An Opportunity For Democrats

PART I: Reality

The election of Donald Trump to a second term as President of the United States is a disappointment to all those who thought the broad coalition Kamala Harris was able to forge failed to vote her into office. Those who didn’t vote for the incoming president are experiencing a range of emotions (none good), but there’s a sense of resignation as well. After all, we’ve lived through this before, so Americans know what’s coming. Whether we fall into the same habit of letting politics and the president live rent-free in our heads for the next four years remains to be seen. Will the novelty of a norm-breaking president wear off when the chaos and cruelty come back consistently? I hope so.

Yes, the majority of voters prevailed and their choice for president is one they made willingly, decisively, and without any guilt or reservations. The man who will be the 47th president is one who won the Electoral College and popular vote. I do not doubt the majority were persuaded by anything other than the candidate and what he was offering. And because the vote was so decisive, the majority will completely own the consequences of their votes. It is these Americans who have chosen to elect a man who exhibits fascist political behavior like being a dictator, suppressing his opposition, eroding democratic institutions, and treating the law as both a cudgel (for the enemy from within) and a shield (to grant immunity for illegal acts). Immigrants, liberals, Democrats, trans folks, and any other perceived enemies will be part of the Daily Hate, and policies will cause harm. How much harm is unknown — and it’s those unknowns that are causing anxiety and dread.

None of this is new. What’s depressing and alarming is that there’s a majority of Americans who want this. They have become okay with fascism as presented by a former reality TV host and real estate developer — who inherited the fortunes of his father. His narrative of what America has become is one they agree with. His solutions to the hyper-exaggerated problems that plague the U.S., while vague, capture the anger, resentment, and desire for revenge that fuels his supporter’s mental state.

This is who they are. This is what they want for the country.

I’m not the first person to note this, but Democrats have been on the defense for over 40 years — even when they win majorities. They are the party that is trying to maintain what the New Deal wrought and the programs that benefited the poor, working-class, and middle class — with more than a few goodies sprinkled at the top to keep capitalism alive. Republicans since the New Deal have been on a mission to destroy the New Deal, its coalition, and the programs that benefit the groups above. Since the Reagan administration, they have been largely successful. They can’t say they are against programs for the poor, so they push welfare-to-work programs. Same with housing. Same with medical care. Same with retirement accounts. Same with school choice. Same with any program that isn’t socialism for the rich. It’s all in service of privatizing these programs into bankruptcy. That’s the mission. That’s what the GOP wants.

The irony is that Republicans have convinced voters through sheer propaganda and lies that their candidate is the one who will “take care of them.” The one who will bring them good-paying jobs. The one who will make them rich. The only one who will make them feel superior. The one who will punish those who look down on them. The one who will burn the godlessness sweeping the country. The one who will stop those who bring their shithole religions, from their shithole countries, with their shithole food, language, clothes, and customs and threaten to replace normal Americans. If it’s a psychological lift voters want, they may get it. If it’s material matters related to income, wealth, and financial security, they likely will not. Consider the following things the president-elect has said in his never-ending campaign:

Deport 11-15 million of people here illegally

Stop trans people from existing

Lock up and prosecute political enemies

Tariffs

Have a say on the Federal Reserve’s authority to raise and lower interest rates

Make the FBI a kind of presidential police force

Huge tax cuts for the wealthy

Ending the Affordable Care Act

Ending Medicaid (i.e., poor people’s insurance)

Ending the Department of Education

Ending all abortion rights

There’s much more he’d love to do, and he just might get some of these implemented about as clumsily as he did his big, beautiful wall.

So, after all this, you may be asking: “Where’s the opportunity for Democrats?” Here one starting point: Let the majority own it all. If they break it, they buy it. The disasters are all theirs. There will be no help from the Democrats. As Jonathan Last from The Bulwark put it: Do not expend political capital trying to protect voters from Trump. Why? Simply put, the voters are the ones who voted this person in, so they should have to live with the consequences. You may wonder: “Wait. What about the rest of us? Won’t we suffer?” As JVL (as he is known) said,

“At the end of the day, that should be the precept that guides Democrats’ decisions about when and how to spend capital trying to obstruct Trump during the next two years.

If Trump is trying to break the rule of law, then yes, Democrats should attempt to stop him.

If Trump is taking an action that would hurt a Democratic voting group or a Democratic state, then yes, they should attempt to stop him.

But for everything else? Democrats should stand back and stand by. And then, when the fit hits the shan, they should demagogue the ever-living crap out of Trump for any bad outcome that occurs, anywhere.

Make him own it. All of it.“

Part II: An Opportunity

Besides making the majority own it, what can Democrats do for themselves? Well for starters, here’s a list of prompts to kick-start a process of pragmatic politics to help us progress beyond what is and toward what ought to be for more effective governance in a democracy.

1. Control What You Can Control. Democrats need to focus on three to five core issues they can deliver on in places where they have power.
2. Know Thyself. Democrats must have an identity that reflects what they stand for, not always what they stand against.
3. Show and Tell. When a program or policy is working and constituents are being helped, tell them about it. Keep repeating the good news — and keep it short. No paragraphs. Speak in headlines. Like it or not, our ability to absorb information is getting worse. So, speak to constituents in a language they can understand.
4. Know People’s Pain Points. People complain. People can be a pain in the ass. But people are who politicians serve. Listen to their big concerns and ask if the government has the power to help them. Housing? Jobs? Health care? Inflation? These are some of the material things people complain about. What can you do to provide some relief for the pain?
5. Call Bullshit On Bullshit. There is an objective reality, but political messaging is based on subjective perspectives. Subjective perspectives are fertile ground for lying, deception, disinformation, and propaganda. When someone says something blatantly untrue. Push back. Hard. Don’t let that BS pile up.

I’ll add this bonus point: Stop The Insanity. Social media is toxic because it rewards people for being the worst versions of themselves. Reversing the corrosion without violating First Amendment rights means starting with what Noah Yuval Harari recommends: regulate algorithms and AI. They are not human and don’t have First Amendment protections.