Democrats Don’t Know What the Game Is Anymore

Trump flooding the zone has become something that Democratic operatives talk about all the time. They don’t really know what it means, and they definitely don’t know how to counter it. If you want to beat a team that floods the zone, you have to know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how to take the ball back. But in today’s politics, most of Trump’s opponents still don’t realize that they’re not just losing  –  they’ve stopped playing altogether. The phrase “flood the zone” which Steve Bannon brought to the table – comes from football.

Shockingly, “coach” Tim Walz has not ever made mention of this. That’s probably why the Democrats don’t think in these terms. Their channels of communication (like the Republicans) are rigid, inflexible, and systematically broken.

They are focused on the mid-terms in ~18 months, or the next Presidential election while also behaving like a fascist has taken over the White House.

What Does “Flooding the Zone” Really Mean?

Flooding the zone is an offensive strategy where the quarterback sends multiple receivers into one area of the field, overwhelming the defense’s ability to cover every threat. When Bannon applied this metaphor to politics, and Donald Trump turned it into a governing strategy, it stopped being offensive. It became a good defense.

Flooding the zone with chaos, disinformation, press events, social media, and distraction has allowed Trump and his allies to bury penalties beneath the next play, run out the clock on accountability, and rig the scoreboard in real time. By the time they are taking a victory lap, their opponents in the media or Congress are taken by surprise. Too many people are stuck reacting instead of forcing turnovers.

Trump’s Not (Just) the Quarterback  –  He’s the Whole Damn Franchise

To understand how to counter Trump, you have to stop viewing him as a traditional quarterback. He’s not just calling plays – he’s producing the broadcast, managing ticket sales, rigging the refs, and changing the rules mid-game.

Sometimes he’s the fullback, hammering the same talking points over and over.

Sometimes he’s the punter, lobbing nonsense into the air just to kill time.

And he’s always the coach. And owner (in his mind). His cabinet and sycophants are like “receivers” who pull coverage away from the real action whether they know it or not. When Trump’s cabinet gave a full televised update earlier this week – under the guise of transparency – the goal wasn’t information. It was a misdirection. That’s not governance. That’s a performative drive designed to lull both opponents and fans into thinking this is how politics works now.

When There Are No Penalties or Refs Around…

Imagine a football game where every rule violation is ignored.

Holding? No call.

Pass interference? Play on.

Too many players on the field? Doesn’t matter.

That’s what happens when Trump floods the zone. He commits the political equivalent of an infraction, but before the refs can throw a flag, he still snaps the next play. And since no one is actually stopping the game, the infraction disappears into the chaos.

Worse still – Democrats flag themselves for attempting to hold him accountable.

Suddenly, Democrats are getting booed, and they stop moving forward with an offensive strategy. The crowd cheers (or boo louder) when the President sells a crypto coin, or rigs tariff loopholes to enrich his private equity pals.

Most People Don’t Know What They’re Looking At

If you don’t understand the game, you can’t stop an offense performing well.

This is the most damning part of the current moment:

The majority of elected officials, pundits, and protesters have no idea what kind of offense they’re watching.

Take the “Hands Off” protest last weekend. One million people supposedly rallied to tell Trump and Musk to stop cutting programs like Medicare. But the branding was flat.

The message was weak. The strategy was nonexistent. It felt stale. Tired. Lame.

Shouting “hands off!” sounds like the kind of training you’d give a child to avoid being taken by an abductor in the park so you could get the attention of an adult or cop. If you truly believed Trump to be a Hitlerian figure, do you imagine the Germans shouting “hands off” and smiling for cameras was going to stop the fuhrer?

Give me a fucking break.

They’re reacting with the equivalent of a prevent defense – backing up and hoping not to get scored on too badly. But Trump isn’t trying to win votes anymore. He’s trying to control the ball until the clock runs out on democracy. And Musk is out here redesigning the stadium mid-game.

Countering the Flood, Metaphorically Speaking

Countering a flood-the-zone strategy doesn’t mean doing more of the same.

It means changing how you look at the game.

Here’s what that looks like:

1. Collapse the Pocket

Pressure Trump before he sets the play in motion. Dig into the hidden money flows. Who bought those 1,000 Trump Gold Cards? Where is that $5 billion going? That’s how you sack this quarterback: not with outrage, but exposure.

2. Force Turnovers

Stop reacting to his every word. Start intercepting his passes – and running them back. That means turning Trump’s missteps into your opportunity to score. Not just trying to capture meme attention grabbing moments. Get systemic leverage.

3. Call a Defensive Audible

The current defensive team – from Cory Booker to Pete Buttigieg – they are calling the wrong plays. They’re brainwashed by old playbooks that assume Trump’s defeatable like a traditional politician. He’s not.

And if they can’t see it, they need to get the hell off the field.

This Is a Rally Cry – Not a Donation Drive

Let’s be clear: I’m not a Democrat. And I never will be.

But this is a rally cry for the Democrats – and for everyone else pretending to fight Trump – to finally step aside or step up. I’ve been calling my own plays for years and stepping on the field unfunded, unsupported, and without recognition. Yet I’ve seen my actions have a real and profound impact. I’ve never been invited onto the field. That isn’t how this works. I may be an extreme outlier right now. But I won’t be for long.

Stop playing Trump’s game.

Start calling your own plays.

And if your captains are in on the fix – bench them.

There’s still time on the clock, but not much.

The other team isn’t going to give you another possession unless you take it.