The Democrats’ Greatest Challenge Ever

Not since the end of the Civil War in 1865, when the Republican and Democratic parties solidified their status and entrenched the two-party political system, has the country faced a president bent on dismantling our democracy and shattering all norms of conduct and responsibility bestowed on the executive branch. The Democrats have one chance to at least impede, if not stop, Trump’s disastrous policies by taking control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

To put it bluntly, the result of this election will be fateful for America. It will either rescue the country from a madman who will obliterate the ideals and values that America stood for, or allow him to pursue his authoritarian design unchecked, and ultimately unravel the very fabric of our democracy and reshape America beyond recognition.

For the Democrats to succeed, however, they should not try to tackle all the long-term issues, however critical they may be, including climate change, infrastructure modernization, public transit, education reform, and even long-term healthcare sustainability.

Instead, their focus should be on issues such as economic stability that have a direct and immediate impact on the welfare and well-being of the majority of Americans, who are extremely disillusioned with the state of affairs they find themselves in, and who can determine the outcome of the election.

Bread and Butter Issues
Every Democrat running for office must pin their ears to the ground and carefully listen to what the public wants and needs, crisscross their individual states and demonstrate genuine concerns. This is not the time to promote a Democratic ideology wedded to leftist or center-left policies, however relevant they may be.

They will hear from their constituents about the cost of living, the escalating cost of healthcare, the lack of affordable housing, and joblessness, especially among Hispanics and African Americans. Instead of criticizing Trump, they must highlight the contrast between their socio-economic agenda and the defunct administration’s performance.

They must come to these communities with credible answers and real solutions, and with an iron-clad promise to deliver attainable results, while ensuring that every potential voter feels they have been heard and the Democrats can and will answer their call.

Social Justice and Equality
Minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics, are facing injustices almost at every turn. Having been deeply economically disaffected with the Biden administration, roughly 48 percent of Hispanic and 15 percent of African American voters supported Trump in the last election, which played a decisive role in helping him win the presidency.

Trump’s failure to deliver on his economic promises, the inequality they are experiencing in the job market, low wages, inflation, and being subjected to greater scrutiny because of the color of their skin, which has all been compounded by the overt racial rhetoric from Trump, has disillusioned them to a point of desperation.

They are now looking for change once again. The Democrats must be prepared not only to embrace them but also to engage them fully in the political process and support the candidacy of qualified Black and Hispanic candidates at the state and federal levels.

Voting Rights Integrity
It is no secret that Trump will do anything—legal, illegal, devious, and wily—in his determination to try to hold onto the Republican-led majority in the House and the Senate. He knows that losing either chamber would dramatically impede, if not freeze, his sinister plans to amass ever more power and consolidate his authoritarian scheme.

From gerrymandering the electoral maps in Red States to threatening and intimidating any Republican officeholder to toe his line, he will not relent.

Moreover, and far more worrisome, Trump is more than willing and sadly capable of dispatching—in essence, encouraging—his supporters, à la January 6, to most, if not all, blue states on election day to intimidate voters waiting in line under the pretext of guarding election integrity.

Worst yet, his administration will take full advantage of any disturbances created by his supporters at polling places, or manufacture them, to allow the government to seize voting machines and nullify the vote counts of Democrats in many districts. Presently, sending ICE to many Democratic-controlled cities should be seen as nothing more than a prelude to what might come.

The Democratic Party ought to be prepared to take every conceivable measure to ensure that the election remains free and fair. Tens of thousands of volunteers must be mobilized and provided with a ready-made contingency plan to counter every possible scenario, and nothing must be taken for granted. Trump will not stop on his own, but he must be stopped.

It is crucial that the Democratic National Committee, starting now, make a supreme effort to court young African Americans and Hispanics, not only to encourage them to vote but also to enlist them as foot soldiers to canvass young people in their communities on election day.

I know that much of the above is not new to the Democrats, but it cannot be overstated.

Safeguarding the Institutions
Perhaps nothing can protect our democracy more than ensuring our institutions are protected by every possible lawful means to maintain their independence and integrity. At the top of these institutions is the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, which is crucial for upholding constitutional principles and the rule of law. Another is the Fourth Estate—the free press, major newspapers, and independent media that hold power accountable.

In addition, universities, both private, such as Harvard, and public, such as the University of Virginia, are hubs for critical thinking. Think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace contribute to policy debates, and civil society groups such as the ACLU and NAACP advocate for civil rights and liberties. These institutions are the heartbeat of democracy.

Trump knows only too well the indispensable role of free institutions in shielding the core tenets of democracy. For this reason, he threatened to cut federal funding from several universities, and sadly, Columbia, Cornell, and Northwestern, among other top institutions, have caved in and adjusted their policies to meet the administration’s requirements. Another example is CBS’s parent company, Paramount, which agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by Trump over a 60 Minutes interview. It cannot be emphasized enough that the surrender of these institutions, along with others, such as law firms, sets a dangerous precedent that goes beyond just eroding our democracy; it would, in fact, spell its death.

The Democrats cannot merely settle on criticizing Trump’s bullying and threats. They have to stand ready to defend these institutions, for example, by suing the administration in federal courts, which have admirably remained steadfast in their ruling against the administration’s transgressions. They can also lean on many Democratic billionaires to supplement funding for any institution that has or stands to lose federal funding for rejecting Trump’s absurd, if not illegal, demands.

There are clear signs that Trump is beginning to lose his grip on the Republican Party and defying him will only increase as the election campaign gets underway. Though this is a good omen for the Democrats, it won’t be enough to capture Congress.

America is facing a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. The question is, will the Democrats rise to the greatest challenge they have ever faced? Their failure will not merely render the Democratic Party irrelevant but will spell out the demise of our democracy.