To win, Democrats must return to common sense

Part I

The Democratic party is facing a popularity crisis. Despite standing for issues that many Americans agree with us on, the electorate in many counties of the country has swung rightwards in 3 consecutive presidential elections.

Looking to 2026 and with an eye to win back statehouses, Congress in 2026, and the Presidency in 2028, Democrats must abandon central positions that dominate today’s progressive conversation.

They must rethink their approach to issues like immigration and homelessness. And they must claim approachability and common sense as integral to their party and platform’s brand.

We can begin this process by doing the following.

1. Stop defending illegal or unauthorized immigration

E.g. “abolish ICE”

The ideal number of immigrants to the USA? A plentiful number. The ideal number of unauthorized/illegal immigrants in the USA? Zero. That is, and must always be the answer. We are a nation of laws - not men - and laws include those governing who gets to enter our country’s borders and who does not. Soft or lackluster enforcement of these laws is bad policy, plain and simple.

This isn’t about dogma, culture, philosophy, tolerance, or compassion. We are a nation built of immigrants, and that foundation is the nation’s immigration system, which balances need, merit, skills, and cultural elements to produce a machine that lets in some folks and turns others away. When we go “light” on unauthorized immigration we erode faith that Americans can trust us to keep them safe. And that’s a duty of the political party in power - ensuring that we manage our own citizenry with coherent oversight.

Many folks defend folks who are here without authorization with arguments like how these folks “form our communities,” or by asking “who will pick our vegetables if we deport them? Costs will skyrocket!” And it’s true that many of the folks who come here - with legal authorization or otherwise - become part of our society, which has inherent value. And it’s also true that agricultural workers are a necessary part of our food production supply chain.

And yet, these arguments are weak, mainly because both issues can be resolved with legal immigration. If we want more diverse neighborhoods and neighbors, increase visas. If we need agricultural labor, increase visas. The answer to these dilemmas is not to exploit our outdated asylum laws by allowing every person who wants to stay in the US to do so (which was the predominant strategy under Biden).

And as an aside - I also don’t believe that excusing underpaying migrant farmworkers so that we can keep our food prices cheaper is a morally justifiable position.

Democrats must accept that our immigration system relies on legal principles, which in turn relies on enforcement. They must cease positions like “abolish ICE.”

2. Palestine is important, but it still remains one issue of many.

What’s happening in Palestine is horrific. Children starving, innocent civilians being bombed, Gaza’s total annihilation. This is a problem, and to the extent the US has enabled it, that too, remains a moral and ethical problem.

However, the plight of the Palestinian people is one issue of many, and should not dominate our policy and cultural focus to the extent it has today. Many progressives spend a disproportionate, if not exclusive, amount of time and space on the Palestinian issue. Recently, a rival delegation in my race for a delegate seat in the California Democratic Party had a policy platform that discussed the Palestinian issue for a third of their entire platform. This for an election to a state Democratic party that has - at best - a symbolic and cultural influence on foreign policy. Meanwhile, California faces a homelessness crisis, affordability crisis, failing schools, and one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates.

Politics isn’t always about the moral high ground. In fact, sometimes it’s not about morals at all. It’s about evaluating what people care about, and being their warrior for those issues. Often that means job security, the price of goods, the cost of living, reproductive freedom, immigration, and yes, foreign policy. Of course, every community is different. Last year, I knocked 1500 doors for my candidate for City Council in my town. Many people cared about traffic, the city’s rapid growth, crime, the state of our schools, and repairs at our parks. Another community’s needs may well be different. But to claim that the attention being spent on Palestine in Democratic circles today resonates with voters is naive. Notable advocates for this cause like Jamaal Bowman and Kori Bush were unseated in 2024.

All politics are local. Focusing on issues that are energizing like the Palestinian cause is good, but Democrats must not lose focus on the myriad of other domestic issues at home that voters care about, be it housing, cost of living, the economy, immigration, reproductive freedom, education, or the environment.

3. West Coast homelessness is an embarrassment & indictment on leftist policies

My state of California has, in my lifetime, become filthier. This is not a question of data or crime statistics. The data is clear that in the same period of time, crime has gone down. This, I readily concede, and do so with gratitude that our state has become safer.

But how it feels being in our state - and specifically our state’s cities - is a different story. San Francisco was the first to fall, with homelessness in the 2010s taking over parts of the city, with folks setting up camps in parks, on streets, and anywhere else they could find. Then eventually Oakland, LA, San Diego, Portland, & Seattle followed suit. With homelessness comes public excrement, garbage, and the anxiety of walking around tents, hoping not to be attacked or harassed as you try to get to Smart and Final to pick up groceries. Not to mention, the very sight of homeless folks with shopping carts full of belongings begs the question from out of towners: this is what Democratic leadership in the richest state in the Union gets you?

Homeless folk need help. There is no doubt about that. Many folks who are homeless may be facing mental illness, addiction, or financial straits that have put them in that position. There is little doubt that they do not want to be homeless. Often, we cannot blame them for the position they are in. But at the same time, our leaders must do something to maintain the safety, calm, and exceptionalism of our urban zones. That could mean building significantly more low income housing, restricting benefits only for in-state residents, aggressive policing and crackdown on out-of-state residents who come to our state only for our benefits, aggressive oversight of resources going to solve homelessness, and a more serious approach to enforcing criminal laws.

Many Americans look at California - and the greater West Coast - as an example of what Democratic politics would bring to the nation should we win Congress and the White House. We must do better on the West Coast in showing the country that we are a good role model, and that begins with solving the homelessness crisis.

More to come.