Geoff Duncan: Democrats need their own Tea Party-type moment

If the Democratic Party wants to get back in the game, it needs its own version of a Tea Party movement inside their party to break the strings of gravity that now have them consistently trapped in second place around the country. The results of the 2024 elections and ensuing malaise should be more than enough motivation for Democrats to light the grassroots on fire with something new and improved that turns the chaos into conversations.

Looking in the rearview mirror, it’s now easy to see how a grassroots movement like the Tea Party got off the ground so quickly and reshaped the GOP, for better or for worse.

First, it met Republicans right where they were at, frustrated and scared in the throes of the 2007 financial meltdown. It gave them local, state and national forums inside their own party to express their heartburn for the status quo and loudly call for a new direction without being ostracized from their party.

Secondly, the Tea Party stayed laser focused on fiscal issues and didn’t operate as a purity contest on the litany of other wedge issues facing our country. That would later change, but early iterations of the Tea Party offered a surprising level of “political grace” to a wide political spectrum of Republicans and promoted a culture to agree to disagree on everything other than matters that were related to fiscal responsibility.

No two situations are ever exactly alike, but there are a lot of synergies between where Democrats find themselves today and where Republicans found themselves in 2007.

President Donald Trump’s bone-jarring victory and the Congressional red wave in 2024 should be the necessary catalyst to kick-start a new direction for the Democratic Party that meets both Democrats and disgruntled moderates where they’re at. A new direction that aims to fill the gigantic vacuum of political leadership felt around the country and promises to be the adult in the childish room called politics.

With chaos always comes opportunity, and Republicans are producing plenty of both for Democrats to seize on.

While MAGA and its angry mob are distracted settling scores and lighting dumpsters on fire around the world, Democrats should shift their eyes to focus on simply delivering the American dream back to main street. A main street that is thirsty for genuine solutions to their everyday problems and wants nothing to do with the fringes of either party.

The American dream is the ultimate bipartisan project and comes in all kinds of shapes and sizes across the country. Wikipedia states: The “American dream” is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States — that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life.

A “Main Street Democrats” movement could be the political reset that millions of Americans across the political spectrum are waiting for. It could also serve as a practical path to the American dream for the masses without the polarizing effects of a political purity test.

The movement would focus on blocking and tackling the issues that matter most to Main Street, like the real economy, quality education, access to health care, public safety and fiscal restraint, to name a few. Social issues would not be dismissed; they just wouldn’t be prioritized.

This newfound culture of agree to disagree on the fringe issues would feel like aloe on sunburn to those voters who find themselves one or two social issues away from calling themselves a Democrat. In a nutshell, the size of the Democratic tent would exponentially grow, and a bunch of problems would get solved.

Can I get an amen from the congregation!

This country is beyond desperate for a new compass heading that leads us to our best moments instead of our worst moments. Neither party, in their current configurations, is capable of being selfless enough to take on the patriotic task of uniting the country. For that, we must think outside the box.

We can’t predict if a movement like Main Street Democrats catches fire, but it’s crystal clear the American dream needs it.