https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/dinosaur-democrats-meet-asteroid"
Dinosaur Democrats Meet AsteroidPopulist challengers win big in primary elections
Ken KlippensteinJul 01, 2026
The old guard extinction event is here.
We are witnessing a generational shift in the Democratic Party gerontocrats dying electorally or literally, public approval at an all-time low, party-approved candidates getting mowed down like a brontosaurus napping in the Yucatn circa 66 million years ago
Last night,
29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated 68-year-old congresswoman Diana DeGette in Colorado, a Denver seat DeGette occupied for 30 years. Last night was the first time I'd ever heard of Kiros. When I jokingly asked who she was on X/Twitter, DeGette promptly blocked me. lol
Kiros in her victory speech captured the vibe of an electorate that's done with the suffocating mainstream politics of the "possible" a scam pushed by Washington types who want to disempower you and manage your expectations down. Kiros said:
Quote:
"They said you can't win without corporate PAC money. They said you can't beat a 30-year incumbent. That the establishment and the oligarchy is just too big and too powerful to overcome."
Turns out that money in politics can be overcome by electing someone who actually believes in something. And whatever your politics are, it's impossible to deny that Kiros believes in something.
Her entry into politics came after Sidley Austin, the white-shoe firm where she worked, fired her in 2023 for refusing to take down a letter she'd posted defending students protesting the war in Gaza. Kiros moved back to Denver where her family had settled after immigrating from Ethiopia. She became a barista.Corporate lawyer to coffee bean roaster. That is not the type of person you usually find in Congress, a haven for A-student types and rules humpers whose greatest fear is upsetting the teacher (i.e. party leadership) or embarrassment of any kind.
Quote:
"When I wrote a letter defending students' rights to protest the genocide in Gaza ... my law firm told me, 'Take it down or you're fired.'
I didn't flinch. I didn't flinch because I stood by every word, and I always will. But I know, I know that will not be the only moment where those in power will tell me to change my tune, to not rock the boat. That seems to happen a lot in Congress."
Someone willing to lose their job in a posh law firm. That type of person has been in precious short supply in Congress under the
tyranny of party rule. Even some previous insurgents like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are cautious about not criticizing party leadership in hopes of being "relevant" or advancing to the Senate or whatever.
But the age of play-it-safe is coming to an end."