Do-Something Democrats...

On her show recently Randi Rhodes was speculating on how Democrats might respond if the Republicans go through with their "nuclear option" (or more aptly the "Crybaby Option") to once and for all officially ignore all Democratic opposition.  She suggested the Democrats might stop deferring to the Republican agenda and start bringing their own bills to the floor.  I have to admit I was taken aback.

They can do that?  Then why haven't they done it already?

It's not like playing along has given them any meaningful control.  The GOP majority has already worked to exclude them at all levels, from calling for unexpected quorums at 3 A.M. to using security guards to oust Democratic Senators from conference rooms to prevent them from strategizing.  It seems all they've managed to do so far this Congress is get themselves implicated in the Alberto Gonzales fiasco and the hideous Bankruptcy Bill.

If you wonder what sorts of legislation Democrats could push for, consider this post and its responses on Liberal Avenger's site, and this Newberry post on BOP News.  The options range from simple fixes to our disastrous election laws to sweeping reforms in taxation and health care.  Just restoring the Fairness Doctrine, something that free-market conservatives assured us that we would no longer need, would bring to heel the baying hounds of the right-wing echo chamber.  If even a little of this kind of legislation passed it would lift a great weight off this country.

But of course they would not pass.  A Republican-controlled congress is not going to allow these kinds of things to be made into law.  Their K-street masters would never stand for it.  So what would be the point of trying?  Why try to have a debate when you know the outcome is a forgone conclusion?  Democrats could keep doing what they have been doing -- bend over for the GOP agenda and hope that in return they'll be able to do a little good on the margins.  Perhaps that's the best way to get things done rather than just obstruct.

I think the answer comes from the schoolyard.  The GOP are bullies.  They have, by virtue of their slightly superior numbers, achieved domination of the playground.  And they don't play nice, as the Democratic near-majority must have surely learned by now.

There's no sure way to defeat a bully (short of learning Karate from Pat Morita), but all the workable approaches involve fighting back.  Fighting to stop the destructive Republican agenda; fighting against ideologue judges; fighting bad bills and dangerous budgets.  Obstruction is absolutely essential, and I have been thrilled to see some Democrats take up the mantle, but alone it's not enough.  As we've seen, just obstructing makes you look bad, especially under relentless Republican ridicule.

You have to do something.

This is why it's so important for the Democrats to stop going along with the GOP agenda and start introducing their own bills.  And I don't just mean the wacky, easily dismissed Representatives.  It has to be Senators.  But first they have to abandon some of their old habits:

1) Always wanting to win.  Sure, no one wants to be associated with failed legislation, but that's the way things are now guys.  Deal with it.  Assume the bill will die -- push for it anyway.  Is it really better to co-sponsor some "soak the poor, help the rich" Republican legislation, just because it allows you to be in the photo-op?  Winning isn't everything.

2) Always wanting the big score.  Not everything has to be an omnibus.  Let's pick one issue at a time and focus on that.  Don't try to handle everything in one fell swoop.  Just pick one small, sound bite-able problem and work on that.  Even if it will fail.

3) Always going too deep.  If you know the legislation is not going to pass, you don't have to get all lawyerly on it and end up with something overly complex.  Take the trouble to keep it concise and razor sharp.  Yes, it will have a few places which are rough, and it will have some ambiguous cases that will make some people squirm.  But that's not the point.  The point is to have something that a left-wing radio host can read, in its entirety, between commercial breaks while still having time for a caller or two.  I know Senators aren't stupid (at least the Democratic ones aren't), but keep it simple anyway.

Having a lock on the process, the Republicans will in many cases be able to keep these from coming up for debate or discussion.  No problem -- here's what you, the Democratic party, can do:

1) Hold press conferences.  Get a bunch of Representatives and one or two Senators to talk about how great this bill is and how it will help Americans.  If the Republicans are keeping it in committee, demand that they vote it through and explain which special interests are being coddled.  Do these press conferences every week, week after week, month after month, each one a different bill.  Keep up the pressure on the press, and fight their issue-fatigue by changing the type of issue you address every couple of weeks.

2) Post the text on the Internet.  Don't underestimate how much written information, especially if it's kept short and to the point, can propagate over the web.  These kinds of things are going to be on all the blogs, and we know that blogs can generate mainstream press coverage.

3) Lose big.  If you're going to lose anyway, make sure you don't go down quietly.  Force as many Republicans as possible to go on the record voting down or suppressing a popular reform.  Don't take the promise of a compromise later to kill this bill today.  Don't allow voice votes.  If the GOP finds a quiet way to kill the bill, go back to the press conference and carp about it.

The Republican majority is very slim.  And yet average Americans do not think that things would be any different under a Democratic majority.  Democrats need to get out and try to do something to tackle the big issues, so that when people think of Democrats they think of what might have gotten done if there had been a Democratic majority.  And then there will be, and it can.

- jack*

Comments

[paperwight]

Damn. This was on my list for "Post later this week". Bastard.

[Lisa Williams]

AyyyyyMEN, brother! I don't want to hear *anything* from my Democratic elected reps except Stand Up, Sit Down, Fight! Fight! Fight!

[eRobin]

3) Lose big. If you're going to lose anyway, make sure you don't go down quietly. Force as many Republicans as possible to go on the record voting down or suppressing a popular reform. Don't take the promise of a compromise later to kill this bill today. Don't allow voice votes. If the GOP finds a quiet way to kill the bill, go back to the press conference and carp about it.

I'm so glad to see you include this. There's press in losing and where there's press, there is at least the chance to make your case. Also, it wouldn't hurt to get some of that martyer complex going on our side as Rove has perfected the technique on his.

[JD]

I would add to (and probably put at #1 on) the list of bad habits of the Democrats is not checking their egos at the door. I don't know if this is more of a causal factor or just the result of not having any organizing principles, but there is always way too much "personal agenda" stuff.

[Abby]

Paperwight sent me here. I totally agree. Now how do we get these people to listen, because frankly on a lot of issues, I'm not so sure myself that the Democrats would be that great. Biden and the bankruptcy bill are obvious examples. Mostly, I think they wouldn't do as much damage as the Republicans. They wouldn't aim the country in the wrong direction, but whether they would actually put it in the right direction is much less clear to me.

I'd like some sense of their plans too.

[Ma'at's Feather]

Send this essay to your Representative & Senators!