So Tired Of Being Adult – Time To Go Low

Somewhere on the blogosphere yesterday I saw a petition designed to encourage the current members of the technocratic government bureaucracy to stay in their jobs and not resign in protest against the racist, xenophobic Trump presidency. The obvious thinking behind this well-intentioned petition is that the country will need a relatively decent functioning bureaucracy that could perhaps resist some of the probably illegal or immoral acts the Trump administration will end up taking. Then later in the day, I read about all the Senate Democrats who sang a constant refrain about their “concern” with Jeff Sessions appointment as Attorney General, a man with a history of racist rhetoric, but a willingness to give him a “full and fair” hearing.

I understand the rationale behind both of these positions. I understand that the Trump administration is so lacking in governmental experience that the country will need as many competent bureaucrats as it can get. And I understand that Republicans have the votes to get Sessions through the Senate no matter what the Democrats do, so we might as well act reasonably.

But I am so tired of Democrats having to be the adults in the room as the Republicans set about destroying our norms of governance and destroying our democracy. Obama always remained the adult in the room even as the GOP questioned his heritage and blocked his appointments and legislation simply because they were his. Democrats accepted George Bush’s election in 2000 because we were the adults in the room and mistakenly rallied behind Bush after 9/11 because we believed America needed to be unified. Democrats voted for TARP and the stimulus because we were the adults in the room and knew the economy needed saving. Democrats accepted the fact that Republicans refused to give Merrick Garland a hearing, breaking all norms, because Republicans were in control of the Senate and that’s the way the Senate works. We have had two elections basically stolen from us in the last 16 years, one by the Supreme Court and one by James Comey, and we move on for the good of the country. And what does all this adult behavior get us? A racist, xenophobic, Putin-loving Donald Trump.

Josh Marshall has long held what he calls the “dominance” view of American politics which he describes as “the inherent appeal of power and the ability to dominate others.” I think it is high time for Democrats to quit being the adults in the room and engage in the same sort of dominance politics that the GOP has engaged in for the last quarter century. It may mean destroying some very old and worthy traditions, engaging in parliamentary sabotage or other extreme actions to disrupt effective governance. For example, perhaps we should create our own new rule which states that only a President who wins the popular vote can appoint Supreme Court justices. That really is no different from what Republicans did with Garland. We have to be prepared to go there. Yes, we are working from a position of almost total weakness. But that means we must use every weapon at our disposal, tradition or even responsible behavior be damned. We must make it clear to the American people that we will fight with every tool we have and some we haven’t thought of against this un-American and undemocratic regime. The future or our republic may depend on it.