Not Going Back | Editors - Commonweal Magazine

Not Going Back | Commonweal Magazine Editorial November 21, 2024

***Trump’s second term presents unique risks. He’s already tapped an internet-poisoned billionaire loaded with conflicts of interest to reform government spending; a Christian nationalist to lead the Department of Defense; and a conspiracy theorist to helm Health and Human Services. His administration is likely to further enable Israel’s destruction of Gaza and could facilitate its annexation of the West Bank; it may also draw us into a war with Iran. Trump will work to make his tax cuts permanent, worsening the deficit and opening the door for Republicans to slash social services. 

He plans to restart and expand a policy of cruelty at the border, and may once again try to scrap Obamacare. Finally, he will attempt to shore up a radical conservative majority on the Supreme Court, whose malign influence on our political system could be felt for decades to come. Unfortunately, thanks to congressional losses, Democrats will have little power to check Trump. The task of mitigating harm will mainly be left to the remnants of the old Republican establishment, most of which has proven all too willing to accommodate Trump in the past.

Meanwhile, the long-term task for the Democrats is clear. They must build a coalition behind clear, popular, and effective solutions to the economic problems afflicting young, working- and middle-class Americans. 

This platform should emphasize universal programs like Medicare for All, free or low-cost college, national rent control, universal pre-K, child tax credits, and minimum-wage increases. Democrats should also develop—and campaign on—more policies to fight corruption and break the stranglehold wealth has on our political system. They should recruit candidates who share these goals but come from outside elite circles. (Not all Democratic politicians need to be lawyers.) Finally, they should resist the efforts of nonprofits and single-issue groups to impose litmus tests on candidates and push policies unappealing to most voters.