Un-Trumping America

1. The Republican Party's shift towards Trumpism is not an aberration, but a logical extension of its history

Trump didn't come out of nowhere. He fits right into the trajectory of the Republican Party, especially when you consider the backlash and radicalization along racial lines that resulted from the election of a black man named Barack Hussein Obama.

A party transformed: The Republican Party's embrace of Trumpism is the culmination of decades-long trends. Since the 1960s, the party has increasingly relied on racial grievance politics and anti-democratic tactics to maintain power. This strategy intensified during Obama's presidency, with Republicans obstructing his agenda and promoting conspiracy theories like birtherism.

Policy shifts and hypocrisy: The party has abandoned many of its traditional conservative principles in favor of maintaining power. Examples include:

• Abandoning fiscal conservatism when in power (e.g., Trump's tax cuts)
• Embracing protectionist trade policies under Trump
• Supporting executive overreach when a Republican is president

The rise of Trump exposed the hollowness of the party's claimed principles, revealing that power and cultural grievance are its true motivations.

2. Democrats must prioritize fixing democracy to combat Republican efforts to rig the system

Democrats have the majority of voters but a minority of political power.

Republican antidemocratic tactics: The GOP has employed various strategies to maintain power despite representing a shrinking portion of the electorate:

• Gerrymandering
• Voter suppression laws
• Court packing
• Exploiting the Electoral College and Senate's rural bias

Democratic response: To combat these efforts, Democrats must make democracy reform their top priority. This includes:

• Expanding voting rights and access
• Reforming campaign finance
• Addressing partisan gerrymandering
• Considering structural reforms to the Electoral College and Senate

By focusing on these issues, Democrats can create a more level playing field and ensure that the will of the majority is reflected in government.

3. The media landscape advantages Republicans, requiring Democrats to adopt new communication strategies

Democrats and Republicans in Washington are playing two different games with different sets of rules.

Media ecosystem challenges: The current media landscape favors Republicans in several ways:

• Conservative media ecosystem (Fox News, talk radio, online outlets) amplifies GOP messaging
• Social media algorithms promote outrage and divisive content
• Mainstream media's pursuit of "balance" often leads to false equivalencies

New Democratic strategies: To compete effectively, Democrats must:

• Become their own media outlets, creating and distributing content directly to voters
• Build a robust progressive media infrastructure
• Focus on digital-first communication strategies
• Develop rapid response capabilities to counter misinformation
• Engage in year-round campaigning and organizing

By adapting to the new media reality, Democrats can more effectively communicate their message and mobilize supporters.

4. Expanding voting rights and access is crucial for strengthening democracy and the Democratic Party

The Republican approach to elections is un-American, immoral, often unconstitutional, and devastatingly effective.

Voter suppression tactics: Republicans have implemented various measures to make voting more difficult, particularly for Democratic-leaning constituencies:

• Strict voter ID laws
• Purging voter rolls
• Limiting early voting and vote-by-mail options
• Closing polling locations in minority communities

Democratic counter-strategy: To combat these efforts and expand the electorate, Democrats should:

• Implement automatic voter registration
• Expand early voting and vote-by-mail options
• Restore voting rights to ex-felons
• Make Election Day a national holiday
• Consider lowering the voting age to 16
• Explore options for online voting

By making voting easier and more accessible, Democrats can increase turnout and build a more representative democracy.

5. Reforming antidemocratic institutions like the Electoral College and Senate is necessary for fair representation

America is a democracy governed by antidemocratic institutions.

Structural imbalances: The current system gives disproportionate power to less populous, rural states:

• Electoral College allows presidents to win without the popular vote
• Senate gives equal representation regardless of population
• These imbalances are growing as population concentrates in fewer states

Potential reforms:

• Abolish or reform the Electoral College (e.g., National Popular Vote Interstate Compact)
• Consider adding states (e.g., D.C., Puerto Rico) to balance Senate representation
• Explore ways to make the Senate more representative of the population

While these reforms are challenging to implement, they are necessary to create a truly representative democracy and prevent minority rule.

6. Campaign finance reform is essential to reduce the influence of wealthy donors and corporations

Our democracy is for sale, and under the current system, only the Republicans have the capital to buy it.

Current system's flaws:

• Citizens United decision opened floodgates for unlimited spending
• Dark money groups hide sources of political funding
• Wealthy donors and corporations have outsized influence

Reform proposals:

• Overturn Citizens United (constitutional amendment or court decision)
• Implement the DISCLOSE Act to increase transparency
• Explore public financing of campaigns
• Encourage small-dollar donations through matching funds or tax credits

By reducing the influence of money in politics, Democrats can level the playing field and focus on policies that benefit the majority rather than wealthy special interests.

7. Strengthening labor unions is vital for both workers' rights and Democratic electoral success

If Democrats don't stand for those workers, nobody else will.

Importance of unions:

• Historically crucial to Democratic electoral success
• Key to improving workers' rights and economic equality
• Weakened by Republican anti-union efforts (e.g., right-to-work laws)

Democratic strategy:

• Prioritize passing the Employee Free Choice Act (Card Check)
• Combat right-to-work laws at state and federal levels
• Support unionization efforts in new sectors (e.g., gig economy)
• Implement policies like Elizabeth Warren's Accountable Capitalism Act

By reinvigorating the labor movement, Democrats can strengthen their electoral coalition while improving economic conditions for workers.

8. Democrats must enact reforms to prevent future abuses of presidential power

Donald Trump is the most authoritarian president to date, but he won't be the last.

Trump's abuses of power:

• Ignoring congressional oversight
• Declaring dubious national emergencies
• Politicizing the Justice Department
• Profiting from the presidency

Potential reforms:

• Codify norms into law (e.g., releasing tax returns, divesting from businesses)
• Strengthen congressional oversight powers
• Reform the War Powers Act
• Limit use of emergency powers
• Strengthen protections for whistleblowers and inspectors general

By enacting these reforms when in power, Democrats can prevent future authoritarian-minded presidents from abusing their authority and protect democratic institutions.

Last updated: October 3, 2024