In the recent State of the Union address, some Democratic congress members protested President Trump’s speech with underwhelming gestures, such as wearing pink or holding small signs with slogans like “Musk Steals.” This is in line with a disappointing and sheepish strategy seemingly proposed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of lying down and doing nothing, the idea being that Trump will inevitably fail on his own and people will turn on him. This is a horrible strategy and only guarantees that the opposition party bears no responsibility for or to make any meaningful attempt for change when they are needed most. It’s also precisely this strategy that got us here in the first place: maintaining the status quo, not offering a vision for the future, and providing few material changes to their constituents.
The Democratic party’s lying-down strategy makes one thing clear: They never really believed that Trump was the evil threat to democracy they campaigned on, or if they did, it does not seem to bother them that much. If they truly believed it, and it was more than a campaign strategy, they would want to do something about it. But instead of acting as any sort of real opposition to the current administration, many Democratic congress members have gone quiet and have even turned to belittling and decrying their constituents.
They complain about the amount of phone calls they receive, which is part of a coordinated effort by activist groups to motivate congress members to do something about this. As citizens heckle congress members in town halls across the country, most of them proceed to ignore them, appearing annoyed or even smirking in the case of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies on a recent children’s book tour in Oregon.
One of the few Congress members who seems to care is the aging Bernie Sanders. Unlike his peers, Sanders has spent the last few weeks traveling the US, holding rallies to listen to people’s frustrations and mobilize groups. Representative Al Green has also taken the time to oppose the administration outspokenly, but his efforts were met with a Congressional censure voted for by 10 members of his own party. This is the kind of action needed in these troubling times. An inspiration, a glimmer, a hope, a vision—anything is better than just lying down and doing nothing if you can even call that a strategy.
This leads me back to the recent “protests” of holding up signs while Trump spoke to Congress. At this point, we should be well aware of the fact that appealing to Donald Trump’s emotions or intellect is not a feasible strategy. What would be of better use to Democrats is to fight back and listen to their voters. The last decade of American politics proves that no amount of moral highroading will get Trump or his voters to change their minds.
Some centrist political groups even suggest that the party should shift even further to the political center. But how about, instead of doing the same thing over and over, they try something new? Speaking to the concerns of the working class would be a good start. Not down-talking to your base would also help. Not shifting even further right towards center is a bare minimum step.
But alas, this is the opposition we’ve been given so far, which isn’t much of one. If the Democratic party is unwilling to listen or change its approach, then perhaps it is time for a new party to emerge. The political history of the United States has changed a great deal since its beginning. Many historical parties have come and gone after experiencing diminishing national wins in elections. Maybe the story of the Democratic party now will not be one of rebirth and change but of fizzling out. If the leadership continues at this rate, the party might go the way of the Federalists or the Whigs and fade into the dustbin of history. In its absence, maybe something new will come about. Something that will answer the call to oppose the establishment and speak for the people.
