"Playing by the Rules: Democrats, Superheroes, and the Art of Losing"

Tonight, I want to talk about something that’s been rattling around in my head for a while.

It’s about politics. But also… superheroes.

Specifically, I want to talk about how Democrats, much like our beloved caped crusaders, seem obsessed with playing by the rules—while their opponents? Well, not so much. And what happens when you’re the only one sticking to the rulebook while the other side is treating the whole thing like a street fight?

Imagine, for a second, that we’re in Gotham City. Batman is out there, skulking in the shadows, following his one rule—he doesn’t kill. He captures the Joker, hands him over to the authorities, and—surprise, surprise—the Joker breaks out a week later and starts his whole cycle of chaos again. Over in Metropolis, Superman could end Lex Luthor’s schemes in five seconds flat, but no—he’s got to respect the system, let the courts decide, and give Luthor yet another chance to weasel his way out with legal loopholes and shady backroom deals.

Now, bring that back to politics. The Democratic Party is Batman and Superman—dedicated to the rules, to institutions, to norms. They believe in process, in bipartisanship, in playing fair even when it’s clear the other side has thrown out the rulebook. Meanwhile, Republicans? More like The Joker and Lex Luthor—except they’re actually winning.

Think about it. In 2016, Senate Republicans straight-up refused to even consider Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. They just sat on their hands and said, “Nope, we’re not doing it.” No constitutional basis, no precedent—just raw power play. Then, in 2020, with mere weeks before the election? Boom. Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed at lightning speed. The same people who said, “We can’t confirm a justice in an election year” turned around and did exactly that when it benefited them.

And what did the Democrats do? Did they retaliate? Did they pack the court? Did they push back with the same level of aggression? Nope. They wrote strongly worded tweets.

That’s Batman, right there. That’s Superman holding back his full strength because he doesn’t want to stoop to the villain’s level. It’s noble, sure. Admirable, even. But at the end of the day… it’s also how you lose.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I get why Batman doesn’t kill. I get why Superman follows the law. Once you start bending the rules, it’s hard to stop. And Democrats have this deep belief that if they just show good faith, if they just play fair, eventually, the other side will do the same.

Spoiler alert: they won’t.

Because in real life, the Joker doesn’t get locked up for good. Lex Luthor doesn’t have a change of heart. The people bending and breaking the rules don’t suddenly wake up and decide to follow them just because you set a good example.

At some point, Batman has to ask himself—how many more people have to die before he realizes that just throwing the Joker back into Arkham isn’t solving the problem? At some point, Democrats have to ask—how many more times are they going to be outplayed before they realize that their opponents are playing a whole different game?

Now, I’m not saying the answer is to become villains. I’m not saying Batman should start snapping necks or that Democrats should abandon every principle they stand for. But maybe—just maybe—it’s time to start fighting like you actually want to win. Maybe it’s time to stop assuming the rules even exist if only one side is following them.

Because if Batman doesn’t change his strategy, Gotham will always be on fire. And if Democrats don’t start realizing that politics is a power struggle—not just a moral debate—they’re going to keep getting outplayed.

And at the end of the day, what good is being the hero… if the city burns down around you?