Democrat Inevitability or Democrat Failure to Thrive

The Starfish Strategy: How Missouri Democrats Plan to Regenerate After 2024 Defeat

Introduction: The Starfish Metaphor

There is an illuminating biological metaphor at play in the Democratic strategy for rural Missouri. Starfish possess a remarkable regenerative capability: when an arm is severed from a starfish and cast into a new environment, that limb can regenerate into a complete clone of the original organism. Through this process, starfish can effectively reproduce throughout an environment, establishing a growing presence in previously unoccupied territory.

While the "Starfish Brigade" group publicly employs the heartwarming story about saving individual starfish by throwing them back into the water (suggesting the power of small, meaningful actions), the Democratic Rural Caucus efforts appear to function more like the starfish's biological reproduction mechanism – attempting to clone elements of the national party structure and messaging in every rural Missouri county, despite that same approach having failed to elect Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.

The 2024 Election Defeat

The 2024 presidential election resulted in Donald Trump defeating Kamala Harris with approximately 74.5 million votes to Harris's 72.3 million in the popular vote – a margin of about 2.2 million votes. More decisively, Trump secured 312 electoral votes to Harris's 226, reclaiming key battleground states that Democrats had won in 2020. This electoral defeat represented a significant setback for Democrats nationally, raising questions about their messaging, policy priorities, and electoral strategy.

Rather than pivoting or recalibrating their approach after this defeat, evidence from Missouri suggests that state-level Democratic organizations are doubling down on the same messaging and priorities that failed to resonate with enough voters nationally.

Missouri Democrats' Strategic Response

The "Plan to takeover Rural Missouri" Document

An internal strategy document obtained from Missouri Democratic organizers reveals their post-election focus:

"Rural Missouri is a prime location for municipal election success for the Democratic party in 2025. By strategically investing in town council, city council, and borough races, we stand to generate a good bench as well as creating a good recognition of Rural Missouri nationwide as a region to invest in for the party."

The document outlines a focus on:

• Municipal-level investment: Targeting town councils, city councils, and borough races

• Strategic county targeting: Specifically mentioning Iron, Dent, Macon, and Osage counties

• Candidate recruitment: Emphasizing working-class candidates outside traditional political backgrounds

• Data-driven approach: Using VAN (Voter Activation Network) for optimized canvassing

While the document acknowledges that "all or nothing thinking does not exist in working class rural communities," the actual implementation of their strategy shows little moderation of progressive messaging for rural audiences.

"Missouri Strategies for Rural Organizing" Meeting

A virtual meeting held on February 13, 2025, with 64 participants, revealed specific tactics being emphasized:

"A win number is the average of the last three elections plus one vote that is how many voters you have to talk to in your district to win."

The meeting featured an extensive discussion of VAN (Voter Activation Network) usage, targeted campaigning, and fundraising strategies. Notably, organizer Paolo Cremidis expressed frustration about national Democratic funding priorities:

"Like, it's total bullshit. And, like, so much money goes into primaries in races that are cis, right? And races that don't matter, right? Like, the fact that Jamal Bowman and, um... George Latimer, they spent $80 million combined in a primary for a congressional seat in Westchester County. And they got less than 30% turnout."

On-the-Ground Implementation: The Starfish Brigade

The Starfish Brigade, operating in Osage County (one of the specifically targeted counties in the strategy document), demonstrates how these strategies are being implemented locally.

Founded and led by "Marty Kole," who describes herself as having "dual degrees in elementary education and interactive media" with a "master's in media psychology and social change” and a “nomad Bohemian witch,” the group held a meeting at the Osage County Library that revealed their approach.

Rather than moderating their message for a rural audience, the meeting featured:

1. Screening of a video by Robert Reich defining "five elements that define fascism" with direct comparisons to Trump

2. Showing a video of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker warning: "It took the Nazis three weeks, two days, eight hours, and 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic"

3. Explicit discussion of Nazi propaganda techniques

Marti explicitly described their mission:

"We won the American Revolution. We won World War II. We won the Civil War. We beat fascism before, and we know how to do it. We have lots of books written about it. We have books that we can read about. For the moment, we still have free speech, so we can still talk about this."

Divisive Messaging Across Counties

Similar patterns of divisive political messaging appear in multiple counties:

Greene County

Editor’s Note: The Book Bag Program founded by Shiela Michaels was mentioned, and was Gail Smart, running for the Springfield Public School Board at attendance and in agreement with the Communist, Lucas Underwood?

The Southwest Missouri Solidarity Network, active in Greene County, uses stark historical comparisons in their public messaging:

"The self-evident truth that all are created equal were just words on the paper to win public approval. The founders kept their slaves, women and tenants couldn't vote, and the natives in the way of our progress had to be 'removed'."

Their posts directly compare modern law enforcement to slave catchers:

"But I and others in the Solidarity Network have asked ourselves what the difference is between law enforcement chasing a homeless man in the night, and a slave catcher pursuing one running for their freedom?"

Town Hall Guidance

Instructions for engaging with Republican representatives at town halls specifically advise different emotional displays based on circumstances:

"If you are attending the town hall and have been personally and acutely (read: fired) impacted by the actions of the Republican government, freely express emotion regarding your situation."

"If you are attending and have not been impacted, meter your emotion carefully"

This strategic deployment of emotion contrasts with the document's claim to seek a broad coalition.

Focusing on Divisive Issues

Despite electoral defeat, Missouri Democrats continue to focus on issues with limited appeal in rural areas. For example, transgender rights in athletics remains a centerpiece of their activism, despite polling showing limited public support.

Recent polling shows that approximately 76% of Americans oppose allowing transgender women and girls to compete in sports against other women and girls. A Gallup poll found that 69% of Americans say transgender athletes should play on teams matching their birth gender rather than their gender identity.

Yet Democratic organizing materials show continued focus on transgender and LGBTQ+ issues in rural outreach:

"We are organizing a protest to demonstrate support for the LGBTQ+ community, with a special focus on transgender and non-binary individuals, as well as supporting immigrants. Our goal is to affirm our presence and commitment to these important causes."

The Fundamental Question

This analysis raises a fundamental question: If the policies and messaging Democrats have followed for the past four years did not help them keep the White House, why will the same approach help them win it four years from now?

On issues where public opinion is not aligned with progressive positions – such as transgender athletes in women's sports, which is opposed by nearly 80% of Americans – Missouri Democrats face a stark choice:

1. Die on the hill: Continue advocating for unpopular positions out of principle, potentially sacrificing electoral viability

2. Overthrow the hill: Use the "starfish strategy" of tearing off their arm to build local power bases that can eventually overpower majority opinion through institutional capture.

The "Plan to Take Over Rural Missouri" document and the implementation observed in Osage County, Greene County, and elsewhere suggests Democrats are pursuing the second option—establishing progressive infrastructure in rural areas despite, rather than because of, their policy positions' appeal to residents.

Whether this approach can succeed in the face of the clear electoral challenges demonstrated in the 2024 election remains the central question for Democratic organizers in Missouri and beyond. It’s hard to tell if their plan is based on reason and well-thought-out principles or if it’s just witchcraft and cauldrons brewing while making spells to Mars.

As disappointing as it is to be associated in a party with the Blunts, Kehoes, Tilley’s, Sinquefields, and others, the Republicans have yet to endorse witches for office. They kill babies while praising God.