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"The Republicans Broke Congress. Democrats Can Fix It.
A roadmap for House Democrats between now and the 2020 election
(By Norman J. Ornstein)
{It’s a November 9 piece but it gives a great overview of some of the work being done as Democrats take over the majority role in the House.}
In the great 1972 political satire The Candidate, Robert Redford plays a novice candidate who runs a slick campaign for Senate and wins an upset against an unbeatable incumbent.
On election night, right before the media throng arrives, he turns to his campaign guru, played by Peter Boyle, and says, “What do we do now?” The movie ends without an answer.
House Democrats are no strangers to governance; even with the influx of newcomers, they have a veteran group who have been in the majority before, many under both divided and united government.
But the question of what do we do now is still a pressing one, since the dynamic in today’s Washington is unlike any they—and the country—have ever seen.
Party leadership contests will come quickly,
followed by the need to draft a rules package that sets out how the House will operate, from floor procedures to ethics considerations.
Chairmanships of key committees and subcommittees will need to be settled.
And an agenda, substantive and investigatory, should be laid out before the new House convenes on January 3.
At the same time, Democrats have to prepare for the possibility of a lame-duck session in which Republicans try to do some mischief...
Of course, they will have to begin with the Trump administration,
and the business of keeping it from pushing the country closer to autocracy,
extending its kleptocratic corruption
and the form of government known as kakistocracy (“rule by the worst”).
Next comes establishing an agenda and a set of messages that show Americans why they are worthy of the mantle of governance, now and for the presidential contest in 2020.
The desire for generational change and new blood is understandable. But image and public presentation are only a small part of the qualities needed in a speaker.
The ability to shape and carry out an agenda;
to give committees and subcommittees freedom while maintaining coherence;
to understand the needs, strengths, and weaknesses of the members, knowing when to push and when to back off;
to have tactical and strategic skills, especially when showdowns like potential shutdowns are looming;
to negotiate effectively with a president and leadership counterparts in both House and Senate—all these are deeply important qualities in a speaker.
Simply being young and fresh, or being able to speak to white working-class voters, or fitting demographic checklists, or being good on television—
laudable political traits all—
are not attributes that alone meet the standards set by Nancy Pelosi.
It is also important to make sure that there is strong leadership input into key committee and subcommittee chairmanships.
The strongest members—those who know how to advance an agenda, question witnesses, assemble crackerjack staffs, and who have intellectual heft—should be in charge of the most important committees,
and there should be early and regular consultation with leaders to coordinate priorities, especially for investigations and oversight.
This does not mean that party leaders would be dictating schedules and agendas; they’d simply be coordinating strategies and letting the committees and subcommittees take charge.
For many decades, Congress has provided orientations for its new members...After Newt Gingrich’s speakership in the 1990s, they became more partisan and generally less effective.
The Democrats will need a much more robust orientation for members, new and otherwise, who have never served in the majority—and the same for staff.
There should also be training about how to conduct investigations—there’s going to be a lot to investigate— ...
About those rules—they’re going to change. New members are going to want Congress to evolve, as is their right. But the rules have to be fair, constructive—and practical.
... Congress may have its problems, but the real fight against corruption and autocracy is with the Trump administration.
The Democrats have to pass a bill protecting Robert Mueller from Trump’s efforts to fire or undermine him, and get the Democrats in the Senate to pressure the majority to take it up.
Find ways to make sure there is access to any reports written by Mueller and his team.
Give Adam Schiff, the incoming chair of the House Intelligence Committee, the resources to dig aggressively into Russian connections and to protect whistleblowers and the integrity of the intelligence services.
Make sure Ways and Means under Chairman Richard Neal acts swiftly to gain access to Trump’s tax records.
Begin a process to reform the Inspector General Act, ensuring a president cannot sideline or corrupt that independent process.
Change the Federal Vacancies Reform Act to prevent its misuse.
Use the Committee on Appropriations under Nita Lowey to conduct tough-minded oversight of agencies and programs.
Give Jerry Nadler, the incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee, the resources to examine all of Trump’s actions, and those of the Justice Department.
... To be sure, the first priorities for Democrats are more triage than anything else—preventing Donald Trump from further destroying the health insurance marketplace, degrading the environment, shredding the safety net, and undermining worker safety, the census, voting rights, and so on.
But Democrats should also focus on what priorities the party would adopt if it did take over in 2020. Few new laws will be passed in 2019. Still, Democrats can lay down markers for the future—...
Whatever bills pass the House, even if they go nowhere in the Senate, Democrats can highlight their plans through the creative use of the House floor.
Structured debates...could show Americans that there are thoughtful and workable proposals out there, some of which are not partisan.
Excerpts can go on YouTube, providing the fodder for cable news and showing the public that Democrats actually have ideas to grapple with the problems this country faces.
Of course, this is a formidable set of recommendations.
But a Democratic House has a formidable set of requirements to set the country right and the stage for 2020.
Winning the House is not enough. It’s what they do with it that matters.
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→ Direct sources & resources for Democrats:
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The Democratic Party Website
Also, NOT exactly a Democratic Party specific source under a GOP majority but a good place for to hear and to watch speeches & hearings directly C-SPAN
Democratic National Committee's Team Blue!
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You can email your two Senators and your Representative in Congress in one email here
"Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters giving Democrats a winning edge in close, key races coast to coast.
What started on March 11, 2017 with sharing 5 addresses apiece to 5 volunteers on Facebook...
Now, we consist of over 20,000+ volunteers in every state (including Alaska and Hawaii) who have written close to 3 million postcards to voters in over 100+ key, close elections."
You can find Postcards to Voters here
→ Some of my favorite, most active organizations -- some existing & some developing to elect Democrats:
Born from conversations between Governor Howard Dean and Secretary Hillary Clinton in the aftermath of the 2016 election, Onward Together was established to lend support to leaders — particularly young leaders — kicking off projects and founding new organizations to fight for our shared progressive values. here
Since #StandOnEveryCorner has grown, it’s become a stand by all of us to protect our democracy from corruption and treason...A stand not at your State Capitol, but in your own backyard. Not once every few months, but as often as you can here
→ Fact checking organizations courtesy of the Society of Professional Journalists
in alphabetical order...
→ Some of my favorite, most informative
follows on Twitter include:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ US Intelligence | Author | Navy Senior Chief | NBC/MSNBC
⭐⭐⭐ Federal Government Operations | Vanity Fair | Newsweek | MSNBC Contributor | Author
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Voting Rights/Voter Suppression | Author | Mother Jones
→ Some of my favorite, highly credible media -- at the moment:
📰📰📰 Mother Jones
📰📰📰📰 The Washington Post
→ Some of my favorite Talking Heads -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
→ Some of my favorite media/panelists -- at the moment -- and their Twitter handles:
✅✅✅✅ Joan Walsh national affairs correspondent for The Nation; CNN political contributor
✅✅✅ Heidi Przybyla USA TODAY Senior Political Reporter
✅✅✅✅ Jennifer Rubin Conservative blogger at @ WashingtonPost's Right Turn,MSNBC contributor
✅✅✅ Natasha Bertrand Staff writer @ The Atlantic covering national security & the
intel community. @ NBCNews/@ MSNBC contributor
→ Some of my favorite Democrat Party Leaders to follow on Twitter, not in elected office but proving knowledge & experience are positives & not negatives are:
Former First Lady Michelle Obama
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Former Labor Secretary/Today's DNC Chair Tom Perez
Note: I rarely get involved in primary races -- outside of those in my own area and unless there is a glaring reason that can not be ignored, I support Democratic Party nominees in general elections. I don't support bashing Democrats.
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g. (Unapologetic Democrat)
✊ Resisting "Fake News"
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