Won on Prices, Lost on Posts: How Social Media Will Break the Democratic Majority

We've all heard Speaker-to-be Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) swear on a stack of Bibles they will remain "laser focused" on the "affordability" issue when the next Congress sits in January.

Good luck with that, guys.

In fact, those two old-timers (Jeffries has served seven terms in the House; Schumer has served in both the House and Senate for a combined 45 years) still don't get it. They're not in control. Control of the Democratic Party rests with members and influencers with the largest social media followings, plus the all-important ability to generate a viral post that sets the entire internet on fire.

It's part math, part art, part artifice. It's a genuine talent that Jeffries and Schumer have no clue how to deal with. And they're already bending to their base's demands.

"In December, Jeffries waved off a Hegseth impeachment push," reports Axios. "On Sunday, he said he was a 'hard yes.'"

Those members and groups, including the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have created an entirely new political party: The Algorithm Assembly (AA). The AA doesn't care about "affordability." In fact, they don't "care" about issues in the traditional sense except as a means to an end.

The AA is interested in only one thing: sticking it to Donald Trump and the Republicans. No matter Jeffries and Schumer's good intentions, both realize that impeachment is going to happen, and with at least a 50-seat majority in the House, it's going to succeed.

That means there's going to be another clown-car mashup of a Senate trial where Democrats are going to bring forth every grievance, every imagined crime, and every reaction to Trump's slights and insults from both his first and second terms. They may even try to relitigate the Russia hoax.

Jeffries and Schumer are powerless to stop it. The left-wing internet is going to blow up, and they won't be able to stop it.

Axios:

Only the most delusional Democrats think they won because of the mass appeal of their party. They know they have a golden opportunity to reposition and rehabilitate the Democratic brand.
Flashback: The last time Democrats held a majority this big, after 2008, they lost 63 House seats two years later. Big majorities have more members, more factions and more people chasing virality.
Some top Democrats think the House and Senate should agree to focus on the one topic that unites them all, affordability, and allow room for debate but not distraction.
Schumer and Jeffries could state this emphatically every day.
They could also make plain that they plan to hold Trump and others accountable, but leave that to oversight committees and make it secondary to bringing down prices.
The bottom line: Democrats won the election on prices. They'll lose the majority on posts.

The political landscape has expanded dramatically from what it was, say, 50 years ago. When there were only three TV networks, a dozen or so vital media markets, and another 25 areas of dominant influence (ADI), control was a lot easier for congressional leaders and political parties. Party discipline was easier to enforce, and it was much harder for unknowns to break through and gain notoriety and name recognition.

The internet has fractured that media universe. Today, those who scream the loudest or create the cleverest videos get the attention. Reason, logic, and moderation are out. Bombast, exaggeration, and extremism are in.

Jeffries and Schumer are just beginning to realize that. Trump has known about it for 10 years or longer. He was elected twice by demanding attention on social media with norm-breaking posts and sneering contempt for his opponents.

This is what the American people from both parties want. They equate this sort of political combat with "strength." Politicians like Sen. John Thune (R-N.D.), Jeffries, and Schumer fall short in the "strength" department, according to their partisans. They will either adapt to the new regime or perish.