to investigate fairly, which we did. Trump meanly sicks the DOJ on his political enemies and when he can’t indict, he lies about them in the press to shame them from the bullshit pulpit.
It was mean for Trump to try to rig the 2016 and 2020 elections. And then blame others for cheating when he lost, fair and square.
It was mean to arrest Baraka and then drop the charges. It was mean to arrest McIver for obstruction and forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers for some pushing and shoving. Or to tackle Senator Padilla for asking a question in a Federal Building.
These are all recent, much more so than 2020. Like I said, Larry seems to be going for the “big balls” moniker to say Dems are meaner than Republicans. I guarantee we will be going full Carvel or better in 2026; have a good time. Two years.