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There is no movie in recent history more directly targeted to my demographic than “Barbie”.
As a doll-obsessed kid in the 1980s now raising a teenage daughter, I had no doubt that I’d need to pack a few extra tissues in my purse. But when America Ferrera, the actress playing a mom character in the movie, delivered her monologue on being a woman near the end of the film, it got really, really dusty in that theater.
These lines, in particular, stuck with me: “It’s too hard. It’s too contradictory, and nobody gives you a medal or says thank you. And it turns out in fact that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also everything is your fault.”
The speech—search for the two-minute video if you didn’t see the movie—captured what it feels like to be a woman every day. It also, to a lesser extent, captured what it feels like to be left of center in partisan politics right now.
The Democratic Party brand is about as broken as broken can be.
A recent Wall Street Journal poll showed the extent of the damage: 63% of voters have an unfavorable view of the party. That’s the highest number in 35 years.
When surveyed on 10 issues—economy, inflation, immigration, illegal immigration, tariffs, looking out for the middle class, health care, vaccines, foreign policy and Ukraine—respondents said they preferred Republicans over Democrats in Congress to handle all but two: health care and vaccines. That preference for the GOP held steady despite disapproval of President Trump’s handling of all of the issues other than illegal immigration.
It’s also noteworthy that more voters right now identify as Republicans than as Democrats—although, somewhat perplexingly, Democrats have a small advantage—46% to 43%—when respondents were asked whether they’d back a Democratic or Republican candidate for Congress.
There are glimmers of hope for the upcoming midterm cycle, especially as the president’s approval rating continues to decline in his second term, but the overall landscape ain’t great.
For deeper insight into the current political landscape, it’s worth turning to research recently published by Echelon Insights that looks beyond likely voters’ ballot box choices. The result: a breakdown of eight political “tribes” within the current American electorate.
If you’re unfamiliar with this research method, voter tribes are identified based on shared values, identities, cultural touchpoints and policy preferences rather than just traditional partisan labels. Tribes often cut across party lines and offer a more nuanced understanding of public opinion by highlighting the motivations, fears and priorities that drive different groups.
The TL;DR version of the research: The far right and far left are minorities within their own parties. Populism—a fiscally liberal, socially conservative belief system—is ascendent. There’s a lot of ideological disagreement on both sides, and not just on highly publicized social issues. Unlike The Wall Street Journal poll, the Echelon research shows left-leaning economic arguments prevailing on almost every question asked.
All of which points to opportunity as Democrats reflect and rebuild, figuring out where we lost the middle and how we can earn their trust back.
The one thing that’s clearly missing on the Democratic side: strong candidates. As we seek short-term political victories while Trump remains in office, we also have to plan for a post-Trump world where neither side is likely to have a larger-than-life personality carrying the mantle.
That’s the void that needs to be filled if we want to revive the brand, and there are plenty of data-driven road maps to help us plot the path forward.•
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Chartier is a lifelong Indianapolis resident and owner of Mass Ave Public Relations. Send comments to [email protected].
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