Elected to some of the highest offices in our nation, we have come to believe that the politicians in Washington are the best at the business of getting elected, and then once elected, actually leading and effecting policy.
Yet if that is the case, why are Congressional Democrats so seemingly inept at understanding how the basics of our political system actually work.
While it is true that Democrats are now the minority party in both chambers of Congress, that does not mean they abandon all the policies they want to enact, just roll over and do whatever the Republicans who are in the majority want to do.
Our political system is a two-party system. It is not like anyone is new to that game. It means overall strategy should be dictated by what position you are in.
To use an analogy, you do not drive a car in a race the same way you would when you are in the lead as you would in last place. While the goal is always to end the race in first, the position you are in at any given time dictates the way you drive, the key moments to make a move, and what risks to take.
Yet Democrats in Congress do not seem to alter their strategies to reflect the position they are in. They pass, when they should be drafting. They swerve, when they should speed ahead.
So why don't Congressional Democrats use their position as the minority party in the most effective ways possible?
I'm not going to mince words. Even though Democrats are in the minority in Congress, They still have a Democrat in President Obama in the White House. President Obama can veto any law that gets to his desk, but there aren't enough Republicans in Congress to override a veto. That means that whatever atrocious legislation the Republican Party wants to pass, it will not become law unless Democrats either in the White House or in Congress allow it to pass. Usually, that kind of power requires major concessions by the majority party as they negotiate for minority votes.
So with that kind of power, what kind of concessions are Democrats actually calling for? Chump change. Very few moves that will help the majority of Americans, will move our country forward, will inspire our grassroots supporters.
While Republicans push for major ideological cornerstone policies, Democrats are quick to cut to the measly scraps.
While I would never disparage efforts to protect our important institutions like Social Security and unemployment, if these are the best things our Congressional Democratic contingent can hope to protect, they are simply wasting our time.
Where are the calls for major infrastructure investment?
Where are the calls for strengthening Wall Street regulation?
Where are the calls to seriously address climate change, and shift our energy policy towards more renewable sources?
Where are the calls to bolster President Obama's and Senator Warren's calls for making education more affordable?
Where are the calls to finally push through immigration reform including a path to citizenship?
I am undoubtedly sure that I am simplifying much of this analysis. I am not trained in political science, after all. But it doesn't take a policy wonk to understand the basic strategy that comes along with our political system. You don't have to be a chess grandmaster to know that you don't attack with your king first, but Congressional Democrats think that just because we are not experts, they can get away with playing checkers when they should be playing chess.
On Tuesday, President Obama will purportedly propose some of the most Progressive policies we have heard in a long while. For some, the fact that Democrats are in the minority in Congress will be enough of an excuse for these policies to be abandoned. However, the real truth is that if Democrats play their hands correctly, we might actually get some of these through a Republican-run Congress. But it requires playing hardball, instead of the tee-ball we have grown accustomed to these past six years.
Hardball means taking a stand to anything Republicans want to pass. You want Keystone? You want to defund Social Security? Nothing like these will get past Obama unless they come with real concessions to Democrats. The country still needs stimulus. The country still needs investment. But Republicans will not agree to any of this unless Democrats play hard.
What is the worst-case scenario? Congress only passes Republican bills, and Obama vetoes every one of them, and nothing gets done. Pundits want to argue that such gridlock will only hurt Democrats, so they are better off taking the high road and working with Republicans, no matter how unseemly.
But that has been the gameplan for the last six years. And how smart a play was that for Democrats? We found out last year.
We must remember that with Republicans now fully in control of Congress, they own whatever gets done, and doesn't get done. If business in the capitol grinds to a halt, we must believe that the negative public opinion will fall squarely on the Republicans; they are now the gatekeepers after all. Sure, pundits will try to place the onus on Obama, as they always do, but he has shown that he will not wither under the barrage of scrutiny. It is time we get the same conviction out of our Democrats in Congress.
Democrats in Congress seem too afraid to take the risks they need to so they can actually accomplish things. But that is how you play when you are in the minority. If they can only stomach what it takes to lead when they are in first place, but not in last, what good are they as leaders?
Democrats, whether they are in the majority or in the minority, should always be leveraging their position to enact their policies as effectively and frequently as possible. The fact that they do not do this leads to only a few possibilities.
Either they are incompetent and do not understand their roles as the minority party, or they are not true Democrats trying to enact Democratic policy, meaning they are disguising ulterior interests.
I am sure we all have our own opinion of which one best reflects our current situation in Congress. Regardless, if they are the leaders we expect them to be, they must be compelled to answer for each and every action. Being in the minority does not excuse them of this responsibility; if anything, it only makes their defections to vote along with Republicans all the more treacherous.
Whenever anything that runs counter to Democratic values gets through Congress with Democratic votes, those Democrats must answer: how does your vote benefit your party? Why should we even have you in Congress representing Democrats at all if you are just going to vote with Republicans? What did you get in return for your obeisance?
In two years time, whoever has played their role better, as the leader of the pack or as the underdog, will reap the rewards at the polls. Right now, Democrats need to embrace their underdog status, not diminish it.