Democrats don't need to apologize. They need to attack.

As I'm writing this, CNN commentator Van Jones and CNN host Jake Tapper are nodding sagely to each other, calling on Democrats to apologize for a "crime against the Republic." As charter members of the Joe Biden-so-old chorus, Jones and Tapper are adamant that every member of the Democratic Party needs to get on their knees, rend their clothing, and above all, acknowledge just how right Tapper & Co. were in being the first to climb aboard U.S.S. Backstab.

Well, here's the TL;DR version of the article that follows: Fuck their apology. And fuck them.

Democrats don't need to apologize. They certainly don't need to roll out some nationwide hair-wringing mea culpa in the middle of the biggest assault on our democracy that has ever happened — and that's including the Civil War.

There is not one voter, not anywhere in America, who is asking for this. Or if there is, that voter is already an avid Fox News watcher who is simply drooling over the anticipation of watching Democrats demean themselves. Again. The only ones demanding an apology from Democrats are the asshats who want a big ol' pat on the back for being so gosh-darn clever.

They can take that advice and shove it.

The enemy is there, on the field, surrounded by an army of sycophants and psychopaths blythly engaged in the dismantling of our nation. They are not pausing. They are not swayed by falling approval numbers, falling markets, or gathering storms. They aren't conducting internal polls to see what positions the public finds palatable. They are not bothering to hold up a finger to test the political winds. Like all effective movements in history, they are riding a hurricane of their own making.

They. Are. Winning.

For any American who has spent more than five minutes of this year looking at something other than Real Housewives, White Lotus, or Fortnight—a percentage of the population that seems to be shockingly small—the fact that Donald Trump has set a record for lowest approval rating at the end of 100 days in office has to be somewhat heartening. It may even look like progress. It's not.

Despite that seemingly damning approval number, those who voted for Trump—even those who don't consider themselves "MAGA"—don't regret their vote. Poll after poll shows that an overwhelming number of those who pulled the lever for "no taxes on tips" and "ending the war before day one" would do so again, even though what they got was a chaos of tariffs and open support of war crimes.

Those counting on a mid-term election to bring in a Congress that will at least slow Trump's dictatorial drive had better think again. Unlike the run-up to the 2018 elections, the Republican Party currently enjoys a significant advantage over the Democratic Party in public approval. And that advantage has only grown since Trump took office.

If those mid-term elections were held today, there's a good chance that Republicans would extend their lead in both chambers.

That's not because Republicans have better ideas. It is because Republicans spend exactly zero days, zero hours, and zero minutes apologizing. They don't apologize for Trump even when he's clearly wrong (which he always is). They don't apologize for abdicating the powers of Congress. They don't apologize for spending two full years investigating a $5000 car loan Biden made to his son while ignoring Trump lusting after a $400 million pleasure dome in the sky or his renting out the presidency for direct bribes paid in cryptocurrency. They don't apologize for celebrating the domestic terrorists who had them cowering under their desks in 2021.

Republicans have thrown away their reverse gear and shitcanned any who weren't marching in lockstep. And it has benefited them greatly.

Meanwhile, Jones is calling on Democrats to engage in "deep internal reflection" and declaring that the party needs to do some mirror gazing before it dares try to slow the jackboot parade.

"Before we get out here and start trying to tell people why they should like us, we need to look in the mirror, reorganize ourselves, get bad people and bad ideas out of the way, and then we will be able to come forward in the midterm. Right now, we need to apologize to the American people that we were part of something that wasn’t on the up and up."

If something about this sounds familiar, it may be because, back in 2013, the consulting class had exactly the same advice for Republicans.

The RNC "autopsy" on the 2012 election is a bracing critique. Formally known as the "Growth and Opportunity Project," its authors say that at the national level, Republicans turn off all but the most faithful. It sharpens its critique by quoting focus groups of former Republicans who described the party as "scary," "narrow minded," "out of touch," and as the party of "stuffy, old men." If they admit it all now, and fast, they'll be on the road to recovery in time for 2016

That carefully constructed report insisted that the Republicans would "never win again" unless they reached out to women and minorities, threw away tax ideas that were harmful to the working class, and stopped opposing policies that would benefit those "unemployed or disabled and in need of help."

Instead, the Republicans did none of that. They doubled down on racism, tripled down on misogyny, and pentupled down on their love of billionaires. And they won. Won so thoroughly that instead of talking about whether the Republican Party has a future, there's serious doubt about whether their hegemony might outlast the republic ... which, admittedly, might not be all that long.

This doesn't mean that racism is good policy or popular with the American public. It doesn't mean that degrading women enjoys wide approval. It doesn't mean that shifting the tax burden onto the shoulders of the working class is anything less than a disaster.

It means that sticking with your principles, defending those principles, and refusing to surrender your principles is a winning combination; even if the principles suck.

Democrats can win because they have better ideas than Republicans. Democratic ideas benefit more people, offer more opportunity, and provide real security rather than tough-guy posturing. But Democrats can only win if they are out there every day, every hour, attacking Trump, attacking the Republicans, and pushing their own ideas without qualm or reservation. They can not apologize their way to victory.

The belief that there is some developing schism in the Republican Party that will push Republicans in the House to oppose to Trump is beyond foolish. So is the idea that voters will reward Democrats for sitting on the sidelines and waiting for just the right issue to fall into their laps.

Why are Democratic Party numbers still falling? Because voters (rightly) perceive many Democratic officials as being more concerned about their polling numbers than they are about the end of the free press, illegal searches and seizures, or massive corruption.

Tapper and Jones aren't alone. There's still a burgeoning class of professional political consultants and cable news seat warmers who offer a 24/7 stream of advice for the Democratic Party, or worse, pretend to represent the party. Their advice is inevitably, inexorably, and undeniably awful.

They only self-reflecting the Democratic Party needs is wondering why it ever listened to this feeble collection of cowardly couch potatoes in the first place. Turn off CNN, move forward, never look back.