Dems’ best strategy is to hold Trump to his better campaign promises

For all of those devastated by the election results, there is something to be said for poking the bear. You could spend your time promoting all the progressive elements of the Donald Trump campaign to Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has already started the process and there is more to come.

This approach suggests a strategy for reestablishing a Democratic majority.

On Dec. 6, 2016, Sanders rose in the Senate to request unanimous consent for an amendment to the spending bill under consideration. He asked his Republican colleagues to join with him in supporting Trump’s campaign promise to lower drug cost by immediately allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and permitting citizens to purchase drugs from other countries where low costs are available.

The move, he said, would provide an immediate annual savings estimated at $300 billion or a reduction of almost $1,000 per citizen in savings.

{mosads}The request, however, was blocked by the Republicans and the effort has been largely ignored by the press.

Sanders’s move suggests more that can be done in this vein. The press and broadcasters can be urged to bring the issue up with the Trump administration, forcing it to respond. In so doing so, it may well be the case that Trump is forced to spend some political capital and a positive change is made.

The more likely outcome is the GOP will revert to form and refuse to assist American citizens at the cost of the drug industry, which makes for a great example in exposing Republican duplicity. It allows a specific case for exposing Trump demagoguery in the event he fails to do it or receives no support from his party.

Consider this: If the Democrats would search their ranks and find a few photogenic, articulate and sharp rising stars like Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) — the guy who challenged Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for the minority leadership role — and get them in front of the cameras and on the list of “go to” spokespeople for the Democrats and those spokespeople pounded the lost benefits for the middle-class and the abandonment of Republicans from campaign promises, it would start the process of winning back wage-earning Americans who have abandoned the Democrats’ candidate and cause.

That same spokesman can harp on the tax concessions rather than promised penalties made to Carrier Corp. to save 730 jobs — not the 1,100 jobs — or the announced Softbank commitment to investment that might create 50,000 jobs for which Trump has taken credit even though it was planned earlier. That same spokesman can be pushed in front of local coverage in every swing state Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton lost.

Given that Trump has promised everything — before contradicting himself — there is ample room to comb his campaign speeches and create a continuous stream of legislative proposals claiming his support; better, less expensive healthcare insurance, taking care of women, making veterans support systems accountable, creating 6 percent growth in the gross domestic product, creating 25 million new jobs, protecting workers, simplifying the tax code, making a fairer tax system, and “draining the swamp” with campaign finance restrictions, term limits and curbing lobbying.

Democrats have done an incredibly poor job of adjusting to politics as entertainment and the absence of integrity in political dialogue. Trump is continuously outmaneuvering them such that Democrats, taken as a whole, appear to be a stuttering buffoon, continuously dealing with yesterday’s outrage, unable to speak candidly or just babbling cliches.

Despite all the disappointment of loss to this new form of politician they have yet to address the new reality. Trump works on a 24/7 news cycle and they are still timing messages to news at 7 or 11.

The energy boost that is needed is to recognize that new young faces are needed; these new faces must be charismatic, smart and biting in their approach to criticism of Trump while constantly posing the Democratic alternative. They have to have the energy to work as hard as Trump does in donning his circus hat and crop for the three-ring circus he is using to distract the public from the real goings-on.

Trump won’t stand up for negotiated drug prices, but Democrats will. If history is any measure, the Republicans will have the next two years to do damage to existing programs and policy, after which the public will clip their wings.

To insure that that takes place, Democrats have got to get back to the core message that Sanders blasted in the primaries. The Democratic Party is open for business and in support of the traditional working-class Americans. Democrats have too often emphasized identity politics and it has cost them the heartland.

Ironically, it won’t be that hard to do. Republicans are already reverting to form; promising freedom and liberty, playing to the wedge issues while favoring the rich over the average.

It appears that any attempt by Trump to actually benefit the middle class will fail and in that failure, the real focus of the next election will be the degree to which conservative Republican policies can be sold to a public as gossamer versus the ability of Democrats to exhibit cohesion, resolve and imagination.

David Russell is managing director of Cove Hill Advisory Services and a longtime contributor to The Hill.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.