Why the Democrats’ SAM won’t save them with men

The Democrat Party just announced a $20 million plan to “win back young men.” They’re calling it “SAM”—short for “Speaking with American Men.”

That’s not a parody. That’s the actual name.

And if you think the problem here is just branding, you’ve already missed the point. This isn’t about messaging. It’s about a political party that spent the last several decades tearing men down, and now suddenly can’t figure out why men are walking away.

The modern left doesn’t know how to talk to men because it no longer knows what a man is. The word “man” itself has become taboo in progressive circles, unless it’s preceded by “toxic.” They treat masculinity like a disease. They call strength, aggression, and leadership oppression. And now, after years of doing this, they’re surprised we don’t feel seen?

You don’t uplift a group by mocking them, you don’t build trust by labeling half the population as a threat, and you definitely don’t win back male voters by flooding their feed with unattractive liberals, trans influencers, and cringy virtue signals that double down on the same nonsense that pushed them away.

Yet that’s been the playbook. The left has championed every policy and cultural trend that undercuts men, and then acts surprised when we’re not moved by ad campaigns shoved into video games or Reddit threads astroturfed by DNC interns.

The truth is, young men aren’t hard to understand. We need purpose. We want strength. We desire responsibility and intentionality. We want to protect, provide, and lead. But for the last 30 years the Democrats have pathologized these instincts.

Masculine ambition? Ridiculed as toxic.

Fatherhood? Mocked as outdated.

Assertiveness? Framed as dangerous.

They trained us to “shut up and listen” in school and elsewhere. We listened.

And now, we’re done listening.

The problem isn’t that we don’t understand the left’s message. The problem for them is that we do. Perfectly. We see a movement obsessed with gender politics while simultaneously erasing identity and saying, “Hey fellow kids, how do you do!” One that inflates victimhood and dismisses accountability. One that encourages men to open up emotionally, then ridicules them for being “too fragile” when they do.

This is the same system that sidelines and medicates boys in school for being too energetic. That medicates behavior instead of mentoring it, and channeling it for good. That treats masculinity as something to be corrected, not cultivated. In college, young men learn that their presence is oppressive. In media, they’re idiots or abusers. In family court, they’re barely a footnote. And now the same movement that built that system wants our vote?

They’re not losing men because of a branding issue. They’re losing men because of contempt. And you can’t rebrand contempt. You can’t spend your way out of it either.

The left doesn’t need a better pitch—they need a total reset on how they view manhood. That starts with respect. Not pity. Not pandering. Respect.

Ask yourself: When’s the last time a Democrat celebrated fatherhood? And no, Pete Buttigeig and his husband taking a baby away from its mother doesn’t count. When’s the last time they praised strength or encouraged boys to become men? When’s the last time a mainstream progressive figure spoke positively about masculinity without a disclaimer?

It’s a worldview problem. When  you dishonor manhood, don’t be shocked when men check out – and dishonor you.

And they are checking out. In 2020, the Democrats lost young white men. In 2022, they started losing more minority men too. The more they double down on identity politics and shame-based activism, the more men tune out. You can’t champion equality while simultaneously telling young white men that they’re the root of all oppression, and then try to win them back with messaging written by people who hate them. “Hey, come join the left! We all think you’re toxic monsters! Doesn’t that resonate with you, Hitler youth?”

Give me a break.

So now, out of desperation, they’re rolling out “SAM.” Some polling, a slick acronym, and a $20 million budget, but let’s be honest: It doesn’t matter how much you spend if you don’t actually change your posture toward men.

You can’t speak to men if you don’t respect them. You can’t reach men if you don’t value what and who they are. You can’t win men if you treat masculinity like a PR liability.

This is bigger than left versus right. It’s reality versus delusion. And the left is stuck in a feedback loop of its own making. Unfortunately for them, no matter how much they villainize men, society still needs builders. Protectors. Fighters. Leaders. Men.

The right didn’t “steal” young men. They were pushed out. Here’s a better idea: instead of spending $20 million trying to “speak” to men, try listening to them.

Listen to the guy working two jobs and still being treated like a villain. Listen to the teenager who got suspended for being “aggressive” when all he wanted to do was compete. Listen to the father losing a custody battle in a system that assumes he’s to blame. Listen to the young man who finally opened up, only to be told he was “too emotional” and laughed at for being vulnerable.

The left doesn’t plan to change anything, they just want to know how best to spread propaganda.

Here’s what the left needs to hear. You don’t need a campaign. You need humility. Maybe start by not hating us. Until then, no acronym, no hashtag, and no $20 million psyop is going to save you.

Braeden Sorbo is the author of “Embrace Masculinity: Lifting Men Up in a World That Pushes Them Down.”