Democratic ‘Tsk-Tsks’ Aren’t Equal to the Challenge

Democrats need solutions, not silly placards

Democrats achieved the unimaginable last week. They took a nearly two-hour Donald Trump campaign speech delivered before a joint session of Congress and tsk-tsked away his lies, exaggerations and deflections. In the decorum of the chambers of the House of Representatives with the President of the United States at the podium, Democrats used the moment to communicate with the American public via a cane-waving scream, silly placards or just not showing up.

Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman accurately described his colleagues’ protests, calling them, “A sad cavalcade of self-owns and unhinged petulance. It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained. We're becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to — and it may not be the winning message.”

Democrats seem not to have heard a single thing voters have been saying for the last four years. Democrats should have been shouting from the rooftops about the record employment and wage gains under President Biden. Instead, Democrats were campaigning against Donald Trump’s ego.

When Americans were complaining about government intrusiveness and inefficiency, Democrats were trying to build a bigger government without making the old one better.

And when consumers were trying to juggle the cost of groceries, gas and housing while inflation soared, Democrats thought it would be a good idea to label the mess “Bidenomics,” a message so tone deaf that Republicans didn’t even bother trying to turn it against Democrats. The backlash took care of itself.

Democrats were right on many of these issues. It didn’t matter to voters in 2024, but Democrats believe they will be vindicated come next year’s midterm congressional elections. Democrats are eager to believe that Trump will be a victim of his own bad policies.

To be sure, less than two months into the new administration and polls are reflecting growing public concern with everything from Elon Musk’s role in the Trump Administration to the general direction of the country. Trump’s job approval is dropping, hitting the lowest level of any new president in the post World War II era with one exception - Trump in 2017.

Democrats also argue that history is on their side. The party that controls the White House typically loses congressional seats in the midterm elections. The record of the GOP under Trump provides even more hope. In every election in which Trump has been at the top of the ticket, Republican congressional candidates have under-performed expectations. That so-called 2024 mandate? Ten of the 14 senators from the seven swing states in 2024 are Democrats; four of the Democrats were elected last year as Trump was winning their states.

But winning enough seats to overcome the small majorities Republicans hold in Congress isn’t enough. The country is at a time of extreme environmental, social and economic upheaval. We haven’t reached this point by accident or events out of our control. Quite the contrary. Willful

ignorance, a plethora of policies designed not to solve the problems but to exacerbate them and the timidity of elected officials who care far more about the security of their positions than the effectiveness of their policies have led us to this cliff. The leaders on this have been Republicans and Democrats, interest groups and timid media, oligarchs and too many citizens who vote “me first.”

Into this mix comes the second term of Donald Trump. He is not the cause of the challenges we face, but he certainly is an accelerant. Trump’s unilateral actions - executive orders, directives to agencies that may or may not be legal and his conduct of foreign affairs - are threats to the very core of the country and our future.

The presidency has two important roles. One is performative, the other policy. Ronald Reagan understood this bifurcated job description. He was a politician who could make people believe it was “Morning in America” even when dawn was several hours away for many people. Mostly, he turned the details of public policy over to others while he played the role of president. Who else could have coalesced the world with a single line: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”?

Trump seems to think he is that rare leader who is a master performer who also possesses a keen mind for policy. He is only half right. But unlike Reagan, Trump 2.0 has no one around to tell him that most of his policies range from inept to dangerous.

Turns out that at least for now, many Americans want the show. They want someone to voice their grievances. They believe their tax dollars go to adversaries abroad and lazy people at home. Government spends too much and does too little at too high a cost.

Underlying this angst is the reality of the moment we are at. Those most hurt by the environmental, economic and social upheaval of the day are many who feel they have played by all the rules, worked hard, raised their families only to face a future in which their children will be less healthy and less financially secure because the game is rigged and working families are the pigeons.

Democrats respond as Democrats always do: Don’t worry. They promise a government program for whatever is the problem. But, in the eyes of many, government designed by Democrats always seems to help someone else. Trump may lead to the demise of everyone but the well-off, but at least we will go down swinging.

The challenge for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections is enormous. It’s not just Trump that has to be defeated, but Trumpism. Democrats need to gain control of Congress. More importantly, they need to win the hearts and minds of Americans.

Analysts have offered a variety of strategies, most of them worthwhile. They urge Democrats to take on Republicans on their own turf. Where Republicans increasingly are hiding from their constituents, Democrats should host their own town hall meetings in swing districts. Carry a local message that documents in personal terms what Trumpism is doing to their neighbors - the jobs being lost, the Main Street businesses being closed, the parks and other government services being eliminated. Democrats need to call the question - What do YOU think should be done - and validate the answers by listening.

Democrats need substantive policies that address real issues but don’t always start and end with more government. Acknowledge the excesses and inefficiencies of government and the solutions that can come through creative incentives to both the for-profit and non-profit sectors.

Among other things, Democrats should acknowledge that it takes too long to build anything in the U.S., it costs way more than it should and it seems always to end up with excessive costs and minimal quality. Democrats should be the leaders in identifying and eliminating the unnecessary and burdensome regulations and rules. Distinguish a Democratic approach by showing that regulations can be reduced not for the purpose of enriching the already wealthy, but to build affordable housing, infrastructure and manufacturing without compromising the environment or public safety.

Such an approach would pair well with a call for the accountability of those sometimes responsible for the damage being done to the environment and economy. It’s not corporations that put people in jeopardy with shoddy products, fraudulent services or environmental terror; it’s the people within the corporations making decisions (or willfully ignoring their own experts) who are responsible. Fining a corporation does nothing to change behavior. Holding a guilty CEO personally liable will change things in a hurry.

Finally, Democrats should be the party of democracy. Republicans have convinced many that the election system is fixed because of Democrats. Democrats should make the case that it’s the political system itself - not just elections - that is rigged. Only 4% of Americans think the political system is working extremely well, according to Pew Research. When there is no confidence in how policymakers are elected, it’s no wonder Americans don’t trust the decisions elected officials make.

The poster child for political reform is Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. She has been one of the few Republicans to occasionally stand up to Donald Trump, including voting to convict him on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot impeachment charges. Murkowski can spend political capital because Alaska’s political system insulates candidates from extremism.

Alaska holds an open primary in which the top four finishers, regardless of party, move to the general election. In the general election, ranked choice voting is used, allowing Alaskans to voters their conscience.

Supporters of the status quo love to complain that ranked choice voting is too complicated, to slow, too something or another. But time and again - including in Alaska and some Minnesota communities that use the system - when given a chance to repeal ranked choice voting, voters endorse the process.

These are big steps that will cause heartburn among many Democrats. None of this means that Trump’s bad policies shouldn’t be opposed vigorously. Instead, it recognizes that the country is at a critical point. The people and institutions are strong enough to survive two years. But without effective and solution-focused opposition in Congress come 2027, the U.S. may be changed forever, and not for the better.

Waving canes and tsk-tsk placards aren’t the opposition the U.S. needs today. The future rests in a new generation of thoughtful and responsible ideas.