President Trump gave his \u201cimpromptu\u201d State of the Union Address Tuesday night.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cImpromptu\u201d, because traditionally the President doesn\u2019t give a State of the Union in his first year in office.\u00a0 \u00a0After all, it\u2019s only been a month and a half since he gave his Inaugural Address.\u00a0\u00a0But, like most things involving the Trump Administration, there\u2019s no tradition, no \u201cnorm\u201d worth keeping (I guess).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the forty-five days Mr. Trump stomped on the Constitution so many times, that the Courts can\u2019t keep up.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s a Trump legal strategy, by the way:\u00a0\u00a0sue, delay, appeal, delay, obfuscate, delay, overwhelm; delay, and delay some more.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s how he managed to avoid two years of personal Federal prosecution.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s also how he still hasn\u2019t paid the hundreds of millions of dollars he owes the State of New York. And, for now, he stole the \u201cpower of the purse\u201d from the US Congress. He’s made it his own.\u00a0\u00a0As a friend of mine says: even if the Courts disagree with Trump, it will take two years for them to catch up.\u00a0\u00a0By then, it will be far too late, the damage done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through much of the \u201cshock and awe\u201d of Trump\u2019s (and Musk\u2019s) actions in the last forty-five days, Democrats have \u201csat back\u201d. We haven\u2019t heard the leadership of the Democratic Party say a whole lot, or give alternatives to the renegade DOGE boys, or authoritarian ICE actions. Rank and file Democrats are asking: where are our leaders? Who will stand up for us? What can we do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps some of the Democratic leadership are following the words of veteran campaign strategist James Carville.\u00a0 \u00a0He\u2019s noted for his famous advice to Bill Clinton in 1992 when the campaign was struggling with the rumors of illicit sex activities:\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s the economy, stupid\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0That advice helped Clinton win the Presidency.\u00a0\u00a0Carville today is essentially making this point: let Trump be Trump.\u00a0\u00a0He and the Republican Congress will trip over their own two feet.\u00a0\u00a0Let Trump make a mess of the economy with his tariffs and his shredded governing style.\u00a0\u00a0Let the Republicans do it to themselves, then Democrats can pick up the pieces in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking from the rank and file there are two problems with that.\u00a0\u00a0First of all, many Democrats feel that democracy itself is at stake.\u00a0 \u00a0They don\u2019t think that the election of 2026 is a \u201csure thing\u201d, not for Democrats, and not even the physical act of counting votes.\u00a0\u00a0Those Democrats think that the Carville strategy is based on \u201cregular order\u201d, on tradition, on those damn \u201cnorms\u201d. They don\u2019t think there\u2019s any guarantee that \u201cnorms\u201d will be followed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like my friend said; many Democrats think that waiting for an election in two years will be far too late, the damage done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And second, there appears to be a total vacuum in the Democratic leadership.\u00a0\u00a0Harris is gone, and the Governors (Newsom, Whitmer, Moore, Pritzker, Walz, et al) are all too busy trying to navigate their multiple state crises caused by Trump\u2019s actions.\u00a0\u00a0 Hakeem Jefferies, the Speaker-apparent (should Democrats regain the House), is laser-focused on legislation, not leadership of the greater Party.\u00a0\u00a0And the \u201cold guard\u201d; Biden, the Obama’s, Pelosi; all seem to have ceded authority to the \u201cnext generation\u201d, even if the leaders of that generation aren\u2019t apparent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Democratic members of Congress recognized the emptiness. They heard the call to action from their constituents, and they tried to step up during the State of the Union. Some cried out, calling to task Trump\u2019s immeasurable number of lies and misstatements. Representative Green of Texas went so far as to stand, yell, and shake his cane at the President, interrupting despite orders from the Speaker to \u201cbe seated\u201d. Mr. Green was ultimately escorted from the Chamber by the Sergeant at Arms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other Democrats walked out, our held up placards with the word \u201cFalse\u201d written on them, kind of an old-school gymnastics\u00a0\u00a0scoring thing (“10,8,10,4 \u2013 that was the Russian judge”).\u00a0\u00a0 But since the cameras didn’t cut away from the President, their actions failed to get much attention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, on the media summary, many commentators decried the Democrats \u201cbreaking the decorum of the House\u201d.\u00a0 Meanwhile the President literally used an insulting term directly at one US Senator, and had no problem baiting Democrats and applauding his own sycophants.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s as if the norms and rules apply only to one side.\u00a0\u00a0The MAGA side is given a full \u201cpass\u201d; because; well, that\u2019s just what they do.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Democracy is on the line, then the rules, traditions, and norms are out.\u00a0\u00a0We can\u2019t wait for our leadership to determine a course, and we can\u2019t hope that the Courts will save America.\u00a0\u00a0 In the end, we too must break the norms, and do what\u2019s necessary to save our Constitution, and our Democracy.\u00a0\u00a0As John Lewis liked to say, it\u2019s time to get in some \u201cgood trouble\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And if that means we break \u201cdecorum\u201d \u2013 so be it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"