Trump's first 100 days: The (lackluster) opposition score card
In AFP interviews, multiple political analysts said Democrats have become a rudderless, divided party struggling to decide what it stands for.
"If I were giving them a letter grade, it would be a C-, below average. They don't understand yet why they lost to Donald Trump," said veteran political strategist Matt Klink.
"The party continues to focus on issues that are unpopular with the American public -- men playing in women's sports, support for illegal immigration and fighting cuts, any cuts, to the federal bureaucracy."
What's more, "most voters (are) not listening or caring" to Democrats' allegations that Trump is a dictator or authoritarian, Klink said.
Booted out of the White House and reduced to a minority in Congress, Democrats' opportunities to make their mark in Trump's Washington are threadbare.
But most analysts interviewed by AFP said the party could have better articulated a coherent message, unified around priorities and tactics and figured out how and when to oppose Trump.
"Broadly speaking, I think most Americans would regard congressional Democrats as failing to meet the moment," said Flavio Hickel, a politics professor at Washington College.
Central to the frustration is the disconnect between their dire warnings of the threat Trump poses to democracy and their enthusiasm for being seen cooperating with his administration.
In a whirlwind first three months in office, Trump has unleashed a trade war, stoked allies' fears America has switched sides in the Russia-Ukraine war and unleashed tech billionaire Elon Musk to dismantle much of the federal bureaucracy.
Meanwhile Democratic senators have voted to confirm Trump cabinet appointees, doing little to slow down his breakneck agenda and even voting with Republicans to pass immigration legislation.
- Resistance -
"We're not going to go after every single issue," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the New York Times in February. "We are picking the most important fights and lying down on the train tracks on those fights."
But Schumer -- and potential 2028 presidential contenders like governors Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer -- have infuriated grassroots activists over various efforts to cooperate with the White House or build bridges with Trump's "MAGA" movement.
Meanwhile Democratic lawmakers have been mocked on social media for ineffective gestures such as silently waving paddles bearing protest slogans during Trump's speech to Congress.
Rare glimpses of a fightback have included victory in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race, and a hugely popular "Fighting Oligarchy" tour by progressive lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Popular New Jersey senator Cory Booker provided a possible roadmap for eyecatching opposition, say analysts, with a blockbuster 25-hour Senate speech that made headlines for days.
But Madeline Summerville, a former communications advisor and speechwriter for Democratic state senators, said Booker's actual message had been lost in the noise.
"The Dems struggle with messaging. They don't understand that you need a rallying cry -- a slogan -- to motivate the masses. And that slogan needs to be clear, concise and inspiring," she said.
"They're calling on people to 'fight oligarchy' but they're not telling us how -- nor is that a very catchy slogan."
Andrew Koneschusky, a former communications aide to Schumer, said that he would give Democrats in Congress a D grade, noting that while individual lawmakers were making a splash, "no one seems to be conducting the orchestra."
But he was more optimistic about grassroots opposition, which he awarded a B grade, pointing to lawsuits that have had some success in reining Trump in.
"After a deafening silence, we're also seeing more visible signs of resistance such as the recent marches in Washington DC and across the country that drew hundreds of thousands of people," he said.
"It feels like Democrats are finally emerging from their post-election funk."
ft/tgb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Obama applauds Newsom's California redistricting plan as 'responsible' as Texas GOP pushes new maps
Former President Barack Obama has waded into states' efforts at rare mid-decade redistricting efforts, saying he agrees with California Gov. Gavin Newsom's response to alter his state's congressional maps, in the way of Texas redistricting efforts promoted by President Donald Trump aimed at shoring up Republicans' position in next year's elections. 'I believe that Gov. Newsom's approach is a responsible approach. He said this is going to be responsible. We're not going to try to completely maximize it,' Obama said at a Tuesday fundraiser on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, according to excerpts obtained by The Associated Press. 'We're only going to do it if and when Texas and/or other Republican states begin to pull these maneuvers. Otherwise, this doesn't go into effect.' While noting that 'political gerrymandering' is not his 'preference,' Obama said that, if Democrats 'don't respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.' According to organizers, the event raised $2 million for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee and its affiliates, one of which has filed and supported litigation in several states over GOP-drawn districts. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Eric Holder, who served as Obama's attorney general and heads up the group, also appeared. The former president's comments come as Texas lawmakers return to Austin this week, renewing a heated debate over a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats. The plan is the result of prodding by President Donald Trump, eager to stave off a midterm defeat that would deprive his party of control of the House of Representatives. Texas Democratic lawmakers delayed a vote for 15 days by leaving the state in protest, depriving the House of enough members to do business. Spurred on by the Texas situation, Democratic governors including Newsom have pondered ways to possibly strengthen their party's position by way of redrawing U.S. House district lines, five years out from the Census count that typically leads into such procedures. In California — where voters in 2010 gave the power to draw congressional maps to an independent commission, with the goal of making the process less partisan — Democrats have unveiled a proposal that could give that state's dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control of Congress next year. If approved by voters in November, the blueprint could nearly erase Republican House members in the nation's most populous state, with Democrats intending to win the party 48 of its 52 U.S. House seats, up from 43. A hearing over that measure devolved into a shouting match Tuesday as a Republican lawmaker clashed with Democrats, and a committee voted along party lines to advance the new congressional map. California Democrats do not need any Republican votes to move ahead, and legislators are expected to approve a proposed congressional map and declare a Nov. 4 special election by Thursday to get required voter approval. Newsom and Democratic leaders say they'll ask voters to approve their new maps only for the next few elections, returning map-drawing power to the commission following the 2030 census — and only if a Republican state moves forward with new maps. Obama applauded that temporary timeline. 'And we're going to do it in a temporary basis because we're keeping our eye on where we want to be long term,' Obama said, referencing Newsom's take on the California plan. 'I think that approach is a smart, measured approach, designed to address a very particular problem in a very particular moment in time.' ___ Kinnard can be reached at
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump calls on Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to resign, renewing attack on central bank
Donald Trump has called on a Federal Reserve governor to immediately resign, renewing his extraordinary attack on the central bank's independence as officials mull next steps on interest rates. A close Trump ally accused Lisa Cook, an appointee of Joe Biden, of 'potentially committing mortgage fraud' and urged the US Department of Justice to investigate. The claims have not been confirmed. The US president has repeatedly broken with precedent in recent months to demand the Fed cut rates and urge its chair, Jerome Powell, to quit after disregarding such calls. On Wednesday, Trump leaped on the allegations about Cook. The governor 'must resign, now!!!' he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. Cook and the Fed did not respond to requests for comment. Cook, whose current term on the Fed's board extends until 2038, previously served on the council of economic advisers under Barack Obama. When she took office in May 2022, she became the first Black woman to sit on the central bank's board. This morning, Bill Pulte, head of the US Federal Housing Finance Agency, who has become – beyond the president himself – one of the Trump administration's most vocal critics of Powell and the Fed, published allegations against Cook. In June 2021, Cook entered into a 15-year mortgage agreement on a property in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and declared her intention to use it as her principal residence, according to Pulte. In July 2021, Cook bought a property in Atlanta, Georgia, and also committed to use that property as her primary residence when taking out a 30-year mortgage, according to Pulte. Pulte referred Cook to the justice department for a criminal investigation, and promptly called on her to resign. 'How can this woman be in charge of interest rates if she is allegedly lying to help her own interest rates?' he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Cook, who has not commented on the allegations, is the latest figure to be targeted by Trump officials over claims of mortgage fraud. Pulte has made similar allegations about the New York attorney general, Letitia James, and the California senator Adam Schiff, both Democrats. The justice department is reportedly investigating. James has dismissed the claims as 'baseless'. Schiff has vehemently denied the allegations, and accused the administration of weaponizing the US justice system. As Trump and his officials continue to pressure the Fed to cut rates, new minutes from the central bank's latest meeting underlined how most policymakers plan to scrutinize data over the coming weeks to gauge the economic impact of the administration's policies. While Fed policymakers again opted to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged in July, two of its governors opposed the decision – the first time that multiple governors have voted against the majority since 1993. Fed officials 'assessed that the effects of higher tariffs had become more apparent in the prices of some goods but that their overall effects on economic activity and inflation remained to be seen,' the minutes said. 'They also noted that it would take time to have more clarity on the magnitude and persistence of higher tariffs' effects on inflation.' After the meeting, official employment data showed that jobs growth stalled this summer – prompting Trump to fire the federal government official in charge of labor statistics – as inflation continued to rise. The two governors who called for rate cuts, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, were each appointed by Trump during his first term. Both have been floated as potential replacements for Powell, whose term as chair will end next May. Powell is due to deliver a highly-anticipated speech at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Wyoming on Friday, which will be closely scrutinized for signs of where the Fed plans to take rates over the coming months.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘I am your voice': Trump relaunches on TikTok with White House account
Rally highlights, White House glamour shots and his signature moves. President Donald Trump made a surprise return to the popular video app TikTok with three montages posted to a new official @whitehouse account Tuesday night. "America we are BACK," the first post was captioned. Trump pledged "I am your voice" as the video played. The account isn't Trump's first foray with the Chinese-owned app. Both he and his 2024 rivals, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, signed up for TikTok in an effort to reach the 170 million users the company claims it has in the U.S. Trump last posted to his 15 million-plus followers from his former account @realdonaldtrump on Election Day. Candidates especially hoped to court young voters on the platform. But TikTok has faced scrutiny from the U.S. government since Trump's first administration. In August 2020, he released an executive order calling for "aggressive action" against TikTok to protect national security. One Republican-introduced bill that became law in 2022 banned most federal employees from downloading the app on government devices. MORE: Trump says Smithsonian should focus on America's 'Brightness,' not 'how bad Slavery was' U.S. authorities have listed concerns about possibilities of stolen U.S. user data and a potentially manipulative and addictive algorithm. Trump threatened to ban the app in his first term, but has thrice in his second term delayed the enforcement of a 2024 bipartisan law requiring TikTok's Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, to sell it in the U.S. or be banned. In anticipation of the initial ban deadline, TikTok briefly left app stores in the U.S. the day before Trump's second inauguration and went dark for 14 hours. A pop-up message crediting him appeared when the app started working again, reading, "As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!" TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was among many tech leaders who Trump invited to his inauguration. MORE: 6th Republican-led state sends National Guard troops to DC as Trump continues law enforcement takeover The company offered various alternatives to divesting, including increased oversight and data protection. The latest pause on the ban is set to end on Sept. 17, though Trump repeatedly vowed to cut a deal for TikTok, even suggesting the sovereign wealth fund he created in February could be used to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. Despite security concerns, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News that TikTok will be a powerful tool for the president. "The Trump administration is committed to communicating the historic successes President Trump has delivered to the American people with as many audiences and platforms as possible," Leavitt said. "President Trump's message dominated TikTok during his presidential campaign, and we're excited to build upon those successes and communicate in a way no other administration has before." Leavitt also appeared in a clip on the White House account. The account racked up more than 140,000 followers by Wednesday afternoon, still catching up to Trump's more than 10 million Truth Social followers and more than 108 million followers on his less frequently used X account.
