A poster seeking poll managers at the Board of Voter Registration & Elections of Anderson County, S.C., as there are many needed for the November election.

The Democratic National Committee met Aug. 26 and 27 in Minneapolis. I'm not a Democrat, but I would have loved to have been there so I could have laughed at them.

Plus, I could have squeezed in a day at the nation's best state fair (sorry, Texas).

State fair corn dogs and milk shakes aside, reports out of the meeting indicate that Democratic leaders offered little of sustenance.

DNC Chair Ken Martin smeared Donald Trump as a "dictator-in-chief" and declared the president's agenda is "fascism dressed in a red tie."

In reality, since taking office in January, Trump has revitalized the nation's economy, all but ended illegal immigration, strengthened NATO, brokered peace in multiple conflicts and set back Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

But sure, if Democrats can't best Trump on the issues, I guess they're forced to mock him with outlandish labels like dictator and fascist.

Martin did seem to realize Democrats are in trouble. "Now look, folks, I'm sick and tired of this Democratic Party bringing a pencil to a knife fight," he said. "We cannot be the only party that plays by the rules anymore. We've got to stand up and fight. We're not going to have a hand tied behind our back anymore."

I had to chuckle. Given that Joe Biden's administration concealed the president's poor health for years and the DNC swapped him with Vice President Kamala Harris after the 2024 primary season ended, I wouldn't describe the Democratic Party as one that plays by the rules.

And Democrats have yet to bring anything as threatening as a pencil to their fight with Trump and the 77 million Americans who voted for him.

Voter registration statistics show Democrats are fading fast

CNN data analyst Harry Enten observed Aug. 26 that Democrats have been struggling to find new voters in key swing states ahead of midterm elections next year.

"The [Democratic Party's] brand has about the same appeal with the American voter right now as the Cracker Barrel rebrand does with the American consumer," Enten posted on X. "Bad, Bad, Bad."

Republicans, Enten noted, are in a better position now than they have been in more than 20 years in the swing states of Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, the GOP has made enormous gains among registered voters since 2016.

Even the New York Times has reported that Democrats are in deep trouble.

The party's would-be leaders aren't exciting Americans either, with "stars" like California Gov. Gavin Newsom creating more problems than they're solving.

It's no wonder why Democrats were sounding desperate in Minneapolis.

Progressives give up on common sense

It's not hard to see why registered voters are abandoning the Democratic Party. Progressives continually take the opposite side of common sense. Take crime, for example.

Trump made waves two weeks ago when he said Washington, DC was full of "bloodshed, bedlam and squalor." Democrats and much of the mainstream media dismissed Trump's opinion as overly dramatic fearmongering.

But the reality is that homicides and other violent crimes have been at unacceptably high levels.

Since Trump sent the National Guard and federal agents to establish law and order, crime has dropped so much that DC Mayor Muriel Bowser was forced to acknowledge that the president's order has worked.

A majority of Americans support Trump's intervention in DC. An APNORC poll found that 53% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling crime – higher than his overall job approval or approval on other issues.

The poll also found that two-thirds of the public think crime is a major problem in the country and 55% of the public supports the military or National Guard assisting police in large cities.

Why the Democratic Party didn't stand behind Trump and with a majority of Americans is beyond me. It's just common sense.

During the DNC meeting, Martin said Democrats should stop trying to win arguments with Republicans over policy and instead do more to win elections. But policy helps decide elections. It's why Republicans have surged while the Democratic Party is fading fast.

Is this what Democrats mean by bringing a pencil to a knife fight? If so, they should get out their sharpeners before they are erased.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats can't beat Trump on common sense. No wonder voters are abandoning them. | Opinion

Reporting by Nicole Russell, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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