The incoming Trump presidency is no small matter for the left in America, and in particular, of course, the Democrat party. They’re going to be preparing their rebuttals, delays, and monologue’s over what appears to be a takeover of the executive to rule America by iron will.
The reality, however, is an alternative platform to such a diatribe. The fact is the left has increasingly made their policies – and positions – too radical for public consumption. It’s a fact now even college campuses are taken over by protesters who feel they’re not liberal enough.
Back, not forward
The ideology of the left, and partly the Democrat party, is not difficult to hear but it’s complicated to trace. It harks back to former eras, and times when their intellectual forbears said things which made sense in the moment, and this is what informs the mantras of today.
The Democrat party, a legitimate party of state and the other half of a two-party system, borrows heavily from such a tradition. It sees it as a powerful mode of intercourse with the American public through its established media organs. It hits hard, and sits well.
The trouble is fighting back is expensive, and sometimes complicated, if the left are also undergoing a periodic and spontaneous bout of activism. The attention drawn to it by law enforcement, legal hawks, and experts, gives a third way type of legitimacy that’s hard to rebuke.
News cycling
The real Democrat party is found in its leaders, however, and the communities where it matters. It’s tough to know what a Democrat is now feeling if they’re not spoken to and heard. The sentiments shared during town halls or private gatherings are part of understanding.
The legitimacy of our media is weak in comparison. It’s because we can’t expose too much of how America feels on its own behalf, and we also have to give a reason for why we’re even interested. The point is that if America doesn’t even speak for itself, we’re in an echo chamber.
A case in point is an interview by GB News with Eric Trump, a son of President-Elect Trump, who said overseas citizens observing American democracy should make an effort to be respectful. It’s an important part of his nation’s culture, but he obviously feels it’s under attack.
Home affairs
The point scoring in UK political culture is different from the agenda setting moments in the American equivalent. The fact is a narrative is proven through by what happens, and not just by what’s said. If it’s a relevant point, it’s only so because it otherwise proves true.
The lack of connectivity between UK media outlets and America as it is can be unsettling. The onscreen interviews that last seconds are not sufficient to get the gravity of an election process, nor does it do justice to the lived experience of those who love their country, too.
In the inner workings of either the Democrat or Republican party are those deeply held concerns about future prospects. Maybe they’re worried about the other side. It also may be constant preoccupation with voting, and how a policy agenda will work out in the long term.
The likelihood is the Democrats will be calculating the wins or losses of a Trump presidency as it moves forward, while also working on its own game. It has a loss to process but also a future election to contest and its public – and private – considerations that are important here.
