Democrats need a plan to govern if they win the 2026 midterms under Trump
By: Dan Froomkin (MS NOW)
Investigate, litigate, obstruct, and whine. That's the alternative the Democratic Party is offering. It's a plan for winning to lose.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Democrats running in the Nov. 3 midterm elections have largely coalesced around three key goals: lowering the cost of living, pursuing accountability for the Trump scandals of the recent past and thwarting the Trump agenda going forward.
But even if they flip both houses of Congress, it is unclear how much progress Democrats can make on those fronts because Donald Trump will retain his veto power and continue his history of ignoring congressional budgets and subpoenas.
It is not great politics to advertise weakness, but voters deserve to know what to expect from a Democratic-controlled Congress. If Democrats sell voters an inordinately optimistic view of what they can accomplish, they will be setting themselves up to fail. They need a detailed, operational game plan so they can hit the ground running in January.
In other words, Democrats need an aggressive yet pragmatic Project 2027 — one on which they can actually deliver.
The political calculus of government shutdowns changes with Democrats in control of one or both houses of Congress.
Getting there, however, means answering many thorny questions about how to deal with a hostile and volatile president. That is not something Democratic leaders are talking about right now — at least not in public. There may be a few areas of genuine bipartisan agreement, such as building on the housing bill Congress passed in June (that Trump did not sign but did not veto either.)
But by and large, to enact major legislation, Democrats will have to negotiate with Trump.
How do they intend to do that, and what are their top priorities for those negotiations?
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., outlined Tuesday an affordability agenda that he said enjoys "uniform Democratic support":
We have to reverse the Medicaid cuts. We should extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. We should restore congressional authority as it relates to tariffs, because the Trump tariffs are making life more expensive for the American people. And we should end decisively — if it's still going on — Donald Trump's reckless and costly war of choice in the Middle East.
Jeffries added that Democratic working groups will in the next few weeks develop more "concrete legislative proposal that we can aggressively lean into." What is the plan to get Trump to go along on any of those? Is there one?
As for rolling back the most cruel and damaging policies of Trump's first two years, the first big question is: What, if anything, is non-negotiable? Ending the Iran war? Reining in ICE? Reversing illegal rescissions? Withdrawing executive orders and memos that limit voting and threaten free speech?
One thing a Democratic majority can do on its own is aggressively pursue investigations — with Trump's corruption front and center — and engage in oversight of Trump's weaponization and sabotage of federal government agencies.
The second big question: What are Democrats willing or able to use as leverage? How far are they ready to go if Trump balks? The political calculus of government shutdowns changes with Democrats in control of one or both houses of Congress, and a long shutdown is self-defeating for a party that actually cares about governing.
Democrats have an urgent moral obligation to put an end to Trump's inhumane and lawless immigration policies. Demands should include: banning masks, aggressive tactics and warrantless arrests; ending mandatory detention without access to bond hearings; extending Temporary Protected Status for immigrants whose home countries remain unsafe; respecting asylum claims; admitting some non-white refugees; and putting an end to the oppressive investigations and prosecutions of protesters.
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No, Democrats controlling Congress won't accomplish much for the next 2 years. No doubt Trump will be setting bear traps to ensnare Democrats into motivating Trump's base of support. Democrats getting bogged down in a pissing contest with Trump works to Trump's advantage.
Democratic leadership would better serve the party over the next 2 years by focusing attention on Democratic alternatives -- and -- simply ignoring Republicans. Why should voters turn the government over to Democrats in 2028? The party has 2 years to make the case.
Well we see what happened/is happening with republicans in charge.