Democratic lawmakers are reportedly already concocting plans to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda after he won the presidential election.
House Democrats are brainstorming ways they can hamper Trump’s efforts while protecting President Joe Biden’s policies, according to an Axios report. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is spearheading the movement and looking at defensive strategies in anticipation of Republicans controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress.
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“We as Democrats have to roll up our sleeves and get into defense and protection mode,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) told Axios.
The effort involves mobilizing several caucuses, including the Progressive, Black, Hispanic, Asian Pacific American, and Equality caucuses. This coalition is aimed at identifying potential executive orders President Biden could issue to safeguard current policies that are ostensibly intended to protect marginalized communities.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) explained that “A lot of things can be undone, but it can take longer to undo them and it will force a priority from them on what they want to focus on.”
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) told Axios that “There are conversations that are taking place where people are trying to figure out if there are some steps that can reduce the damage.”
Democrats are also working to create a viable messaging strategy to put some lipstick on the sweaty hog that is Biden’s legacy. “Trump is going to inherit a good economy…[we want to] help educate people about that reality,” said Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) with a straight face.
The Democratic Party is currently having a dark night of the soul after its crushing loss to Republicans on Election Day. “We’re going to have a family conversation that needs to be clear-eyed, candid, and comprehensive to figure out what happened on election night,” Jeffries said on “CBS Mornings.”
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Democrats had hoped to flip the House this cycle, going on to elect Jeffries as the first Black speaker in history after he succeeded Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi at the party’s helm in the lower chamber.
Meanwhile, Republicans flipped the Senate in a key victory for the incoming Trump administration, serving as a partner in passing his agenda and confirming his nominations.
Jeffries said Congress needs to focus on tackling the issues that matter to Americans, including lowering costs and improving peoples’ quality of life, saying “there are times to campaign and engage in the political process,” but “that time has come to an end.” Now, he said, the focus should be on solving problems for Americans.
“America’s a resilient nation, and so we’re going to get through this political moment and continue to be the greatest country, in my view, in the history of the world,” he said. “But we have problems that we have to solve.”
If this is the best that Democrats can come up with, this means there are plenty of reasons for Democratic voters to be a bit depressed. For starters, any executive order Biden signs can and will be easily revoked when Trump takes office. All it takes is the swipe of the pen, just like when Biden summarily rescinded Trump’s immigration policies back in 2021.
Secondly, Democrats are right to focus on messaging. But there is a problem. While Democrats have typically excelled at putting out persuasive messaging campaigns, they appear to have forgotten how to do this.
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Over this past election season, Democrats’ messaging was essentially “We are not Trump” and “If you disagree with us, you’re racist, sexist, and a fascist.”
Other than lying about crime and the economy, this has been the left’s primary persuasion strategy, which is one of many reasons why the president-elect won. So far, all indications suggest that Democrats have not yet learned their lesson because they are doubling down on these tactics.
If this remains the case, then Democrats will have no choice but to take their licking and regroup while hoping that Republicans find a way to bungle the opportunity voters have given them.
