More than a
few journalists, pundits, commentators, and
others are bemoaning what they see as the
Democratic Party’s downward spiral. The
Democrats have
no message. The
Democratic Party is broken and
beyond repair. The Democrats are
in disarray with
no sign of rebounding anytime soon - and so on.
For all the Chicken Littles among the pundit
class and beyond who believe that the political
sky is falling on the Democratic Party, allow me
to remind you that politics is cyclical.
During the
mid-1990s, there were countless articles about
how the Republican Party was in the political
wilderness, mortally wounded, bereft of any
ideas, etc. Less than four years later, in 2000,
the GOP won the White House (with the help of
the Supreme Court) and Congress. Let’s go back
even further. Remember in early to mid-1991 when
George Bush Sr. reigned victoriously after
Operation Desert Storm and his popularity was at
a record 92 percent? Virtually every one in the
pundit class argued at the time that Bush Sr.
was unbeatable and that the Democrats were going
to “set
out 1992”
and came up with various other scenarios.
The late Ron
Brown (the Democratic Party’s first
Black Chair) emphatically
stated that such a sentiment “was absolutely
absurd,” and that the party was going to wage a
fierce battle in an effort to take back the
White House. A year and a half later, Bill
Clinton won the 1992 presidential election (Bill-Clinton,) and Bush
and his administration packed up and left the
White House. Many people from all walks of life
argued that the late H.
Ross Perot, being a
candidate, took votes from George Bush Sr. and
thus enabled Clinton’s victory. While that
argument is debatable, the fact is that
Clinton’s campaign message - “it’s the economy
stupid” - was most likely the definitive factor
in ensuring his victory.
The truth is that, for all those
taking perverse pleasure in what you perceive to
be the political demise of the Democratic Party,
you will likely find yourselves disillusioned
and shell-shocked in the not too distant
political future, particularly given Trump and
his copresident Elon Musk’s current antics.
The reality
is that, two months into Trump’s second term,
the honeymoon is over. His job approval numbers
plunged from 8.5 points to just one point in the
Real
Clear Politics average. Musk’s
numbers are even worse. A recent Washington
Post-Ipsos poll
revealed that the public overwhelmingly oppose
mass civil service firings; shuttering of
federal agencies, including foreign aid conduit
USAID; banning transgender people from military
service; and eliminating diversity, equity, and
inclusion programs. Moreover, numerous media
reports have detailed how Trump’s tariffs have depressed
consumer confidence and generated
a possible recession.
Last week, polling gave
Democrats a three-point advantage in the generic
congressional ballot test. It would take little
effort for Democrats to regain the House - they
need only three seats to regain the majority in
2026. The
only time during the last 75 years that
the party out of power failed to garner at least
four seats was during the 2002 midterm elections
when President George W. Bush was riding high in
the polls after the 9/11 tragedy but had not yet
embarked upon the Iraq War. Dick Cheney had much
to do with engineering the latter event.
Things have
becomes so dicey for the Republican Party that
Speaker Mike Johnson and many other prominent
leaders have urged Republican politicians to
refrain from lawmakers during their private
weekly meeting in the Capitol’s basement. This
comes as Republican
town halls have devolved into angry
shouting matches across the country. Indeed,
they have devolved into forums where irate
voters confront members of Congress about
callous spending cuts they are proposing and
about President Trump’s ruthless desire to
terminate federal workers and defund various
programs across government.
Rather, the
major challenge facing the party at the moment
is strategy. Various individuals have divergent
opinions on how to proceed. Centrists and
neoliberals such as party consultant James
Carville argued in a recent New
York Times op-ed
James
Carville that “the
most radical thing [Democrats] can do” is
nothing at all. Yes, you read that correctly.
The reality is that such a “give
your opponent enough rope to hang themselves and
it will happen” response is demonstrably
irresponsible. Carville himself should be (and
likely is) aware that no competent or
responsible person or organization would “take a
break” when they are being severely attacked and
in considerable danger of being defeated. Such a
“wait and see” attitude is irresponsible and
arguably disingenuous. The fact is that such a
benign form of respectability politics is
insufficient in a political climate that is
anything but respectable or polite.
Numerous
Democratic congresspeople displayed their
dissatisfaction toward President Trump during
his address to Congress and the nation. These
included several women wearing pink, others
wearing black, and Representative Rashida Tlaib
and others holding paddles with statements
written on them. Texas representative Al Green heckled
the president (and
was later censured by
some of his colleagues for doing so), and a few
Democrats left the room during Trump’s speech.
Ten House Democrats on Thursday joined
Republicans and censured
Green. These
Democrats represented largely purple districts.
Other party leaders decided to ban together by singing the
beloved civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome”
on the house floor. Truth be told such largely
hollow performative antics succeed in primarily
arousing cringeworthy degrees of cynicism and do
little to reassure voters that democratic
officials possess either the sincerity or
temerity to do battle with the Trump
administration.
Democrats, at the moment, appear
to be clueless or at the very least apprehensive
about taking on President Trump and the
draconian efforts that he and his administration
are ruthlessly employing against various
agencies throughout the government and the
nation. In fact, they must grow a backbone and
make it transparent that they are fighting for
the people to prevent the nation from becoming
autocratic and fascist. Simply waiting for Trump
to implode politically (which he may very well
do) is not the wisest choice of action.
Sad to say, Trump, if anything,
is a political Houdini. He has managed to evade
justice throughout his life, including during
his tenure as president. It is as if he has made
a deal with the devil. While karma may indeed
catch up with him (karma has been distressingly
belated), the best course of action for the
Democrats is to get proactive, develop a clear,
unambiguous message, and declare to their
constituencies that they are ready to address
their needs and concerns. The current affairs
facing the nation are far too dire not to do so.
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