I’m gratified to see that I’m not the only one who thinks that the Democrats erred on Tuesday night during the State of the Union message. So does Dana Milbank in his Washington Post column:
It gives me no pleasure to say this, but the Democrats’ behavior at the State of the Union was embarrassing.
I take a back seat to nobody in decrying President Trump’s cynical and divisive performance. He repeatedly exploited Americans’ divisions on race, guns, God, immigration — anything to distract from the broken promises, vulgarity and worse that define his presidency.
But the Democrats, with their childish protests, took the bait. Symbolic dissent is fine, but this was a cacophony of causes: black clothing (for #MeToo), kente ties and sashes (because of Trump’s Africa insult), butterfly stickers (for the “dreamersâ€), red buttons (for a victim of racial crime) and the more bipartisan purple ribbons (for the opioid epidemic).
Worse, dozens of Democrats refused to stand when the president entered the House chamber, forgetting that one stands out of respect for the office, not the officeholder. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) grabbed a middle-aisle seat only to turn his back on the president when he walked past. Democrats groaned, scoffed, heckled and made lemon-biting faces. Others simply boycotted. In short, they did the same sort of things they (and I) denounced Republican lawmakers for when they did them to President Barack Obama.
Same here. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like him. It doesn’t matter if the other guys did it. Exemplify the behavior you want to see in others. Be the change.
Democrats can’t win in 2018 simply by appealing to people who hate Trump. The most recent Monmouth University poll (PDF) comparing support for a generic Republican to a generic Democrat has narrowed to insignificance. Not everyone hates Trump as much as they do. They’ve got to appeal to them, too.
The Senate landscape for 2018 does not favor Democrats. If they fail to capture the House and the Republicans strengthen their hold on the Senate, which seems likely, it is not a good outcome for them.
CNN and The Twin NBCs ran non-stop justifications for the Dems. It went from laughable to pitiable to see.
Since such behavior gets rewarded with donor checks, favorable home town press and the respect of one’s peers, I expect more of the same. Imagine there is a memo circulating about what order the various ribbons and garments should be worn. Parliamentary brawls seem to be in the future.
Much like the State of the Union Address itself, this will have no real impact on politics or the midterms.
However, it is indicative of an issue Democrats face. If they’re going to be successful in 2018 or 2020 they’re going to need more than just being the anti-Trump party.
That’s almost the Democrats’ most pressing challenge. Their most pressing challenge is whether they can be something other than the anti-Trump party without driving their most committed voters away.
One of the reasons Trump managed to win was that he saw through the sterile unity facade. That he turned out to be a thin-skinned beta doddering bitch who craves obedience is a major problem for the GOP. The Democrats looked slightly authentic in their complete bewildered contempt and it drives loyalists into a frenzy. They believe being anti-Trump is an actual issue that needs addressing, and here’s 55 polls and 322 op-eds from concerned centrists to prove it. I imagine that the election is going to follow the same line: the Democrats will be talking about health care or infrastructure and the Republicans will be gauging it in their Trump labs for pro-Trump strength.
“Since such behavior gets rewarded with donor checks, favorable home town press and the respect of one’s peers”
This is what I keep trying to point out. The GOP was heavily rewarded for this same behavior. Didn’t seem to affect the independents. Makes the base really happy. The Republicans aren’t going to change sides anyway. If it worked for the GOP, I don’t really see why it won’t work for the Dems. Unless, you are claiming that the GOP is much more likely to reward churlish behavior than the Dems. Seems a bit unlikely, but possible.
Steve
The situations of the Democrats and Republicans are not reciprocal.
You go, Modulo.
The problem is that the inquisition is everywhere and those suspected of heresy will be punished. It’s become tribal with all the worst aspects of group psychology. What Democrat wants to be singled out for standing when all the rest are sitting?
Just look at the crap Bill Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society, got for simply attending at the request of the incoming NASA administrator.
“Tacitly support” is the weasel phrase of the era.
Personally, I think most independents tune this stuff out. Most people don’t obsess about it. When it comes time to vote they likely will only have two choices and will vote for one they think is the least-bad.
“The situations of the Democrats and Republicans are not reciprocal.”
Not now, but while Obama was POTUS?
Steve
I don’t think you understand what I mean. The structure, composition, etc. of the two parties are very different. The Democratic coalition is composed of single-issue groups and other highly focused interest groups. That is much less true of the Republicans. That means that a course of action has different implications for Republicans than for Democrats and not just in an “equal and opposite” sort of way.