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Where Do Democrats Go From Here?

Inauguration day, January 20th, or as we are wont to say, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, is almost here.

Most of my political colleagues and friends are struggling with what strategies and approaches to take as we begin a second Trump term.

First, let’s stipulate a few things.  This is going to be bad. Bad if you are Black, Hispanic, poor, or even just struggling to make ends meet, let alone LGBTQ, an immigrant, a Democrat or anyone who questions the MAGA paradigm. It is going to be hard on the press who don’t tow the line, government workers who try and serve the public interest, fair minded election officials who believe in our election system and try to run it with integrity. And, basically, it is going to be very bad for those who believe in the truth, adhere to the facts and reject the MAGA modus operandi of lying to the American people.  Buckle your seat belts, if you thought you faced a barrage of Trump lies the last ten years, you ain’t seen nothing yet. (Over 30,000 lies/untruths in his first term alone. See –https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_or_misleading_statements_by_Donald_Trump)

If you aren’t a Trump supporter, this incoming administration is intent on wearing you down, depressing you, causing angst at every turn.  They want steam coming out your ears, more lines in your forehead, more muscle pain, so that you give up and give in.  This is about overwhelming the population so that they will decide to go along to get along. Whether they are Silicon Valley or tech giants, corporate heads, media honchos, Republican office holders, or just plain ol’ folks.  The goal is capitulation and submission or, at the very least, drifting into the woodwork.

There is a clear and present danger that many, even those who have been politically active, will throw up their hands, eschew the news on current events, and focus on anything but politics. The authors of the seminal 2018 work, How Democracies Die, Stephen Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt point out in the recent issue of the New Republic that MAGA investigations “may send a message to people to keep their heads down (Ziblatt).”  They suggest that there could be a cultural shift in terms of the political opposition.  “Young lawyers will not jump into politics, but rather stay in the law firm.  Young journalists will decide to stick to the sports beat rather than cover politics.  Young CEOs will decide that it’s better just not to donate to the Democratic Party (Levitsky).”

Or maybe we will see a complete about-face when it comes to attitudes toward MAGA and Donald Trump.  As the Washington Post reported on January 12, 2025 in an article headlined “Big Tech now giving millions to Trump”:

“On January 7, 2021, when Meta suspended Donald Trump’s Facebook account after the U.S. Capitol riot, company chief Mark Zuckerberg said the risks of allowing the then-president to keep using the service after inciting a “violent insurrection” were “simply too great.” Trump would go on to blame Zuckerberg for his 2020 election loss, threatening him with life in prison.

“On Tuesday, exactly four years later, Zuckerberg sang a different tune. As part of an announcement shared first with Fox News, Zuckerberg said that Trump’s win in the November election marked “a cultural tipping point” on speech and that he was terminating Facebook’s “politically biased” fact-checkers, who he said had destroyed public trust.”

Zuckerberg also gave a million dollars to the Trump Inaugural fund and appointed a Trump acolyte, Ultimate Fighting Championship chief Dana White to its board, and Republican lobbyist Joel Kaplan as head of Meta global affairs. It wasn’t just Zuckerberg, as the Washington Post points out, million-dollar donations also came from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook of Apple.

I know, I know, shocking…in Washington people sucking up to those in political power!  But the question now is more basic than political influence peddling.  As we rapidly drift away from a working democracy and find the elites capitulating to a demagogue, what should Democrats and concerned citizens do.

Fundamentally,  three things  —  1.  Don’t be afraid to take Trump and this administration on at every turn;  2. Win back the House of Representatives in 2026;  3.  Organize, organize, organize, locally and nationally.

Here are a number of specific ideas:

  1. Ignore the latest shiny object. Don’t obsess on the small stuff or the latest lie or slur or bombastic statement.  Keep your focus on Trump’s policies and plans and legislative proposals.
  2. Democrats are in the minority.  You are not in charge. Act like it. How can you stop what is bad and propose an alternative that is good. 
  3. Stay focused on what matters to people – to their daily lives, to their economic well-being, to helping them with the problems of health care, housing, day care, their kids’ education and future, and keeping them safe.
  4. Keep the message simple:  If you are in the top 1% you’re a winner under Trump, everyone else, grab your wallet.  …. Under Trump, hardworking families lose….
  5. Elections do matter, especially at the local level.  Democrats must shift their focus to working in the states and providing some of the billions they give to federal races on state legislatures, mayors, city councils, school boards, judges. Still, concentrate on getting the House back in 2026 and gaining Senate seats.
  6. These are year around campaigns, they need fully organized, staffed, professional, party operations. Build them in red, blue and mixed states. We have a 50 state problem not a seven state problem.
  7. Organize volunteer legal experts to take on Trump and his executive orders and legislative proposals:  on education, on immigration, on the environment, on labor, on justice, LGBTQ, civil rights, etc.  These need to be well funded and organized similar to many of our current legal advocacy groups. (ACLU, Lawyers Committee for Justice, Southern Poverty Law Center)  Recruit people who are committed and want desperately to be engaged.
  8. Pull together progressive groups in regular meetings to share strategy and information and plans for upcoming elections. Coordinate the opposition to Trump.
  9. Ramp up non-traditional methods of communication with voters and prospective voters.   It isn’t your grandparents’ news anymore.  Do the research.  Target. Know your audience. It isn’t always about politics, either, understand the culture.
  10. Have a longer-term plan.  What are the trends? What is happening in the states and localities? How are the demographics changing and where? What kinds of organizations are needed to adapt?
  11. Conduct thorough polling and focus groups at the DNC to examine the key messages that will bring working class Americans back to the Democratic fold, solidify support from young people and women, and understand the slippage with men and people of color. What are the best ways to communicate using the current technology and the new ways people get and digest information.

If Democrats are going to come back, as they did after the Reagan bloodbath of 1980, they will need to come out from under the covers, leave the fetal position and engage.  With Trump, they can’t be afraid or reluctant to take on the school yard bully, fighting back is the only answer.