The Dems are Blowing It

What Grade Would You Give the Democrats For Their First Month in Power? Here’s Mine

Image Credit: Evan Vucci

I’m sorry. Accept my apology in advance. I’m going to say something ugly, and many of you aren’t going to like it. But it needs to be said.

The Democrats are blowing it.

Now, I’m going to come back to “but it’s only been 36 days.” I promise. And you can get me after that if you want. But first…let me make my case.

This is a crucial, crucial period for America. The Democrats have two years — just two — to thwart the rise of American fascism all over again. They have to get stuff done. Two years is not a long time, especially in politics. It’s 700 days and change. Every day counts.

So don’t you think, that given the fact that every day matters, and the Dems just have two years, we should do a monthly scorecard?

And if you agree with that, well, how’s this first month gone? The answer to that is troubling. Not well.

What are the Democrats doing? Not a whole lot. So, far, the picture looks like this.

Joe Biden reopened a “detainment facility” for “migrant children” that Trump had closed. Let me put that in plainer English. The Biden admin reopened a concentration camp for kids.

Put aside for a second your own personal feelings. I want you to understand the political impact of massive, massive mistakes — which is what this is — like this. What is the net effect?

The Democrats have two years to accomplish major reforms and transformations — but they also have a fragile coalition. That fragile coalition is old-school neoliberals, on the one hand, paired up with the unlikely combination of minorities, young people, and progressives, all of whom vote much further “left,” or, in global terms, are just normal people, like in Canada or Europe.

In global terms, the Dems have a shaky, unsteady alliance between a very, very conservative right wing — that’s the “liberals,” who in global terms are further to the right than most Canadian or European conservative parties — and a relatively centrist everyone else, minorities, young people, progressives.

Now, understanding that, what do you think the Dems biggest danger is? It isn’t the Republicans. How could it be? The Democrats have all the power you can have in the American political system. They control the House, White House, and Senate — and yes, the VP is a deciding vote. The Democrats biggest danger is themselves.

What happens when they do foolish, foolish things like reopening concentration camps for kids? The liberal wing might defend it as necessary, sure — but the fragile coalition splinters. All those young people and minorities and progressives who backed the Dems begin to back away in disgust.

And they’re right to. The liberal wing of the Dems is dead wrong to defend things like reopening concentration camps for kids. Why? Because that’s indistinguishable from the Trumpists. And the Dems are supposed to be the opposition.

The more “left” wing of the party is dead right to excoriate Biden for moves like this. And Biden’s admin is foolish to make them, because it splinter the fragile coalition — and keeping that coalition together is priority number one.

Why? Because if you can’t keep the fragile coalition together, the Dems are going to lose power in a short two years. And then they will not get anything done at all. So getting stuff done tomorrow depends crucially on getting stuff done today. Big stuff. Real stuff. Now.

The Democrats have to stop pandering to the liberals in the party and actually politic for the people who put them over the top — young people, minorities, progressives. Or they are going to lose power, inevitably, in a short seven hundred days. And then you know what? America’s last chance is gone.

Those are the stakes.

So how are the Dems doing in understanding all of that? Pretty badly.

Take the example of the firestorm that’s erupted over the Neera Tanden appointment. Again, put your personal feelings aside for a moment. It’s just bad politics. Why did the Dems let this happen? Why try to reward someone the centrist — “left” in American terms — wing of the party reviles, with a highly visible public post? Why even create a flashpoint over a relatively meaningless appointment? That terrible politics, if you understand that priority one is keeping the fragile coalition together. It says to the people who put the Dems over the top that the establishment, the old guard, the neoliberal wing, doesn’t give much of a damn about them.

No wonder they’re already feeling alienated! You would be too, if you were them. This is bad politics and poor leadership. You don’t elevate people from the side that didn’t get you into power — you elevate those from the one that did. At least if you want to stayin power.

The Neera Tanden thing sums up the Democrats slow, bumbling, stumbling start. And it’s not a good look. It points to the deeper issues, so let’s continue with the scorecard.

What else have the Dems done — actually done? Floated a plan to raise the minimum wage…by 2025. What? Are you kidding? Who comes up with this stuff? You have to stay in power by 2022. Isn’t the problem here obvious? It’s way too little, way too late, not just to solve a real economic problem, but even to address the political challenge of staying in power. Everyone under the age of 35 or that’s not a white neoliberal is furious about this. They see it as a surrender and a compromise. It is.

But so is Biden dithering on cancelling student debt. What is he waiting for? The second coming? Why doesn’t he just do it?

The answer from the liberal wing is that he can’t, but that’s wrong: numerous legal scholars have weighed in and said he could, right down to Liz Warren. And more to the point, what’s ever stopped the Republicans from using executive power?

The student debt debacle reveals a further problem with the Dems. Their hesitance to use the power they have. Executive power, in this case. Biden could issue an executive order and wipe student debt clean today. He could fix so, so many problems. I’m not kidding. Do you know how many Executive Orders Trump issued in his first month? About fifteen, depending on when you start counting. Do you know what they did? They repealed Obamacare, banned ethnicities, rolled back environmental, financial, and social regulations, created concentration camps, and much, much more. They totally reshaped America — in weeks.

Do you see the double standard? When the GOP has power, they use it ruthlessly. You have to. That is what politics is. When the Dems have power…they don’t. They dither, dally, delay, “debate.” And before you know it — poof — power’s gone.

Biden has real power. He’s issued more Executive Orders than Trump — but they’ve done far, far less. That is vivid proof the Dems are hesitant to use their power. But if they don’t use their power, their fragile coalition is going to keep snapping apart.

You can see how quickly fury is rising on the “left,” which is again, the global centre. Any sane person should be a little disappointed — or maybe more than a little — in these half-hearted compromises. A minimum wage rise by 2025, appointing old-schoolers to key posts despite the obvious backlash, a reluctance to really use executive power…reopening concentration camps.

This isn’t all just bad policy. Though it certainly is that much, in the sense that it doesn’t fix any real problems. More troublingly, at least in the near term, it’s bad politics. It breaks apart the fragile coalition that put the Dems in power by betraying the people who put them over the top. And if young people, minorities, and progressives walk away, as they’re already beginning to, shaking their heads, do you know what happens next?

You guessed. The fascists win, all over again. And history repeats itself.

My grade for the Democrats first month in power? It’s an F. They are flunking, and they are flunking badly. At least to someone like me, who’s both lived in and studied the economics and politics of failing states.

Sorry if that sounds harsh. I told you you’d probably be mad. Go ahead and ask yourself, though: what grade would you give the Dems? Maybe you wouldn’t flunk them, like I do — but would you really put them anywhere near the top, or even the middle, of the class?

Umair
February 2021