A few weeks back, Michael Grunwald of Politico wrote a great piece called “The Victory of No.” It highlights the calculating, cynical, but ultimately effective strategy that Republicans used to prevent President Obama from achieving bipartisan victories and making progress on many of his legislative priorities. It’s well worth your time, and I strongly encourage you to go read it.
The lesson many Democrats took from this strategy is clear – obstructionism works, and the path back to a majority depends on stunting President Trump’s efforts at every turn. Anything less would be a sucker’s game, adhering to rules and norms that their opponents do not have the courtesy to abide in return. Fire must be fought with fire. As The Boss would say, “No retreat, baby, no surrender.”
Here’s the problem. Democrats, generally speaking, want a more active and activist government to address society’s problems. But proposing government-centric solutions requires people to believe that the instruments of government can work effectively and deliver on promises. Gumming up the gears of the legislative process undermines this faith. If people think the government is fundamentally broken and unable to do even basic things, why would they vote to give it more power?
Anti-government fervor is at the core of the appeal of the Tea Party, and it has fueled Republican electoral success up and down ballots for the past four election cycles. Trump was elected President largely on his perceived capacity to come in and take a sledgehammer to Washington. The party that opposes most government action now controls its largest majorities at the state and federal levels in 100 years. It is not coincidence that this is happening while there are historically low levels of trust in government.
The challenges this presents for Democrats in practice are obvious and numerous. How do you rebuild trust in government when you don’t have control and you’re facing an opposition unlikely to act in good faith? An 11% Congressional approval rating isn’t good for anyone, but in the big picture, it’s far worse for the party associated with robust government. Republicans understand this, so they have little incentive to play nice and make things work better.
There’s also the very real, wholly legitimate fact that Democrats will be fundamentally opposed on principle to much of what the Trump White House and Republican Majorities will put forward. What incentive do Democrats have to passively allow an agenda that is anathema to their core beliefs?
This is the very delicate high-wire act that Senator Schumer, Leader Pelosi, the eventual Chairman of the DNC, and all aspiring future leaders of the party will have to navigate. It certainly doesn’t mean abandoning core principles – there’s no reason for the party to yield on, say, a registry for Muslims or maintaining the Department of Education – but it probably means letting some initiatives, such as a major infrastructure bill and certain tax reforms, go through with bipartisan support. It will also mean the party will have to pick its battles on Cabinet and Court nominations.
Moving good (or at least acceptable) legislation and keeping the government functioning well will be necessary, even if it means letting President Trump have a few “wins” under his belt. A wholesale effort to “RESIST!” on every front, while catnip for an enraged base, is unlikely to work. It will just perpetuate negative attitudes about the government that Democrats ultimately hope to expand. Fair or not, they have the constant burden of maintaining people’s belief that government is and can be a positive in their lives.
The good news for Democrats is that in spite of the recent losses and decline in faith in government broadly and Congress specifically, there remains a sizable appetite for government services. People love Medicare and Social Security, believe in robust infrastructure development, and desire solutions to problems like health care and college costs. This is a foundation the party can build upon.
It’s also highly possible, and perhaps inevitable, that the Republicans will mismanage their power and the “throw the bums out” toxicity of public opinion will tilt control back to the Democrats.
But when that moment comes, Democrats will need a public faith in government to enact the kind of changes they want. Following the path blazed by Republicans in recent years would make that nearly impossible.
lousypundit 