'Do their jobs': Dems split on 'building an effective opposition' to Trump’s second term
23 December 2024
During the 2024 presidential race, many Democrats — along with Never Trump conservatives — argued that that Donald Trump was not only bad from a policy standpoint, but also, was a flat-out authoritarian who didn't respect the U.S. Constitution or the rule of law.
After Gen. Mark Milley (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and former White House Chief of Chief of Staff John F. Kelly described Trump as a fascist, the Democratic presidential nominee was asked if she agreed during a CNN town hall. And the vice president replied, "Yes, I do."
Regardless, President-elect Trump narrowly defeated Harris. President Joe Biden, after years of scathing criticism of Trump, met with him in the White House and offered to help with the transition.
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The Guardian's David Smith, in an article published on December 23, stresses that Democrats find themselves in a complicated position — with some of them insisting on "shunning the U.S. president-elect at all costs" while others "see merit in cooperation."
Shannon Watts of the gun safety group Moms Demand Action told The Guardian, "I'm sure there are Dems who think it's great to collaborate, and I'm sure there (are) Dems who think that we shouldn't give an inch to a fascist. There are also people like me who can be persuaded to understand what the public should be doing, but there doesn’t seem to be an attempt to do that."
Corryn Freeman, executive director of Future Coalition, notes that Democrats are facing some complicated challenges in the weeks and months ahead.
Freeman told The Guardian, "I am fully in support of Democrats choosing not to be there for the inauguration, but that does not change the fact that they will have to do the work and do their jobs to figure out ways to pass policy with him as president and figure out how to maneuver around him…. We can believe that he is a fascist all that we want to, and he was elected as the president of the United States."
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Never Trump conservative and former GOP strategist Tara Setmayer, who supported Harris in 2024, argues that Democrats need a strong, coherent "opposition" strategy.
Setmayer told The Guardian, "It's clear that there needs to be fresh blood, and the Democrats need to figure out who they are as a party sooner rather than later because you cannot build an effective opposition if you’re in disarray…. The Democratic Party should be harnessing the collective anger of the American people who are not OK with Donald Trump and MAGA's retribution agenda. The American people obviously want people who will fight for their them. It's up to the Democrats now to not only fight for them, but to fight for our democracy.”
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Read The Guardian's full article at this link.