There's a lot of anger among Democrats, especially the left wing of the Democratic Party, right now.
The anger is divided between Donald Trump and his billionaire buddy, Elon Musk, and Democrats in the Senate -- especially minority leader Chuck Schumer -- for preventing a government shutdown by voting to end a filibuster that would have blocked a Republican-backed continuing resolution to fund federal agencies through the rest of the fiscal year, September 30.
That anger is completely understandable.
Trump and Musk are doing terrible things. They're taking a wrecking ball to the federal government, to our economy, to international relations, to free trade, to the rule of law, to longstanding norms designed to keep a president from acting like an authoritarian. And while I supported Senate Democrats avoiding a government shutdown, I realize that others have decent reasons for criticizing this decision.
But the way I see it, the real culprit here is American voters. They're the reason Trump is president instead of Kamala Harris. They gave Trump a second term knowing full well what kind of man he was and what he planned to do after re-entering the White House. Harris warned them that Trump was a serious threat to our democracy. Voters elected him anyway.
Currently Trump's favorability rating is 46%, with 51% viewing him unfavorably. That's low by the standard of how other presidents have been viewed at this point post-election, but this chart by The Economist shows that Trump is more popular than he was in his first term, and also during Biden's presidency.
Us progressive Democrats can't stand Trump. The rest of the country is fairly evenly divided between having a favorable and unfavorable opinion of him. (Trump's approval rating not surprisingly closely mirrors his favorability rating.)
It's encouraging that recent polls are showing that voters disapprove of the job Trump is doing with the economy, as this has been one of his strengths. Prices are still high, even though Trump promised that he'd reduce them as soon as he became president. Trump's tariffs, which amount to a national sales tax, almost certainly will lead to an increase in prices.
The base of the Democratic Party is pleading with party leaders to do something, anything, to stop Trump from doing further damage to our country and the world. Again, that's an understandable sentiment. I just don't see it as being a viable way to derail the Trump Train, which has a powerful head of steam and few roadblocks in its way at the moment.
Yes, courts are ruling against the Trump administration. But there will be appeals of those rulings, which can take many months or even years to play out. And while the Supreme Court may curb Trump's authoritarian desire, such isn't at all certain given the court's 6-3 conservative majority.
So it seems to me that the American public turning against Trump is the only way he can be stopped, or at least slowed down, between now and when he leaves office in 2029 -- a depressingly long time away. If it becomes clear that Trump is defying court orders, this would lead to a constitutional crisis that might bring millions of protesting people into the streets.
And if the economy tanks under the weight of Trump's misguided tariffs and other policies, this should produce a drastic reduction in his approval/favorability rating. That could scare Republican politicians into opposing what Trump is doing, though Trump has such a grip on the GOP, I wouldn't count on that.
I think Democrats have to do whatever they can to stop Trump and Musk.
However, unless the midterm elections in 2026 bring Democrats back into power in the House, Congressional Democrats won't have many ways to do this. The Senate filibuster is the only viable option, and that can't be used on Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," a reconciliation package that renews tax cuts which favor the wealthiest Americans.
The American people condemn Trump's job performance? Actually, polls indicate that Trump has overwhelming support by those who voted for him, while all the Dem brains are running on TDS. In other words, nothing new. Trump could make huge progress in foreign affairs and Elon could rescue people from space, but that and all the wins in the world will mean nothing to you and your crowd.
Not a word about the wave of Dem terrorism I see. "I think Democrats have to do whatever they can to stop Trump and Musk." You write in a single paragraph to coyly add portent. I get you. But know that one by one your friends who take to the streets to commit terrorist acts against Tesla dealerships and drivers will be locked up.
Posted by: sant64 | March 22, 2025 at 06:36 PM