Fighting… With What?

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Events continue to move fast, and the recent episode on funding bill that nearly caused a government shutdown seems like a long time ago. In fact it was not that long ago. With the benefit of a little hindsight the episode warrants some additional consideration. The simmering divide in the Democratic Party was on how to deal with President Trump was underscored as a result.

At the end of the day the shutdown was averted because of the actions of 10 Democrats in the United States Senate. In the aftermath of those votes they have caught hell from many progressives in our party, with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York catching the brunt of it.

Sen. Schumer has been around the block multiple times, and I am sure that the potential for backlash factored in his decision-making process. He was in a difficult position and made a tough choice. I have clarity on the untenable nature of the situation that he faced. Even so, it is the price of leadership. He is a tough guy and he can take it.

In the wake of that vote, as someone who was once a practicing politician, I have asked myself the question: “What would I have done in that situation?” My answer may strike some as trying to have it both ways. It’s not. But, if that is the takeaway for some then so be it.

Here it is. Had I been a member of the House of Representatives I would have voted with the majority of my Democratic colleges against the republican funding bill. Had I been a member of the Senate I would have voted with the minority of Senate democrats that broke the filibuster which cleared the way for passage of the bill. In short, when push came to shove, I would have voted to keep the federal government open.

I know. That posture deserves an explanation.

Terrain Dictates

As a young Army officer, I became acquainted with the term “terrain dictates.” It means that you cannot take tanks through a swamp. All the bluster and passion and fighting spirit in the world will not make it happen. The terrain simply won’t allow it. Consequently, alternative means of advance need to be pursued. Put another way, it is important to have a thorough understanding of any given situation so that your actions don’t result in a calamity.

I have significant respect for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. But in this instance, he misread the terrain. Under ordinary circumstances in a situation like that, the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson would not have been able to coral the disparate members of the Republican Caucus to produce that votes that he needed to pass his bill. Therefore, he would have been forced to deal with democratic leadership to put together a compromise bill that would get the votes from both parties necessary to pass a bill and avoid a shutdown. That is what has usually happened in the past. But that did not happen this time.

Once this became clear, the democrats in the house had to stand in firm and united opposition to a highly flawed bill. And I would have proudly stood with them.

In this instance, Speaker Johnson was able to hold his caucus together except for one member. And with that majority, as narrow as it is, he was able to bum rush the democrats and get a highly flawed bill passed. Once the legislative ball was in the court of the Senate, Speaker Johnson made one more gangster move by dismissing The House of Representatives. They voted and then left DC. Once those actions were taken, leverage was lost, which put Senate Democrats in a nearly impossible position.

Who Gets Hurt?

Before I turn my attention to The Senate some context seems appropriate. Consider the following: When the federal government shuts down members of congress continue to get paid. Did you know that? Capitol Hill security remains in place. The lights remain on in the hallowed halls of Congress.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue Air Force One remains gassed up and ready to fly. The President’s Secret Service protection remains in place. The lights stay on in the White House.

Some staffers in both branches of government are sent home. But some stay in place.

The point that I’m making is that those in government who would be responsible for inducing a shutdown would not sacrifice very much because of it. Something also worth considering is this: the national journalist and tv personalities who comment during a government shutdown still get paid too.

So, if the government shuts down, who gets hurt?

We do. That’s who.

For all the wailing and moaning about the government that people (mostly folks on the right) do, most of us rely on the services that the federal government delivers to one degree or another, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. When the people who deliver those services are sent home without paychecks it has all sorts of negative ripple effects.

For those who like the great outdoors here is just one example. Try getting into a National Park while the federal government is shut down and see how you like it. And if for some reason you were able to get in, who would be there to guide you. Who would be there to maintain it? I could provide other such examples but I think I have made my point.

Additionally, in this current environment the specter of this administration seizing upon a shutdown scenario to wreak even more havoc in its management approach was real. Given what has already been occurring that threat was indeed very real.

The Price of Leadership

I don’t quarrel with the Democrats in the Senate who took the same posture as their colleges in the house by voting against the funding bill. I would venture to say that in most individual cases it was a principled stand.

However, I do have a serious problem with those house members who have casually hurled insults and political threats at those democratic members of the senate who took a different posture, and who publicly called for Sen. Schumer’s resignation as Minority Leader.

When you don’t carry the responsibility of leadership it is easy to throw stones and impugn the motives of those who do. Certain house members can retreat to the safety of their highly gerrymandered congressional districts and talk smack from the sidelines and their X accounts. Also, some members of the house may need a refresher course in how leverage works.

Rather than displaying some recognition of the difficult situation that democratic senators faced, some house members have engaged in some unfortunate forms of recrimination. And most of it is to play to a base that wants the “show” of a fight. In this instance I think that posture would have been short-sighted and irresponsible.

And for those who would have had the senate democrats allow the government to shut down my question is simply this: “Then what?”

And if the response to that was, “We’re not sure. But at least they would have been doing something?”

To which my follow up question would have been, “Who suffers in the meantime?”

Just imagine where we would be right now if the federal government was indeed shut down. Think about the scope of those ramifications.

In a recent TV appearance. Sen. Schumer indicated that he has no intent to step down from his leadership position. I applaud that stance. So far, I have not heard of a massive call from members of his caucus publicly seeking his resignation. I think this is a good thing and indicates to me that a proper reading of the terrain and a measure of maturity exists among democratic members of the US Senate.

Don’t Fall for the Show

And so, the fratricide in the democratic party continues. I get it. But only up to a point.

Donald Trump’s re-election was a gut punch for many of us. He is an unorthodox political figure to say the least, fighting asymmetrical warfare. And the democratic party in its current form has not adapted to this reality very well. At least not yet.

We must come to terms with the fact that we are no longer dealing with a Mitt Romney or a John McCain or a George W. Bush type of player. Donald J. Trump is an entirely different breed of cat. And his presence on the political landscape over the past ten years has altered the political terrain.

But that is no reason to turn on each other. Divide and Conquer is the oldest game in a war fighter’s play book. We simply cannot allow ourselves to succumb to that.

In a previous edition of this memo, I alluded to the coming reckoning within the democratic party. That prediction still holds. And events surrounding this recent government funding episode seem to have hastened the inevitable. That’s ok. It was something that needs to happen. But as News Nation host Chris Cuomo says “how you disagree matters.” And if our leaders don’t find a way to keep our disagreements civil and within the family, irreputable harm may be done to our collective prospects moving forward.

I understand that certain elements of our party want our elected leaders to take more of a strident posture against President Trump. To them a government shutdown would have demonstrated that point in a significant way. I understand that impulse and I don’t necessarily disparage it. But I also understand that responsible leaders cannot always give in to impulse because the outcomes may be uncertain at best and potentially catastrophic.

When I think about what has recently occurred it takes me back to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearings for Brett Cavanaugh to the Supreme Court from a few years ago. Some of these same elements in the democratic party demanded a demonstrative show of disapproval from the democrats on that committee and as a whole. Maybe that was warranted, up to a point. Many obliged, up to and including Senator Corey Booker’s “Spartacus moment” during the confirmation hearing.

I have significant respect for Sen. Booker. But at the end of the day all the wailing and gnashing of teeth that was done by him and his colleagues, didn’t amount to much of anything. At some point in the process, when he was good and ready the chairman of the committee called for a vote. In turn the senate majority leader called for a vote. And that was that. Because the Republicans had the numbers the confirmation was advanced. And now we have Justice Brett Kavanagh sitting on the Supreme Court for God only knows how long, rendering some horrible opinions.

Also, Sen. Booker’s recent 25-hour floor speech was certainly a testament to his stamina, and I agree with most of the points that he made. Consequently, certain folks seem ready to anoint him as our next leader. Maybe. Maybe not. But, at the end of the day it was just political theater. It did not change anything.

Just in case it hasn’t become clear, I am not a big fan of political theater. The show just does not do much for me. I am wired to be more focused on the actual results.

Better Tools Make for a Better Fight

I certainly appreciate a fighting spirit. However, while I was in office I had people around me who helped to temper my natural pugilistic impulses. At the end of the day, it was better for my constituents and better for me. For this I will always be thankful.

Also, as an Army officer I learned to avoid entering a battlespace unless properly armed. When properly armed the chances of success improve dramatically. To a large degree the Democratic party has been disarmed. This is a harsh truth, which I think has induced such demonstrative and understandable displays of frustration. But it is the truth, none-the-less.

To state the obvious, the best tool for achieving political objectives is having the votes. That means winning elections. Since we are in the minority in both chambers right now, it makes things difficult. We must acknowledge this fact and learn how to effectively operate within those constraints. Having said that we are not totally powerless. We simply must be smarter about deploying the tools that we do have, and resist the temptation to engage in spectacles.

Recently I saw Senator Chris Murphy on Meet the Press where he made the point that, “The majority is obligated to negotiate with the minority.” As much as I respect the Senator I totally disagree with that assertion. When you have the numbers, you are not obligated to negotiate at all. That would certainly be nice and to my mind the proper way to conduct business. But an obligation? No. The Republicans have total clarity on this.

Generally, people negotiate when circumstances compel them to do so. Therefore, we must raise the temperature on the Republicans so that they are compelled to do so. The next big budget fight is on the reconciliation package or the so called “big, beautiful, bill”. This includes the continuation of tax cuts for the wealthy and significant cuts to Medicaid among other things. This will provide a great opportunity to do just that.

When The Going Gets Tough…

Losing sucks! There is simply no way around it.

However, there is at least one significant benefit that losing induces. After you have lost you find out who your real friends are. That is a good thing to know.

Right now, we are losing. The polling makes that crystal clear. But what’s true today is not necessarily true forever. The recent results of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race was certainly a welcome outcome. Also, the continued overreach of the Trump administration on multiple fronts will undoubtedly induce a pendulum swing. We need to be there for the turn.

But my continued caution for my party is this: as bad as things may get, people, especially people in the middle, may not necessarily turn toward us.

Recently MSNBC host Simone Sanders Townsend who in the wake of the recent government funding vote, declared that she was no longer a democrat and was now an independence. I admit to having been in touch with that sentiment from time -to- time. And that is certainly her choice. But, over a disagreement on one vote. I think that is very unfortunate.

There is an axiom that holds “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” I always took that to mean that when things get tough, you regroup and continue fighting instead of running for the exit doors. My point is we need to stick together.

A Path Forward

Our single-minded objective needs to be winning back at least one of the chambers in Congress in the 2026 election cycle. Given the current numbers the House of Representatives provides us with the best shot. This means winning seats currently being held by Republicans, which by definition means appealing to some folks in the middle.

I understand where the current anger and frankly the energy in my party is. I understand the desire to “primary” those who are not deemed to be angry or pure enough to satisfy the base. I understand the impulse to “send a message.” I would simply suggest this: in a congressional district that has been gerrymandered to lean democratic the replacement of a so called “moderate” with a so called “progressive”, gains us nothing.

Moreover, I have a specific recommendation. As a run up to the 2026 election we need something akin to our own Project 2025 or 1994’s Contract With America. Such a document would spell out what we would focus on if we were back in charge of the House of Representatives. In other words, being noisily opposed to President Trump and his agenda is not enough. We must state clearly what we stand for and drive that message repeatedly.

Of course, the primary objective of any such endeavor should be Economic Opportunity and Fairness. Hopefully, there are people much more engaged than me at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee who are already working on this.

But 2026 is still a long way off. So, in the meantime I would suggest the following:

1.Continue to fight the excesses of the Trump administration at every turn in the courts. As their frustration with certain court rulings grow, they are likely to become even more reckless. This will be on full display for the American people.

2.Continue to educate and engage with the American people on the excesses of the Trump administration, and its direct impact on them. Use all available means including social media. Also, I think good old-fashioned town hall meetings remain very effective communications vehicles.

3.Have leaders in our party start making the case on conservative leaning media outlets across the board. This is not about converting the MAGA faithful. It is about demonstrating the courage of our convictions and offering folks in the middle a viable alternative. Continuously preaching to the choir is not going to get the job done.

Creating actual change requires a combination of protest and politics. Serious people understand this. And the seriousness of this moment requires seriousness in actions, instead of gimmicks. So, let’s get on with it.

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