So we are now in the Trump Era, Lord help us. What are the options and scenarios for resistance?
Mope and Hope. Wait for a new Democratic flag bearer to emerge and for the Trump Chaos to produce a backlash and a pendulum swing in the mid-terms. Find a scapegoat for the loss, likely Biden’s late decision to not seek a second term. Highly likely.
Regroup and Fight Again. As Kamala Harris suggests, don’t despair but feed the interest-group coalition (labor, ethnics, college-educated, women, greens) with more federal programs/promises, and live to fight another day with the familiar playbook and some fresh faces. Very likely.
Opposition Party. Usually in American politics there is a Sun Party (majority) and a Moon Party. Now, the Democrats can be a rising moon, playing off the Trump zaniness, scoring points, and biding time for a new coalition to emerge. Score liberal victories by being a bargaining partner with the Congressional Republicans, and enact programs in Blue states. A rope-a-dope strategy to let Trump’s excesses play out, works well with this scenario. Guerrilla tactics in social media will also be effective. Somewhat likely.
Blue Alliance. Feed hope in progressive states like Washington, and hope that compelling and effective leaders emerge and liberals migrate to these states and cities. One likely path is former attorneys general like Bob Ferguson and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro cementing an earlier anti-Trump friendship. Progressive states will likely gain economic ground over fundamentalist states. Happening anyway, but there is no structural framework and the blue state governors may become rivals. Unlikely to amount to much.
Third Party. Many Democrats (young, Hispanics, men) are restive, and the Trump revolution will drive more traditional conservatives away, so there are the makings of a new party appealing to the young, independents, and those disillusioned with both parties. Unlikely, given structural impediments (getting on ballots), Trump’s policing of defectors, and the punitive powers of traditional Democratic interest groups.
Reform the Democrats. Understand that the Obama coalition and neoliberalism have lost their appeal through the excesses of Wokeism, job flight, elitism, identitarianism, techocracy, inflation, and border-crashing. The Democratic recipe has become stale and stagnant, so change the leadership and the agenda, much as Joe Biden tried to do with his working-class programs. It will probably happen but the Democratic power brokers (and the media) need another shock election (likely in 2028) to adopt this high-risk, contentious course. Premature.
Tweaks. Already happening with immigration policy, war-weariness, college loans, housing (around the edges). This is certainly easier to feed the base, than fighting out a new agenda and attracting new voters, so it is, sadly and faute de mieux, very likely.
Charismatic Outsider. This happened with Trump, Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Teddy Roosevelt. Usually, these reformers run out of steam like Ross Perot or get partially co-opted, as with Bernie Sanders. Great individual wealth or militaryĀ fame are usually prerequisites (and a liability). Again,Ā premature but possible.
Reform the GOP.Ā Not very likely, given Trump’s autocratic surveillance, but if corporate America and the military were to become unmoored from Trump policies, this becomes more plausible. It didn’t help that Trump won so sweepingly. The reformer would have to offer something to independents and Democrats. One route is for this reform politician to threaten to defect to a third party. If the Trump Era disintegrates into cronyism and impulsiveness, this long-shot scenario might suddenly seemĀ overdue and semi-likely.
In his concession message to Nixon, the meat of Hubert Humphreyās message was:
āPlease know that you will have my support in unifying and leading the nation. This has been a difficult year for the American people. I am confident that if constructive leaders of both our parties join together now, we shall be able to go on with the business of building the better America we all seek in a spirit of peace and harmony.ā
This isnāt a novel statement by Humphrey. Our national tradition has been to fight like hell during the election, but after the winner has been declared, to close ranks behind the winner and do what we can to make them as successful as possible for the benefit of our nation. Obviously, that ethic has faded and is clearly not an option thatās considered here. As stated from the top itās about āoptions and scenarios for resistanceā. To be fair, Davidās commentary is around the possible political party scenarios that may emerge from the recent election, from a left-leaning perspective. My point is around the option of going forward together with less of an adversarial and divided approach. Weāre all Americans.
Our new governor first pronouncement isnāt around how he will try to work with the new administration to benefit Washingtonians, but instead is about looking for ways to get in fights with the new President.
As President Obama said: āThe world is messy; there are ambiguities. People who do really good stuff have flaws. People who you are fighting may love their kids, and share certain things with you.ā
Perhaps we would do better to focus on cooperatively influencing the policy decisions and results that will come from the Trump administration vs focusing on hating Trump and his personal shortcomings as an excuse for deepening the divisions and stalemating progress.
How about doing what Nancy Pelosi suggests? Wait. Do nothing. Thereās really no rush.
āā¦.let’s give him a chance and see what we can find in our common ground and we’ll see what is rhetoric and what is real. Let’s see what materializesā¦ā
I’ll go with ‘Reform the Democrats’, although I don’t agree with everything on that list. Here’s my wish list. Pipe dreams, I know.
First, bring on the honesty. Neoliberalism was never anything more that than welfare for business, and it has brought American life to its knees in so many ways. Biden was doing all the right things in working to eliminate it and build from the middle out.
Second, unite the left. I’m not the first one to point out that this is like herding cats, and it may well be the biggest stumbling block. Splinters like Jill Stein are a harmful factor in national elections. Lefties should stop with the running hipper-than-thou commentary that we see constantly even in our local blogs. This is exhausting for people just one or two steps away on the political spectrum and unhelpful at best, but apparently itās more fun than working together to solve our problems.
It is not fair to blame these election results largely on Biden. He was accomplishing some wonderful things, and this dumping of elected administrations is apparently a world-wide phenomenon.
Gov.-elect Ferguson could have extended an olive branch and may sound strident to some, but he does have past experience, and Trumpās history, promises, and advisors are well known.
Bring on honesty? The left was united, just not with the right message and that coalition is now likely to collapse as Dems engage in a circular firing squad on who’s to blame. True, Biden accomplished a lot that was good (infrastructure, chips, climate protection) but the Dems did themselves no favors by insisting he was up to the job for another term after running in 2020 on a message of a bridge to a new generation, then deciding he liked the trappings of the presidency too much to forgo a second term. He destroyed his own legacy and put his VP in an untenable place of having to support his flip-flop on running in 2024. I took great solace from Bob Ferguson and Nick Brown reassuring Washingtonians that they will continue to stand up for our rights and freedoms.
Interesting, how you coalesced scenarios. All logical. Yet, to me, none seem alone, a complete scenario for what has transpired or what we have to address. I do like your analysis though. Mix them up and make gumbo.
This period in our country feels more like something from the Viet Nam, Nixon, Johnson era, rather than the Bush 911/Iraq/Afghanistan era. A different bouquet, rotten nonetheless.
Is there anything in our past that, when you add a dash of the internet, a schose of facebook, and a hint of populism: that is a recipe for facing/influencing this new-ish administration?
Ruth, I’m with you on the Biden administration having done well for the nation’s economic policy and infrastructure, but it’s obviously not a hot seller.
I have the sense that what we used to call “Madison Avenue” has been doing their job, working out the basics of human behavior as a mechanism that can be driven when you know how. Maybe not only for product sales. Generally this is something that we expect to be used only by those who don’t respect people much – dictators, oligarchs, advertising execs, populist politicians. Would it be evil for the Democratic party to get together and learn how to manipulate people just like the Putin/MAGA axis?
I’d rather see policy sell on its merits, but it’s increasingly obvious that this isn’t practical.
Here’s an idea, borrowed from Britain, to form a shadow cabinet to keep alive policy to counter Trump. It goes well with the “Opposition Party” scenario above. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/11/11/shadow-cabinet-democrats-opposition-trump/
This really sounds like our best hope. It could also serve the purpose of identifying winning campaign themes and showcasing potential candidates for president.
Shadow government is a brilliant idea – bringing it to my civic groups this week.
Also known as the loyal opposition.
When buyer’s remorse hits over the summer, a group of Congressional leaders would be able to offer corrections and alternatives with a promise to bring better legislation to the House and Senate floor after midterms.
Based on the very few appointments so far, I am heartened. Rubio and Waltz are pretty good, according to Ian Bremmer, whom I respect.
Stefanik is a mouthpiece, but sheās gonna be a good mouthpiece since the UN is currently a cesspool. Zeldin? I have no opinion yet.
Iāll go back to what I said a day or so ago that we should listen to Pelosi and wait and see what Trump actually doesā¦ Though I agree itās a lot more fun to be fearful and shake in our boots and talk boldly about resistance! š