Smoky The Barely Tolerant
When lack of something is a smoke signal
No There There: How the Democrats Summoned Trump
A Smoky the Barely Tolerant Briefing on the Danger of Political Identity Without Substance or Soul
Smoky’s Opening Monologue
The first sign of smoke was Biden himself. There was clearly no there there. Everyone with eyes to see and ears to hear knew this, even called it out. But whoever was running the Democratic Party machine thought, “We can fool all the people all the time.” And much of mainstream media did their best to help sell this lie.
Blinded by their own smoke, they did not see what they had become: a political party with no soul, no center, and no story. How did they get there?
Smoke Signs
The Cult of Opposition: When ‘Not Trump’ Became the Platform
Since 2016, the Democratic Party’s organizing principle hasn’t been policy, it’s been opposition. Biden and Harris focused their campaigns on “saving democracy from Trump,” while ads and fundraising appeals spent more time invoking him than offering plans.
Every prosecution of Trump may be legally justifiable, but it looked like a desperate rite to purge a demon they don’t understand. And when the law becomes symbolic instead of substantive, trust dies.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire
Here’s the Problem:
A thing cannot be defined only by its opposite. When the message is, “I’m not Trump”, the question never answered was, “Ok, so who are you?”
In other words, what is the essence of the Democratic party? They have about as much success defining what they stand for as they do defining what a woman is.
This was never sustainable.
As Frater Bovious once said:
“When your identity is entirely defined in reaction to your opposition, well, you’re screwed.”
A Void in Place of Vision: The Party Without a Purpose
Younger voters are disengaged. Independent voters are frustrated. The party offers no compelling vision except “Trump is bad.” That this message did not resonate is clear.
They still can’t articulate coherent positions on immigration, energy, or education. All they can do is point and shriek “Orange man bad!” Guess what, the electorate does not care.
The Democratic Party has no why. It has bureaucrats, not believers. They tried to fool the public by propping up an old failing man. Then they tried to foist an ill-prepared candidate with no identity of her own onto the public. This was an adventure in shooting themselves in the foot. On full-auto.
Fire:
If Trump disappears, the identity crisis erupts. And nothing attracts disorder like a political vacuum.
Smoke Signs They Missed
These aren’t causes. They’re symptoms.
2018 UN Speech: Trump warns Germany about Russian gas dependence. They laugh. Turns out he was right.
→ Sign: Tribal rejection of truth just because of the mouth it came from.2020 Hunter Biden Suppression: Media buries the story.
→ Sign: The “noble lie” to protect democracy ends up poisoning it.Deplatforming Trump: Ban him from Twitter, create a martyr in exile.
→ Sign: Exile gives legend room to grow.
Each of these was a smoke signal. Each was ignored.
One smoldering fire to Watch: The Ghost of Trumpism Without Trump
Prediction:
When Trump isn’t on the ballot, the Democrats will have no one to oppose. And nothing to offer.
They’ve defined themselves as an immune response. What happens when the pathogen’s gone?
Voter turnout shrinks.
Internal divisions erupt (progressives vs moderates vs technocrats).
The party is revealed as a hollowed-out shell held together by outrage.
Smoky’s Final Puff of Wisdom
You don’t win trust by hating harder than the other guy. You earn it by standing for something, clearly, honestly, and without flinching. A party built in the shape of its enemy will crumble the moment he is gone.
