With a few notable exceptions, Democratic leaders have been remarkably silent as the indications of what we can expect from the Trump Administration have grown. During the primaries and general election, Donald Trump has shown us who he is and we believe him. Now, with his nominees to the cabinet and appointments as senior aides, we can also glean what he intends to do as President—namely roll back all aspects of the New Deal and Great Society.
Even taunts by Republican consultants and politicians--if they had won the popular vote by almost 3 million, they would never concede--has not motivated a robust Democratic response. Democratic leaders should be ready to grab baseball bats at the sound of our house being burglarized.
Even taunts by Republican consultants and politicians--if they had won the popular vote by almost 3 million, they would never concede--has not motivated a robust Democratic response. Democratic leaders should be ready to grab baseball bats at the sound of our house being burglarized.
Perhaps some of these Democratic leaders are preparing to resist. Other leaders may be reluctant to act while the clock runs out on the Obama Administration and his Democratic Committee (DNC). Alternatively, current members of the Obama Administration and DNC may be hesitant to act before the new leadership is in place. Nonetheless, the impression we have from most of the Democratic leadership is that either they don’t want to fight or don’t know how.
This impression is, admittedly, derived, in part, from the behavior of the Democratic Party over the years. Compared to the Republican Party stalwarts, Democratic Party partisans seem to lack conviction, perhaps due to uncertainty about their commitment to Democratic Party principles. For example, some Democratic leaders support neoliberal policies that are closer to Republican polices than the New Deal and Great Society programs that underlie Democratic principles.
On the other hand, some Democratic partisans may not be sure about what is at stake and therefore believe it is better to affirm their belief in the election process rather than question the legitimacy of the Trump election. Other Democratic partisans have not recognized the extent to which the Republican Party has changed from a moderate political party to what one pundit has called a political cult. They adhere to what they believe to be the truth in the absence of evidence. These partisans continue to underestimate the ruthlessness of the current Republican Party and treat its loyalists with a civility they no longer deserve.
As a result of either a lack of conviction or failure to recognize the current Republican Party, much of the Democratic leadership does not seem to know how to resist the Trump Administration. A first step might be the recruitment of leaders who recognize the need to grab baseball bats as they support some of the current leaders. For example, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should consider including Representative Tim Ryan in the Democratic leadership, although he challenged her for Minority Leader. Similarly, Representative Keith Ellison is clearly a better choice for DNC Chair than current Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. Instead, Secretary Perez as the former head of the Civil Rights Division has skills that DNC will need to fight efforts by the Republican to suppress the vote.
A second step is to realize that the antiseptic organizing efforts of the DNC, (e.g., television advertising, telephone contacts, and reliance on the news media to explain the issues) must be replaced with more robust organizing activities. The DNC will have to begin to relearn organizing techniques that rely on face to face contacts and promulgation of Democratic Party messages rather than candidate based messages.
Fighting the Trump Administration will not be easy. At the very least, it will require a leadership that is committed fighting Democratic Party.
This impression is, admittedly, derived, in part, from the behavior of the Democratic Party over the years. Compared to the Republican Party stalwarts, Democratic Party partisans seem to lack conviction, perhaps due to uncertainty about their commitment to Democratic Party principles. For example, some Democratic leaders support neoliberal policies that are closer to Republican polices than the New Deal and Great Society programs that underlie Democratic principles.
On the other hand, some Democratic partisans may not be sure about what is at stake and therefore believe it is better to affirm their belief in the election process rather than question the legitimacy of the Trump election. Other Democratic partisans have not recognized the extent to which the Republican Party has changed from a moderate political party to what one pundit has called a political cult. They adhere to what they believe to be the truth in the absence of evidence. These partisans continue to underestimate the ruthlessness of the current Republican Party and treat its loyalists with a civility they no longer deserve.
As a result of either a lack of conviction or failure to recognize the current Republican Party, much of the Democratic leadership does not seem to know how to resist the Trump Administration. A first step might be the recruitment of leaders who recognize the need to grab baseball bats as they support some of the current leaders. For example, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi should consider including Representative Tim Ryan in the Democratic leadership, although he challenged her for Minority Leader. Similarly, Representative Keith Ellison is clearly a better choice for DNC Chair than current Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. Instead, Secretary Perez as the former head of the Civil Rights Division has skills that DNC will need to fight efforts by the Republican to suppress the vote.
A second step is to realize that the antiseptic organizing efforts of the DNC, (e.g., television advertising, telephone contacts, and reliance on the news media to explain the issues) must be replaced with more robust organizing activities. The DNC will have to begin to relearn organizing techniques that rely on face to face contacts and promulgation of Democratic Party messages rather than candidate based messages.
Fighting the Trump Administration will not be easy. At the very least, it will require a leadership that is committed fighting Democratic Party.