in retrospect, it's easy to formulate a different game plan. which very much may want to be the game plan forward.
a change in consciousness is necesary and it has to be readily absorbed and available to a larger audience.

I think we were sold a little too much on our own sauce.
And believe me, I liked that sauce.
It was just about the most delicious thing I've tasted politically in a long time.

Then the hard knocks of last night came.

Can we find better ways to explain that Donald Trump's solutions for inflation won't work - or do we have to wait for them not to work?
That eliminating ACA is a bad idea, or wait for attempts on its life.
That Ukraine deserves defending and it is in our best interest to do so.
That NATO is necessary.
That Medicare is necessary and popular.
That Social Security is necessary and depended upon by so many.
ACA

I wish we had struck the fear of God into everyone who loves those things that Donald Trump almost surely would screw those things up. That he screwed up the last time. That it wasn't Covid that brought us to our knees and in such severe despair. It was Covid plus Donald Trump. What would he do next time? How will those who believe in vaccines feel if RFK Jr. is in charge of their health?

We had a great campaign. We created great spirit. We just apparently didn't sell these hard facts to a large faction of the American public. Thinking, I suppose, that they should see all this because it seems so clear.

In the end, the tragedy is - Democracy is apparently easily traded in for a cheaper carton of eggs.

they won't even get cheaper groceries

Exactly this! When you take bold decisive policy steps to make people’s lives better and help empower them to solve their day to day problems be proud of that and champion their and keep making that connection. Take the offense and drive the narrative instead of constantly, to use the football analogy, playing prevent defense which prevents only your own victory.

But we also need to make a long term investment in communication methodology as the corporate media has proven they are the allies if those who want to destroy our democracy:

From Heather Cox Richardson:

“In the U.S., pervasive right-wing media, from the Fox News Channel through right-wing podcasts and YouTube channels run by influencers, have permitted Trump and right-wing influencers to portray the booming economy as “failing” and to run away from the hugely unpopular Project 2025. They allowed MAGA Republicans to portray a dramatically falling crime rate as a crime wave and immigration as an invasion. They also shielded its audience from the many statements of Trump’s former staff that he is unfit for office, and even that his chief of staff General John Kelly considers him a fascist and noted that he admires German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

As actor Walter Masterson posted: “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against the propaganda machines of Twitter, Fox News, [Joe Rogan Experience], and NY Post. These spaces will continue to create reality unless we create a more effective way of reaching people.”

but repukes have been voting agains their self-interests for a long time now

has been greedflation. Sure, the greedflation made some oligarchs richer, but it was also meant to drive down approval of President Biden.
The Russians and the Saudis conspired to lower oil output to raise prices, also to drive down approval of President Biden. By careful timed buying and selling from US strategic reserves President Biden was able to minimize the increase in prices.

Fewer young men are going to college, and that number likely will only decrease as economic turbulence makes college less affordable. Once young people start voting they have a tendency to keep voting for the same party.

The ‘tendrils’ of influencing messaging …spot on. Dems need to employ same tactics…there’s money to do it.