Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

General Discussion

Showing Original Post only (View all)

emulatorloo

(45,728 posts)
Sun Jan 19, 2025, 08:04 PM Jan 19

TNR: "Shove the Presidency Down Trump's Throat" [View all]

Key takeaway:

liberals would be well served to spend their time thrusting the presidency upon Donald Trump. Instead of searching for illusory quick fixes for the existence of the Trump administration, start demanding the Trump administration fix everything quickly.


Really good pro-active strategy.


https://newrepublic.com/post/190337/trump-second-term-democrats-respond

Shove the Presidency Down Trump’s Throat

Liberals spent the president-elect’s first term trying and failing to kick him out of office. This time out, they need to turn the White House into a prison.

Jason Linkins
January 18, 2025/4:00 a.m. ET

The most recent entry in the “good advice for Democrats” canon comes from occasional TNR contributor and Bulwark writer Jonathan V. Last, who wrote, “The job of the Democratic party comes in two parts. First: Do not help Republicans. Not in any way. Second: Make Donald Trump own every bad outcome that happens, anywhere in the world.” True enough. The only problem here is the lack of an organized Democratic Party to actually serve as an aggressive opposition party. We could use one of those!

Nevertheless, there is a lesson here for liberals that we should perhaps heed while Democrats in Washington debate how supine they want to get for the incoming administration. During Trump’s first term, much of the mainstream left organized itself around the idea that “this was not normal” and that surely our over-regarded system of norms would save us from Trump. And so deep investments were made in various quick fixes—an impeachment effort and the Mueller investigation chief among them—that seemed to offer the hope of prematurely canceling the Trump presidency, without much regard for how difficult it is to actually oust a president (or for the decades of evidence suggesting that our justice system routinely fails to hold the rich and powerful to account, more broadly).

A second Trump era offers the opportunity for a change of course—a second reckoning of sorts. I think that Last is on to something when he suggests that Trump’s opposition should force him to “own every bad outcome that happens, anywhere in the world.” I’d actually take this a step further. Rather than exert so much energy trying to thrust Trump out of the presidency, liberals would be well served to spend their time thrusting the presidency upon Donald Trump. Instead of searching for illusory quick fixes for the existence of the Trump administration, start demanding the Trump administration fix everything quickly.

Snip

But Trump has historically faltered when he’s been forced to contend with the actual pressure of the presidency and its myriad responsibilities (see also: the Covid-19 pandemic) because his ideas are bad and he doesn’t have a deep and abiding interest in public service to really make a sustained effort to confront, let alone solve, the biggest problems we face.

————————-==—-

Much more at link.


20 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
These sound like great ideas! Let's do them. There's only one problem . . . CaliforniaPeggy Jan 19 #1
Hey, Trump always says "I alone can fix it." Time for him to prove it, right? emulatorloo Jan 19 #2
Of course! IF he's the only one who can fix it, he'd better get busy! CaliforniaPeggy Jan 19 #4
Trump has no interest in doing the job of POTUS. Irish_Dem Jan 19 #3
Scary Dem4life1234 Jan 19 #5
Yes it is. Irish_Dem Jan 19 #6
That's why the strategy is effective. Make him own his indifference to everyone except himself emulatorloo Jan 19 #8
As long as Trump keeps the cult entertained and distracted they won't even notice or care. Irish_Dem Jan 19 #9
Cult is irrelevant and unreachable. OTOH poorly informed 'high cost of eggs' voters are reacheable because emulatorloo Jan 19 #10
Aren't the egg voters the same as the cult? Irish_Dem Jan 19 #12
No. A different demographic. There aren't enough cult worshippers to put Trump in the White House. emulatorloo Jan 19 #14
THIS EXACTLY JI7 Jan 19 #7
Recommend kentuck Jan 19 #11
And Mump doesn't want to "fix things" according Cha Jan 19 #13
... emulatorloo Jan 19 #15
Backatcha... Mahalo! Cha Jan 19 #18
I feel like they'll be too busy "reaching across the aisle" for that Orrex Jan 19 #16
This message was self-deleted by its author Mira Jan 19 #17
Sounds like how one needs to deal with Alcoholics. AA principles in action. Mira Jan 19 #19
Yes. It's not a bad idea actually. MatthewStLouis Jan 19 #20
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»TNR: "Shove the Presidenc...