Letters to the Editor: Postelection autopsy shows that the Democratic Party still doesn’t get it

To the editor: It amazes me that the leaders of the Democratic Party still don’t know why they lost the election (“Facing intense internal pressure, DNC releases postelection autopsy that criticizes Kamala Harris,” May 21). Did they ever wonder how they could lose to an opponent who had 34 felony convictions? If you’re heading into an election and you learn that the opposition is carrying that much baggage, you should be dancing in the aisles. Instead, they had infighting about who should be the candidate.

The Democratic Party lost because too many Americans weren’t buying what it was selling. But instead of facing that fact, the party submitted to Hillary Clinton’s attitude of looking at Trump voters as “deplorables.” A large part of this country has become disenchanted with diversity, equity and inclusion. It turns out that instead of inclusion, it represents exclusion — anything but a white, heterosexual man.

Joe Biden defeated President Trump because he has a long career in politics as a moderate lawmaker who can work effectively with the other party. But he was overtaken by the new breed. Now we have chaos. It is time for the Democrats to give up the extremes and come back to reality.

Arthur Siciliano, Westlake Village

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To the editor: Xavier Becerra perfectly represents the problems of the Democratic Party. No one really knows what he and it stand for. You cannot take money from fossil fuel companies and champion the climate. You cannot take money from the management of major corporations and say you represent the workers. The result is the only difference between Democrats and Republicans are social issues. Then it is easy for the Republicans to sway white voters to their side.

After decades of Nancy Pelosi, et al., being the best opposition money can buy, we need Democrats who are clear about who they are representing and who do not have any taint by taking money from interests that are not in sync with the interests of people.

Harlan Levinson, Los Angeles

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To the editor: I hardly know where to begin. In a previous Letter to the Editor that was not published, I expressed my support for those candidates who focus on their qualifications and less on their opponents’ negative traits. Now I learn leaders within the Democratic Party are faulting Kamala Harris for her failure to attack Trump with negatives. Granted, it would seem easy enough to do, but even then, I was more interested in Harris’ take on where she envisioned us going than in pointing out Trump’s failures.

Now, this messaging from the party leaves me undecided. As long as Trump’s label of approval is attached to a candidate, my vote will be cast for the opponent. What would make it interesting is if/when a third-party candidate appears with attractive credentials and a strong platform, even if some of that platform isn’t in line with my own preferences.

John Snyder, Newbury Park

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To the editor: If Kamala Harris lost the election in part because she wrote off rural America’s voting power, that is the same reason Hillary Clinton lost in 2020. Clinton dismissed campaigning in small towns and less-populated cities, favoring more dense urban areas with concentrated voting effectiveness. See where that got her.

This similarity is not a good optic.

Toby Horn, Miracle Mile

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To the editor: To autopsy the 2024 election, you just have to look at the number of voters who participated in 2020 versus 2024 (“The Democratic Party ‘autopsy’ somehow disappointed everyone,” May 26). In 2020, Joe Biden got 81.2 million votes while Donald Trump got 74.2 million. In the 2024 election, Trump got 75.3 million votes and Kamala Harris got 71 million.

What happened to the 10 million people who voted for Biden? Maybe they believed Trump would not win again. It’s similar to what happened with Hillary Clinton when she was running against Trump. Nobody thought Trump would actually win, so many Democrats stayed at home because they “just didn’t like her.” Clinton won the popular vote, but the votes she needed were electoral ones. Still, many Democrats stayed at home.

Republicans tend to be more likely to vote for whoever the major candidate of their party is. Democrats have to debate the style of the candidate’s clothes, the accent of the state they’re from, their education, whatever they can find to nitpick about who they don’t want to vote for.

Democrats just need to show up and vote for the Democrat. It’s as simple as that.

Linda Bradshaw Carpenter, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Columnist Jackie Calmes rightly argues that “Democrats’ job No. 1 is to redefine themselves” (“Enough navel-gazing, Democrats. Focus on the future,” May 28). We can debate what this entails, but any successful redefinition requires an unwavering focus on the party’s performance, image and exposure, or, as it was taught in business school, PIE.

I learned that professional success depends on maximizing those three elements. Politics is no different. Democrats’ performance in some states and cities they govern has disillusioned many voters, particularly on issues such as housing affordability, public safety and cost of living. The party’s progressive image can also seem culturally disconnected from many working Americans. And Democratic leaders often limit their exposure by avoiding large, ideologically diverse platforms like Fox News and Joe Rogan’s podcast.

To counter MAGA, Democrats should improve governance where they hold power, project a more politically inclusive image and meet voters wherever they are. In short, they must bolster their PIE.

T. Michael Spencer, Washington

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To the editor: I am one angry Democrat. I keep waiting for the Democratic establishment to flood the media with a platform of policies and how it would achieve them. Forget bashing Trump. It didn’t work in 2024, and it won’t work in 2026 and beyond.

We, the people, want to hear concise policies and solutions to today’s problems. We want to know how lawmakers will fix our broken democracy. We want to know how they will deal with the economy, income inequality, the housing shortage, immigration reform, climate change and all the other problems facing us.

If Democrats present clear, understandable and pragmatic solutions, they just might start winning elections. If they don’t do this, they will lose yet again.

Barbara Busch, Santa Barbara