Grab a seat

This could take a while

If you consume lots of news from liberal sites as I do, and have participated in protests - some massive - it is easy to believe that this whole Trump presidency will be dispatched quickly.  Especially given the flow of bad news for Trump and his team.

Not so fast.  Don't get sucked into believing that outrage by people you affiliate with is enough to end this particular presidency.  Especially not given the pathetic lack of direction from the Democratic party.

I found several laments from pundits and politicians today after a very quick surfing of the web.  

Tim Kaine, our almost Vice President, stated that Democrats need to talk to the middle class, and need to talk about economic growth.  (USA Today, 5/24/17).

From Matt Taibbi, in a 5/26/17 Rolling Stone article, I found this gem:  "'But Republicans are bad' isn't a message or a plan, which is why the Democrats have managed the near impossible:  losing ground overall during the singular catastrophe of the Trump presidency...  People need a reason to be excited by politics, and not just disgusted with the other side.  Until the Democrats figure that out, these improbable losses will keep piling up."

On a July 10, 2017 interview on Michigan Radio, Jan Eyer (senior V.P. at Vanguard Public Affairs) thinks the latest Democratic messaging attempts prove the party still doesn't "get it".  For example, one of the slogans prepared by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reads:  "Democrats 2018:  I mean, have you seen the other guys?"  (I have not actually seen this slogan anywhere but from this source.)

I end with my friends, and their website:  the Democratic National Committee.  Their main content is:    

1. Hold Trump accountable

2. Take a stand

3. Make calls to Republicans

4. Give us money

5. Watch us "live"

6. Shop our merchandise

7. Learn about our new officers

I guess Tom Perez didn't read my letter, but put it in his circular file. 

Democrats obsess at their own peril

And risk any chance of taking the House in 2018

Trump keeps laying landmines, and Democrats keep viewing them as stepping stones to an inevitable landslide for Democrats in 2018.  It is a Republican "strategy" too delicious, too elegant, to have been cooked up consciously by anyone.

Yet a strategy it is - get the Democrats to focus on the shiny objects - the offensive tweets - and they will avoid the really difficult work of coming up with a compelling message to encourage people to vote for Democrats.

Democrats are doing the Republicans a big favor by obsessing about how awful Trump is.  They are ignoring the fact that a lot of people voted for Trump because of what they perceived as his positive message (much as that pains me to acknowledge).

I fear that until the Democratic party wakes up and develops a strong, affirmative message, the chances for Democrats are slimmer than they should be in 2018.