Hello and welcome. Tonight I’m happy to share a guest post from my friend George Brown, PhD in international relations from the University of Virginia, and retired CEO of Friendship Force International, a people-to-people exchange active in 50+ countries.
Most of us have been knocked back on our heels in these first three weeks of the second Trump administration. George offers a call to action, and a proposal for how we might get moving again.
Please engage. Let us know what you think.
Every week Common Sense and Whiskey takes a short, sharp look at the world out there. Tell me what you think at billmurraywriter (at) gmail.com. Thanks for reading. Here we go:
A New Playbook, by George Brown, PhD
In the lead up to tomorrow’s Superbowl game, some of the talk centers around the preparations that the Chiefs will be making – “will they have a new playbook that will throw off the Eagles attempt to unseat the reigning NFL champs?” We will know soon enough…but it got me to thinking. Maybe the Democrats need a new playbook in challenging the Trump/Musk assault on our democracy.
It has only been three weeks, but so far, the Trump winter offensive seems to be steaming ahead without any real opposition. The Democrats, trying to play the traditional role of the loyal opposition, are not just standing by. There are now multiple court cases challenging Trump’s illegal moves. And this past week Senate Democrats even stayed up all night speaking against the Trump/Musk onslaught. But both these moves just illustrate their weakness: Trump doesn’t care about the legality of what he does and will continue tearing down the government – if he is pushed back here and there, it won’t stop the wrecking ball from doing its damage. By the time the cases get to the Supreme Court he will have won, regardless of what the Court decides. The Federal government will be in total disarray, and the Republican Congress will follow whatever direction he wants. And make no mistake. It isn’t just the federal bureaucracy he is attacking, but the foundation of our “rule of law” system. Along with the Feds, he is going after universities, nonprofits, and the media.
I’m too old to move to Canada, so I’m trying to figure out if it might be possible for the Dems to create a new playbook to oppose this take-down of our government and democracy.
The best (maybe only) hope, it seems to me, is to create a national movement that can stand up to Trump. We need to put in place a response mechanism now that will not only call out the moves that are under way, but also that will be in place when the inevitable negative results of the MAGA attack start setting in: more inflation along with the gradual breakdown of various safety nets that have been in places for a century or more.
One idea for pushing this forward is to begin with the recognition that this is in fact a national crisis. At the time of our most recent national crisis, the COVID pandemic, there emerged a system for almost daily reports on the battle against the pandemic. Dr. Fauci was on tv most days giving his report – all of this was later undermined by President Trump, but in real time it was a successful way to let the public know what was happening and how they should respond.
So here is the “what if:” What if the Dems created a daily (or almost daily) reporting mechanism on the current crisis.
First, we would need a name. It isn’t a “pandemic” so we can’t use that. We should avoid hot-button terms like Trump, Musk, Democracy. Maybe take a page from Walter Cronkite during the Iran hostage crisis where every evening he said: “Today is the (whichever) day of the hostage takeover.” Just call it “Today in America” Or “Day 33.”
Second, we need a format. My idea is to have a kind of news briefing by a Democratic spokesperson that highlights one or two very specific things that happened that day. It could be a court ruling, a dubious action by the Administration, or a firsthand report on the impact of some of these actions: a day care center in Texas closing down, a cancer research project cancelled, a widening gap in medical staff requirements at the VA, babies dying in Africa because food has been stopped and the farmer in Kansas whose grain is rotting because USAID can’t ship his grain. The presentation should be the same time each day, 4:00 PM EST for example, and last not more than 15 minutes. It should be designed to attract broad media attention. The best model for this I’ve seen recently are the stories that Rachael Maddow gives in her evening reports – well documented and based on facts.
Third, select the right person or persons to give these. Don’t use older congresspeople, particularly Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi. And don’t let the presenter include self-serving political jargon. It must be a masterful communication piece with segments that other media are likely to pick-up.
Who might that be? This is perhaps the most difficult part of the new playbook. Maybe Hakeem Jefferies – young, articulate, and can use his platform of minority leader. Other possibilities: Kamala Harris? A recognized entertainer? A media celebrity? I don’t know, but it would be best to find someone quickly without having to analyze this too much so maybe Jefferies along with a female (and youngish) Senator?
Here are some examples Democrats could cite, just from this past week. Each day it could be different.
Show the name of USAID being removed from a federal building along with some facts about the impact and a clip from a midwestern farmer. And Rubio saying he wouldn’t have done it this way.
An update on the confused employee buyout.
The dismissal of the Coast Guard Commandant – she was fired and given 60 days to leave her government-provided home. Then, this week that was changed, and she was given 3 hours. Why? Because the president said he wanted her out of there.
The judge’s statement on the attack on the 14th amendment.
All this may seem like a losing cause – but that is the way Donald Trump and the GOP want the opposition to think. They want Americans to sit back and watch helplessly. If we delay, ignorance wins and the nation loses. Let’s get a new playbook, start throwing a few passes—and delivering some sacks to the new quarterback.
George Brown
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George is onto something. Democrats should not only offer authoritative rebuttal to the Republicans’ daily destruction, but also find and develop an audience for their ideas for the future. Who might be effective Democratic spokespeople? Politicians? Celebrities? People in media? Engage with us here, or directly with me at BillMurrayWriter (at) gamil.com.
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Bill
Yes, Bill and George! I was just sharing these same thoughts with a friend yesterday. We need something that mirrors the "Shadow Government" in the UK. They have designated representatives in the "opposition" to respond to each and every bad action taken by the party in power. This process also foments/allows the next generation of leaders to be presented to the public in a way that would help prevent the "Who do we turn to?" phenomenon that Democrats have struggled with since the first Trump term (at least). And it needs to not only point out what's being done wrong, but PRESENT WHAT DEMOCRATS WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY! Not just BS lefty propaganda, but real, tangible facts and examples of how the party does still, in fact, represent the interests of the vast majority of Americans, not just the rich elite as has been so successfully spun by the right.