slow Trump initiatives and pave the way for more moderate activity as was accomplished with the first vote taken after Trump’s election – the agreement which had 34 Republicans joining with Democrats to pass the continuing funding resolution that kept the government
operating over Trump’s objection.20
Additionally, members of the Democratic party and others could flood congressional offices with demands that Democrats start acting as an opposition party, using parliamentary rules of the Senate and House to block, delay, and otherwise stall Trump appointments and MAGA legislation attempting to make their way through Congress, understanding that more and more information made public about Trump’s appointees could drive a wedge between Trump and more moderate voters and that any delays would bring the midterm elections ever closer, thus opening the door that Trump’s tariffs could well produce inflationary pressures that would damage Trump’s reputation and challenge his mandate.
Similarly, Democrats could also initiate investigations into the actions of cabinet officials and congressional committees who attempt to disrupt and dismantle agencies and institutions. Though Republicans will try to block such initiatives, this would not prohibit Democrats and aligned think tanks to conduct their own investigations and release those findings to the press to provide ever greater transparency.
Finally, Democrats and others could also capitalize on cracks appearing within the MAGA movement, such as that which recently surfaced after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy supported continued issuance of H1-B visas to foreign workers. Ramaswamy went so far as to claim “American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence.”20
Backlash was immediately felt, as
anti-immigrant Trump supporters as well as
more prominent Republicans like Nikki Haley slammed both the suggestion and the comment. Not only did this raise the specter of racism, raising the more theoretical question of whether populism is possible without racism, but set Trump against his most loyal MAGA base in a way never seen as Trump had tried to limit access to the visas during his first term.21 Driving a wedge into this crack may further weaken Trump and his policies.
Again, it’s all about developing a communications strategy in the short term that will reveal the dark soft underbelly of Trump.
Mid-Term Strategy: Rebuilding Communities and a Sense of Trust
Harris and members of the Democratic Party are already discussing strategy and strategic initiatives that would return the party to power in 2028. The strategy and initiatives involve re-engaging with the working class and traditional minorities supportive of Democrats , selecting a new party chairman, and engaging a new primary process to expand the selection process beyond Harris. These are not transformative ideas, but merely a reframing of a now firmly failed agenda focused on the party, party leaders, and party members. It is not about the people, their needs, and how to bring the opposition – the 40 percent not aligned
with the Democrats or Republicans – into a
What could be an effective short-term strategy is to design means for reform that would appeal to the 70 percent of registered voters – both Democrats and members of other parties – who did not vote for Trump.
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