The Democratic Party is at a crossroad, and they have to decide to move toward a more progressive agenda, or work with the Republicans closer to the middle. Either way, America needs them to survive to provide a loyal opposition party.
What makes the whole thing problematic is that the Dems in Congress today can’t decide what they want to do going forward, so they are doing nothing now. Unfortunately for them, the strategy they are pursuing could make them look even worse in the public’s eye.
Boycotting the inauguration and the confirmation committee meetings is making them look petty and childish, even to their ardent supporters, who would most likely rather they were working to face the Republicans and fighting against them instead of hiding in their chambers.
Also, the hypocrisy of the party, complaining about Republican tactics and Trump’s use of Executive Orders after their own party showed the GOP how it was done, is another example of how the Dems are being perceived in the public, as spoiled brats, complaining about not getting what they want, even before they know what they are getting.
The Democratic strategy seems to be centered around hope that President Trump’s tenure will be a huge failure, but the public realizes, as the Dems seem to not, that should Trump fail, the country fails as well.
Trump is trying to fulfill his campaign promises, and in doing so, is rallying his base around him as well as the Republican party, and also drawing in the NeverTrump critics from the establishment that did not support him in the primaries.
It is not inconceivable that Trump’s first two years in office could see some significant improvements in America. Should that happen, Democrats who oppose everything he does, with no good reason other than they don’t like him, may have a hard time explaining to the voters in their home districts why they did not take part in the progress, and the mid-terms could be disastrous for the Dems.
America needs a two- or three-party system. Too much power concentrated in one party or one group is a concern the founders of the nation had from the beginning. There needs to be a loyal opposition, a party that loses the election, but continues to work for the good of the nation, to keep things in check.
The only way for the Democrats to survive is to realize the nation comes before the party, and the same for the Republicans. Those in power must work with those in the minority, and vice versa. America’s politics depend on that fact.
